Importing data from edfenergy (UK)?

Energy
1

I’ve got a Smart Meter (Chameleon IDH2) which looks like is not open so I’m unable to query it to get the gas/electricity usage. :frowning: (Unless I do some serious hardware hacking on the device but even then it might be encrypted)

My next thought is to try and scrape my edfenergy profile on the website. They give you access to a ‘Energy Hub’ on your account which gives you your energy usage every 30 mins, and even better they give you a option to download the CSV file.

First, has anyone done any scripting around trying to automate the download of the CSV file? I’m hoping it’s possible. They use javascript so it’s not that easy.

Second, if I do manage to download the file every 30 mins does HA allow you to somehow import the data so I can keep track of my usage. Maybe using MQTT or using some other means?

2

Whilst I appreciate that you may be locked in / on a good deal with EDF, you might find that moving supplier to Octopus Energy is actually easier than trying to scrape your EDF profile.

Octopus provide open API access for customers, so it is easy to read your consumption and unit rate tables for any historic period.

Octopus provide additional API access, which is used by BottlecapDave’s HA Octopus integration. This integration pulls down historic use and cost data, current rate values, as well as account details for things like the saver sessions and Octopoints, plus lots more.

Octopus also provide customers, on request, with a (free) Octopus Mini. This little device connects to the HAN used by the smart meters, and pushes current usage figures up to Octopus, and these are then available in the HA integration, almost real-time.

As Octopus are the only energy provider (AFAIK) with ‘agile’ pricing, there is a great wealth of experience, information, and help in this forum around first getting and then working with Octopus current / past / future rates, costs, and consumption.

On the topic of scraping EDF to get your data, not that I have tried, but a search found
https://community.home-assistant.io/t/scrapping-web-srape/555888/1
where the answer does appear to be ‘you can’t because it is all JavaScript’.

Another non-Octopus alternative is the Hildebrand Glow IHD product. Again, not something that I have tried but does permit API connection, and there are now third-party organisations who will provide use-analysis from your smart meter readings, if you give them access to your meter-account.

The following https://github.com/HandyHat/ha-hildebrandglow-dcc?tab=readme-ov-file#hildebrand-glow-dcc-integration is not an integration I have ever used, but it might provide you with some ideas and a way forward.

3

I agree with @Biscuit, I moved to Octopus to get all the API data and mini.
But if you want to stay with EDF, I have tried the DCC Hildebrand route but it was too unreliable so I bought Hildebrand’s IHD CAD and it has worked perfectly, it also outputs more frequent gas data than the mini.

4

Thanks for the info. Octopus sounds like the way to go but I’ve just renewed so stuck with them for the time being.

Sounds like the Hildebrand might be the way to go.