Other measure modes

The measure tool can also help with non-light profiles or one-off readings. All these modes are available in both the Home Assistant app and the CLI, and use the same power meter setup.

Smart speaker

Use Smart speaker for media players where power consumption changes with playback and volume level.

MEDIA_CONTROLLER=hass

The runner measures volume levels from 10 through 100 in steps of 10, then measures the muted or off state. By default it streams pink noise from a Powercalc-hosted URL during each volume measurement.

Some devices, such as Amazon Alexa devices, do not support direct streaming through this service call. In that case, choose the wizard option to disable automatic streaming and start a stable audio source manually.

The generated model uses a linear strategy with calibration points and a condition that enables calculation while the entity is playing.

Fan

Use Fan for Home Assistant fan entities that support percentage control.

FAN_CONTROLLER=hass

The runner measures percentage values from 5 through 100 in steps of 5. It waits after each percentage change, then takes an average measurement. It also measures standby after turning the fan off.

The generated model uses a linear strategy with percentage calibration points.

Charging device

Use Charging device for devices where charging power can be mapped to battery level. The current device types are:

• vacuum_robot
• lawn_mower_robot

CHARGING_CONTROLLER=hass

Start with the device as close to empty as possible. The runner waits for charging to start, records power readings while the battery level rises, and then measures trickle charging at 100 percent.

The battery level can come from either:

• An attribute on the main entity, usually battery_level.
• A separate sensor entity.

The generated model uses a linear strategy with battery-level calibration points and enables calculation while the entity is docked.

Average

Use Average when you need a single average power reading for a device state.

The wizard asks for a duration in seconds. After you press enter, the tool reads the power meter for that duration and prints the average result. This mode does not create a full profile by itself, but it is useful when you manually build a fixed profile or need a reliable value for a specific state.

Examples:

• Printer idle power.
• Camera day mode or night mode.
• Smart switch self-usage in on and off states.
• Network device idle power.

Recorder

Use Recorder to capture an open-ended power time series. In the Home Assistant app, first choose what the recording is for:

• A Playbook CSV writes the existing headerless elapsed time,power format used by the Playbook strategy.
• Data for a complex power profile (experimental) records power together with the state and complete attributes of selected Home Assistant entities. After recording, the analyser can create a fixed states_power profile when one state or scalar attribute clearly explains the measured power. Composite models are not supported yet, so this workflow is not feature complete.

The CLI always creates a Playbook CSV and stops when you press CTRL+C. The app stops the recorder from the running-session screen.

This is useful for:

• Recording program-based devices such as washing machines, dishwashers, and similar appliances.
• Capturing one full appliance cycle as a playbook CSV.
• Comparing different programs before configuring multiple playbooks.
• Checking whether a measurement duration is long enough.

Complex-profile recordings

Choose Generic device to track one or more entities from any Home Assistant domain.

Choose Robot vacuum for a guided recording. Select the vacuum entity and its battery percentage sensor. The battery sensor must belong to the same Home Assistant device; the app selects it automatically when exactly one usable sensor is available. You can add other entities, including dock controls or status sensors, without having them selected automatically.

Measure the complete dock or base station at the wall outlet. Start with a low battery and capture charging, idle, and cleaning. Also capture washing, drying, and dust-emptying when the dock supports those operations.

Complex recordings use JSON Lines (.jsonl). The first record describes the recording and selected entities; every following sample contains a power reading and entity map. This lets the recorder stream samples safely without holding the complete recording in memory:

{"record_type":"metadata","format_version":1,"recipe":"vacuum_robot","primary_entity_id":"vacuum.robot","entities":[{"entity_id":"vacuum.robot","domain":"vacuum","role":"primary"},{"entity_id":"sensor.robot_battery","domain":"sensor","role":"battery"}]}
{"record_type":"sample","elapsed_seconds":0.0,"power":4.2,"entities":{"vacuum.robot":{"state":"cleaning","attributes":{"battery_level":42}},"sensor.robot_battery":{"state":"42","attributes":{"unit_of_measurement":"%"}}}}

Stopping the recording starts analysis automatically. The result always includes analysis.json. A model.json is added only when the selected feature covers at least 90% of validation samples and improves mean absolute error enough over a constant-power baseline. Each learned value needs at least five recorded samples. If those checks fail, the recording still completes and the result explains that more representative data—or a future composite strategy—is needed.

Because this includes complete entity attributes, inspect the file for installation-specific or sensitive values before sharing it. While recording, the measurement screen shows the latest state of every tracked entity beneath the live power chart. Complete attributes remain in the JSON Lines file rather than the live view.

For a Playbook recording, move the resulting CSV into the Home Assistant playbook directory and configure it as described in the Playbook strategy documentation.