This how-to Tariff Management in OpenHAB will show you how to automatically manage and display your electricity tariff status (off-peak or peak) using OpenHAB. You’ll set up time-based rules, a visual indicator in your sitemap, and a string item to clearly reflect the current tariff with color-coding for easy reading.
Tariff Management in OpenHAB
Index: Tariff Management in OpenHAB
Background of Tariff Management in OpenHAB
Electricity providers often use time-based pricing—charging more during the day (peak/standard tariff) and less at night or weekends (off-peak). If you’re using OpenHAB for home automation, you can automate tracking and display of the current rate period right in your smart home interface. Here’s how.
Step-by-Step Setup
1. Define Items
Switch Tarif "Tariff Switch" Switch PeakTariff "Peak Switch" String Tarif_String "Current Electricity Tariff"
2. Add to Your Sitemap
Text item=Tarif_String label="Current Tariff" valuecolor=[PeakTariff="red", OffPeakTariff="green"]
3. Rules File
This rules file controls when the system switches between Peak and Off-Peak based on your energy provider’s schedule. It also updates the `Tarif_String` display item accordingly—every 15 minutes, on system reboot, and whenever the switch changes.
//
// Automatic switching between Peak and Off-Peak periods
// Schedule reflects typical utility rates (adjust times as needed)
//
// Tariff Schedule:
// ----------------
// Peak Mon–Fri: 07:00–20:00, Sat: 07:00–13:00
// Off-Peak All other times
//
rule "Enable Peak Tariff (Mon–Sat, mornings)"
when
Time cron "0 0 7 ? * MON,TUE,WED,THU,FRI,SAT *"
then
logInfo("tariff.rules", "Rule: Switching to Peak tariff")
Tarif.sendCommand(OFF)
PeakTariff.sendCommand(ON)
end
rule "Enable Off-Peak Tariff (Mon–Fri, evenings)"
when
Time cron "0 0 20 ? * MON,TUE,WED,THU,FRI *"
then
logInfo("tariff.rules", "Rule: Switching to Off-Peak tariff (Mon–Fri)")
Tarif.sendCommand(ON)
PeakTariff.sendCommand(OFF)
end
rule "Enable Off-Peak Tariff (Saturday, afternoon)"
when
Time cron "0 0 13 ? * SAT *"
then
logInfo("tariff.rules", "Rule: Switching to Off-Peak tariff (Saturday)")
Tarif.sendCommand(ON)
PeakTariff.sendCommand(OFF)
end
// Update the visible tariff text regularly
rule "Tarif_String updater (on change, every 15 min, and at startup)"
when
Item Tarif changed or
Time cron "0 0/15 * * * ?" or
System started
then
if (Tarif.state == ON) {
Tarif_String.postUpdate("Off-Peak")
} else if (Tarif.state == OFF) {
Tarif_String.postUpdate("Peak")
} else {
Tarif_String.postUpdate("Unknown Status")
}
endAdditional Information
This guide is based on a use case where tariffs switch on set daily schedules. You can integrate it with a smart meter in the future for live detection. For persistent storage or graphing tariff history, consider adding persistence strategies in your setup.
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