Major improvements to period calculation with smarter defaults and
simplified configuration:
**Adaptive Defaults:**
- ENABLE_MIN_PERIODS: true (was false) - Always try to find periods
- MIN_PERIODS target: 2 periods/day (ensures coverage)
- BEST_PRICE_MAX_LEVEL: "cheap" (was "any") - Prefer genuinely cheap
- PEAK_PRICE_MIN_LEVEL: "expensive" (was "any") - Prefer genuinely expensive
- GAP_TOLERANCE: 1 (was 0) - Allow 1-level deviations in sequences
- MIN_DISTANCE_FROM_AVG: 5% (was 2%) - Ensure significance
- PEAK_PRICE_MIN_PERIOD_LENGTH: 30min (was 60min) - More responsive
- PEAK_PRICE_FLEX: -20% (was -15%) - Better peak detection
**Volatility Filter Removal:**
- Removed CONF_BEST_PRICE_MIN_VOLATILITY from const.py
- Removed CONF_PEAK_PRICE_MIN_VOLATILITY from const.py
- Removed volatility filter UI controls from config_flow.py
- Removed filter_periods_by_volatility() calls from coordinator.py
- Updated all 5 translations (de, en, nb, nl, sv)
**Period Calculation Logic:**
- Level filter now integrated into _build_periods() (applied during
interval qualification, not as post-filter)
- Gap tolerance implemented via _check_level_with_gap_tolerance()
- Short periods (<1.5h) use strict filtering (no gap tolerance)
- Relaxation now passes level_filter + gap_count directly to
PeriodConfig
- show_periods check skipped when relaxation enabled (relaxation
tries "any" as fallback)
**Documentation:**
- Complete rewrite of docs/user/period-calculation.md:
* Visual examples with timelines
* Step-by-step explanation of 4-step process
* Configuration scenarios (5 common use cases)
* Troubleshooting section with specific fixes
* Advanced topics (per-day independence, early stop, etc.)
- Updated README.md: "volatility" → "distance from average"
Impact: Periods now reliably appear on most days with meaningful
quality filters. Users get warned about expensive periods and notified
about cheap opportunities without manual tuning. Relaxation ensures
coverage while keeping filters as strict as possible.
Breaking change: Volatility filter removed (was never a critical
feature, often confused users). Existing configs continue to work
(removed keys are simply ignored).
Created professional documentation structure:
**User Documentation (docs/user/):**
- README.md: Documentation hub with quick start guide
- Placeholder files for future content migration:
* installation.md, configuration.md, sensors.md
* services.md, automation-examples.md, troubleshooting.md
**Developer Documentation (docs/development/):**
- README.md: Comprehensive contributor guide with AI section
- setup.md: DevContainer and environment setup
- architecture.md: Code structure overview
- testing.md: Testing guidelines
- coding-guidelines.md: Style guide and critical patterns
- release-management.md: Complete release workflow documentation
**AI Development Disclosure:**
- README.md: "🤖 Development Note" section before license
* Honest disclosure about extensive AI assistance
* Quality assurance measures mentioned
* Invitation for bug reports with positive tone
- docs/development/README.md: Detailed AI section
* What AI handles (patterns, generation, refactoring)
* Benefits (rapid development, consistency)
* Limitations (edge cases, complex patterns)
* Quality assurance process
- CONTRIBUTING.md: Brief AI note with practical tip
**Updated:**
- README.md: Simplified to landing page with documentation links
- CONTRIBUTING.md: Modernized with new docs structure
- copilot-instructions.md: Added documentation organization section
Impact: Clear separation of user vs. developer documentation following
open-source best practices. Transparent about AI-assisted development
approach without being defensive. Scalable structure for future growth.
