Core Concepts

Understanding the fundamental concepts behind the Tibber Prices integration.

How Data Flows

flowchart LR
    subgraph API["☁️ Tibber API"]
        raw["Raw prices<br/>(quarter-hourly)"]
    end

    subgraph Integration["⚙️ Integration"]
        direction TB
        enrich["Enrichment<br/><small>24h averages, differences</small>"]
        classify["Classification"]
        enrich --> classify
    end

    subgraph Sensors["📊 Your Sensors"]
        direction TB
        prices["Price sensors<br/><small>current, min, max, avg</small>"]
        ratings["Ratings & Levels<br/><small>LOW / NORMAL / HIGH</small>"]
        periods["Periods<br/><small>best & peak windows</small>"]
        trends["Trends & Volatility<br/><small>falling / stable / rising</small>"]
    end

    raw -->|every 15 min| enrich
    classify --> prices
    classify --> ratings
    classify --> periods
    classify --> trends

    style API fill:#e6f7ff,stroke:#00b9e7,stroke-width:2px
    style Integration fill:#fff9e6,stroke:#ffb800,stroke-width:2px
    style Sensors fill:#e6fff5,stroke:#00c853,stroke-width:2px

The integration fetches raw quarter-hourly prices from Tibber, enriches them with statistical context (averages, differences), and exposes the results as sensors you can use in automations and dashboards.

Price Intervals

The integration works with quarter-hourly intervals (15 minutes):

Each interval has a start time (e.g., 14:00, 14:15, 14:30, 14:45)
Prices are fixed for the entire interval
Synchronized with Tibber's smart meter readings

Price Ratings

Prices are automatically classified into rating levels:

VERY_CHEAP - Exceptionally low prices (great for energy-intensive tasks)
CHEAP - Below average prices (good for flexible loads)
NORMAL - Around average prices (regular consumption)
EXPENSIVE - Above average prices (reduce consumption if possible)
VERY_EXPENSIVE - Exceptionally high prices (avoid heavy loads)

Rating is based on statistical analysis comparing current price to:

Daily average
Trailing 24-hour average
User-configured thresholds

Price Periods

Best Price Periods and Peak Price Periods are automatically detected time windows:

Best Price Period - Consecutive intervals with favorable prices (for scheduling energy-heavy tasks)
Peak Price Period - Time windows with highest prices (to avoid or shift consumption)

Periods can:

Span multiple hours
Cross midnight boundaries
Adapt based on your configuration (flex, min_distance, rating levels)

See Period Calculation for detailed configuration.

Statistical Analysis

The integration enriches every interval with context:

Trailing 24h Average - Average price over the last 24 hours
Leading 24h Average - Average price over the next 24 hours
Price Difference - How much current price deviates from average (in %)
Volatility - Price stability indicator (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH)

This helps you understand if current prices are exceptional or typical.

V-Shaped and U-Shaped Price Days

Some days show distinctive price curve shapes:

V-shaped: Prices drop sharply, hit a brief minimum, then rise sharply again (common during short midday solar surplus)
U-shaped: Prices drop to a low level and stay there for an extended period before rising (common during nighttime or extended low-demand periods)

Why this matters: On these days, the Best Price Period may be short (1–2 hours, covering only the absolute minimum), but prices can remain favorable for 4–6 hours. By combining trend sensors with price levels in automations, you can ride the full cheap wave instead of only using the detected period.

See Automation Examples → V-Shaped Days for practical patterns.

Multi-Home Support

You can add multiple Tibber homes to track prices for:

Different locations
Different electricity contracts
Comparison between regions

Each home gets its own set of sensors with unique entity IDs.

💡 Next Steps:

Glossary - Detailed term definitions
Sensors - How to use sensor data
Automation Examples - Practical use cases

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