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Elements

Elements are the building blocks of your HAEO energy network. Each element represents a physical device or logical component in your energy system.

Elements vs Home Assistant Entities

In HAEO documentation:

  • Element = A component in your energy optimization (battery, grid, solar, etc.)
  • Entity = A Home Assistant sensor or device entity (e.g., sensor.battery_power)

This page describes HAEO elements. Each element creates several Home Assistant entities (sensors).

Element Types

HAEO supports several element types for modeling your energy system:

Battery

Energy storage with state of charge tracking, charge/discharge rates, and efficiency modeling.

Grid

Bi-directional grid connection for import/export with dynamic or fixed pricing.

Photovoltaics

Solar power generation with forecast integration and optional curtailment.

Constant Load

Fixed power consumption that doesn't vary over time.

Forecast Load

Variable consumption based on forecast data.

Node

Virtual power balance node for grouping connections and managing complex topologies.

Connections

Define how power flows between elements (technically connections are configuration, not elements, but grouped here for convenience).

How Elements Work Together

Elements work together once you connect them to match your real-world wiring. HAEO balances available energy, expected consumption, and any limits you set so the total system stays within bounds. In a typical home system, solar may feed a common node, the grid can import or export, and a battery shifts energy between time periods.

Example layout:

Solar → Net ← Grid
         ↓
      Battery
         ↓
       Load

This layout lets HAEO decide when to store solar, rely on the grid, or draw from a battery while keeping every connection within the limits you configured. See the modeling documentation for the underlying mathematics.

Configuration Approach

When configuring elements:

  1. Start simple: Begin with just a grid and one other element
  2. Add gradually: Introduce complexity one element at a time
  3. Verify each step: Check that optimization produces reasonable results
  4. Use realistic values: Base constraints on actual device specifications

Next Steps

Explore detailed configuration for each element type: