From d6bd933e908d6e7d0ef2a6135bd6ec9e040dbfd9 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Julian Pawlowski Date: Sat, 11 Apr 2026 12:09:15 +0000 Subject: [PATCH] docs(period-calculation): clarify Best Price definition and V-shaped price day behavior --- docs/user/docs/period-calculation.md | 12 ++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 12 insertions(+) diff --git a/docs/user/docs/period-calculation.md b/docs/user/docs/period-calculation.md index ca5ec15..fdb2af5 100644 --- a/docs/user/docs/period-calculation.md +++ b/docs/user/docs/period-calculation.md @@ -72,6 +72,14 @@ The integration sets different **initial defaults** because the features serve d Each day, the integration analyzes all 96 quarter-hourly price intervals and identifies **continuous time ranges** that meet specific criteria. +:::info What "Best Price" means +A Best Price Period is the **cheapest contiguous block** of time — a stretch of consecutive intervals where prices stay close to the daily minimum. It is **not** a fixed-length sliding window that shifts to center around the minimum. + +On a V-shaped day (prices drop sharply to a minimum, then rise again), the period therefore starts **at** the low point, not before it — because the intervals leading up to the minimum did not yet meet the price criteria. Only the intervals near the bottom of the V qualify as a coherent cheap block. + +**For flexible loads** (e.g., heat pump, battery charging): you can easily ride the full cheap wave by combining the period sensor with the price level and trend sensors. See [V-Shaped Price Days in Automation Examples](./automation-examples.md#understanding-v-shaped-price-days). +::: + ```mermaid flowchart TD A["96 intervals per day"] --> B{"① Flexibility
Close to MIN/MAX?"} @@ -364,6 +372,10 @@ Sometimes strict filters find too few periods. **Relaxation automatically loosen ## Common Scenarios +:::tip V-shaped price days +On days with a sharp price dip (e.g. solar midday surplus), the Best Price Period covers only the absolute minimum. The surrounding cheap hours are intentional — the integration shows you the cheapest contiguous block, not a fixed-length window centered on the minimum. To run a device during the full cheap window, see [Understanding V-Shaped Price Days](./automation-examples.md#understanding-v-shaped-price-days) in the Automation Examples. +::: + ### Scenario 1: Simple Best Price (Default) **Goal:** Find the cheapest time each day to run dishwasher