Automation not triggering when going lower than other input_number

Configuration
1

Assume these numbers:

  • solar_production : in kWh the amount of solar being produced
  • new_charge_limit : in A, a new charge limit to set for the EVSE

Wanted functionality:
When the solar_production / 235 goes above the new_charge_limit for x time (10 seconds), then the new new_charge_limit is calculated from the solar_production value.
When the solar_production / 235 goed below the new_charge_limit, then the new new_charge_limit must be set immediately.

This is the automation:

alias: Set charging based on solar panel production
description: ""
trigger:
  - platform: numeric_state
    entity_id:
      - input_number.solar_production
    for:
      hours: 0
      minutes: 0
      seconds: 10
    above: input_number.new_charge_limit
    value_template: "{{ state.state | float / 235 }}"
  - platform: numeric_state
    entity_id:
      - input_number.solar_production
    below: input_number.new_charge_limit
    value_template: "{{ state.state | float / 235 }}"
condition:
  - condition: template
    value_template: "{{ states('input_number.solar_production') | float > 1500 }}"
action:
  - action: input_number.set_value
    metadata: {}
    data:
      value: >-
        {% set solarKWh = states('input_number.solar_production') | float %} {%
        set solarAmp = solarKWh / 235 %} {% set solarAmpRounded = solarAmp |
        round(1) %} {{ [solarAmpRounded, 16] | min }}
    target:
      entity_id: input_number.new_charge_limit
mode: single

When the solar_production is high, the value is eventually updated. That’s good.
When the solar_production is low, the value is updated immediately. However, when the solar_production drops further, the automation is not triggered anymore.

When starting the automation manually, it does run and the value is decreased.

So why is it not triggering every time the value goes down?
Is the new_charge_limit somehow cached in the automation or trigger not causing the automation to be triggered again?

2

Your automation will be triggered when solar production crosses from high to low. If it’s already below the threshold, it won’t be triggered again. A trigger is a change of state, not a condition.

It works when you run it manually because doing that skips over the triggers.

3

Hi Joost den Boer,

More background info for you.
Automations #1: trigger only fires when it changes from not true to true.

4

I know this.
However, the threshold of the trigger is adjusted in the automation so I had hoped it would re-evaluate the threshold value, causing the trigger to fire again when the solar_production value would descend again.

Any tip on how the wanted functionality, with a changing threshold for the trigger, could be achieved?
Is there a way to use a template for a trigger?

5

I replaced the triggers with 'trigger template’s and this seems to give me the wanted functionality: the trigger is evaluated against the lasted threshold value.

I ended up splitting the automation in 2: one for handling ‘solar power increase’ and one for ‘solar power decrease’.

Automations:

alias: Solar power - decrease charging
description: Decrease charging when producing solar power decreases
trigger:
  - platform: template
    value_template: >-
      {% set solarKWh = states('input_number.solar_production') | float %} 
      {% set solarAmp = solarKWh / 235 %} 
      {% set solarAmpRounded = solarAmp | round(1) %} 
      {% set newChargeLimit = states('input_number.new_charge_limit') | float %} 
      {{ solarAmpRounded < newChargeLimit }}
condition: []
action:
  - if:
      - condition: numeric_state
        entity_id: input_number.solar_production
        below: 1500
    then:
      - action: input_number.set_value
        alias: Stop charging
        data:
          value: 0
        target:
          entity_id: input_number.new_charge_limit
    else:
      - action: input_number.set_value
        alias: Decrease charging with maximum of 16A
        metadata: {}
        data:
          value: >-
            {% set solarKWh = states('input_number.solar_production') | float %}
            {% set solarAmp = solarKWh / 235 %} 
            {% set solarAmpRounded = solarAmp | round(1) %} 
            {{ [solarAmpRounded, 16] | min }}
        target:
          entity_id: input_number.new_charge_limit
  - action: script.put_new_charging_limit
    alias: Put new charging limit
    data: {}
mode: single

alias: Solar power - increase charging
description: Increase charging when producing solar power
trigger:
  - platform: template
    value_template: >-
      {% set solarKWh = states('input_number.solar_production') | float %} 
      {% set solarAmp = solarKWh / 235 %} 
      {% set solarAmpRounded = solarAmp | round(1) %} 
      {% set newChargeLimit = states('input_number.new_charge_limit') | float %}   
      {{ solarKWh > 1500 and solarAmpRounded > newChargeLimit }}
    for: "00:00:10"
condition:
  - condition: numeric_state
    entity_id: input_number.solar_production
    above: 1500
action:
  - action: input_number.set_value
    alias: Set new charge limit with maximum of 16A
    metadata: {}
    data:
      value: >-
        {% set solarKWh = states('input_number.solar_production') | float %} 
        {% set solarAmp = solarKWh / 235 %} 
        {% set solarAmpRounded = solarAmp | round(1) %} 
        {{ [solarAmpRounded, 16] | min }}
    target:
      entity_id: input_number.new_charge_limit
  - action: script.put_new_charging_limit
    alias: Put new charging limit
    data: {}
mode: restart

Note: it’s a pitty the formatting of the template values changes every time the automation is changed. The code becomes quite hard to read that way.

These automations will be part of a demo on ‘Build your own EV Smart charge solution’ on the Devoxx BE conference in two weeks.
I know these automations are not perfect, but they serve the purpose.