This article may be a good starting point: https://renewableheatinghub.co.uk/integrating-devices-with-home-assistant-a-step-by-step-guide

@majordennisbloodnok, is this something that you can specifically advise John on?

Posted by: @johndunlop

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GivTCP

I had it and it never seemed to do what it should, I deleted about a year ago and then tried to add it again a couple of months go, just couldn't get it to work at all.

Try Wonder Watt, it's way better and easier to manipulate. Takes about 20 mins to get up and running

No problem, @editor. Let's see what we can do.

@johndunlop, what you're talking about is a fairly complex setup and rather reminiscent of something another forum member (@ianmk13) introduced me to - something called Predbat. However, it's probably easier if we break things down into the constituent parts before pulling them together.

Pretty obviously, in order to integrate each of these things we need to be sure they are all individually working OK within Home Assistant. Are you happy that, within Home Assistant:

• You are able to view what's going on with your GivEnergy inverter and battery?
• You are able to change settings on your GivEnergy inverter and battery (e.g. change the GivTCP target SOC)?
• You are able to connect to the Octopus API and view the current half-hourly import rate?
• You are able to receive and view the current estimated solar production forecast?

I'm guessing that if you've said you have the GivTCP, Octopus API and Solcast API integrations configured, you've probably been following the instructions on this site. Is that correct?

@majordennisbloodnok

Thanks for your reply, yes that's the speak to the geek instructions that we followed to the letter so all of the relevant information must have been inputted but there appeared to be no 'go' instruction to initiate it all and we can't actually see any of the info or have it populate a card.

Thanks, @johndunlop

So if you go to Settings, Devices and Services and then choose Devices at the top of the screen, are you able as the documentation says to filter the devices on GivTCP and see devices there?

@majordennisbloodnok

That's good, @johndunlop; the fact we can see the battery details are reporting 97% full confirms that not only is Home Assistant set up to communicate with your inverter, the inverter is returning values.

Can you please click on the GivTCP device and send a screenshot there? And one of the others would be good too; how about the Inverter Details?

Hi @majordennisbloodnok,

Thank you for your patience!

I can't reply by PM because I'm a newbie so here we go:

I am not clued up with HA at all, hence the request for ground zero assistance and simplification is best.

The whole idea behind getting the HA green was that I can have local not cloud based control of my inverter and battery.

Our inverter only has one charging slot within the GivEnergy system and being on the Agile tariff, is not ideal for the most efficient charging.

We have also just has Mitsubishi a/c - heat pump installed and their integration would be at the end of the rainbow too.

We have been using wonderwatt with reasonable success but HA seemed to be the way to go with a more integrated whole home system and would save me from checking Solcast, selecting slots for the following day and hoping that the charge takes!

So in the hope of making my life a bit easier, I followed the speak to the geek video for the GivEnergy, Solcast and Agile integration to start with but I think it assumed a basic level of knowledge that I didn't possess in order to get it to "run" or populate a card and interact with charging slots.

I have somehow added a couple of things to the default card but don't know how I did it or how to change anything - hence the request for idiot level assistance!

I have tried on the various FB forums for months but there seems to be an awful lot of gatekeeping out there and got a bit fed up with getting told you shouldn't have bought HA if you don't know how to use it - I'm sure we all had to start somewhere.

My stepson is pretty clued up with all things computing but not HA specifically and couldn't progress things either so kindly suggested the renewable heating hub.

After your initial instructions, I can see difference between the the add-on and the sensors with the option to add to a dashboard which is more progress than I have had in the last 6 months and I will have a go at populating a default card with fingers crossed

Not a problem, @johndunlop. I understand and can well sympathise.

For anyone else reading this thread, the first pointer I gave was that, when you go into Home Assistant’s settings, select Devices and Services and then select Devices at the top of the page, you can click on a device to see the list of bits of information that device is providing (generally called sensors if they’re read-only stuff). At the bottom of the list of sensors is a link saying “Add to Dashboard” which allows you to select an appropriate “card” for displaying all those sensors and then add it to your default dashboard. That’s often the quickest and easiest way of getting your dashboard populated with information, which answer’s one of John’s first questions.

@johndunlop, I’d suggest you do as you said and get some cards added. Not only will that get you up and running with some useable info but will also serve to familiarise you with the Home Assistant concepts. Once you’re a bit more at ease we can move on to the next part.

Posted by: @johndunlop

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I have tried on the various FB forums for months but there seems to be an awful lot of gatekeeping out there and got a bit fed up with getting told you shouldn't have bought HA if you don't know how to use it

If you don’t get hold of HA in the first place, how can you get to know how to use it? The criticism levelled at you is inane and ignorant and I’d get just as fed up.

Posted by: @johndunlop

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…hence the request for idiot level assistance!

…

As has been said many a time before, the only idiotic question is the one you don’t ask. Nowt idiotic about asking for help to get started.

I look forward to your progress John since I’m equally ignorant and want to have the control local rather than over the cloud.