- 1For most homeowners, the manufacturer’s own app is enough. GivEnergy’s portal, Enphase Enlighten and SolarEdge’s monitoring all give you generation, battery state and energy flow in clean, well-designed apps. Don’t over-engineer this if a simple app is doing the job.
- 2If you want to see solar, battery, grid and individual appliances in one place, Home Assistant’s free Energy Dashboard is the standard answer. It pulls from your inverter, smart meter and CT clamps, applies your tariff rates, and shows real-time flow plus historical breakdowns.
- 3The best free smart-meter app is Bright (built on the n3rgy data feed), which gives you half-hourly import and export data with cost tracking. It works alongside any solar app and is particularly useful for verifying SEG export figures against what your supplier records.
- 4Enthusiasts moving to Grafana plus InfluxDB get publication-grade graphs and unlimited historical analysis – month-on-month, year-on-year, performance ratio. The setup curve is steep, but the result is a permanent, beautiful record of your system that doesn’t depend on any manufacturer’s cloud.
Energy dashboards transform raw solar data into visual insights that help you understand your system’s performance, optimise your energy usage, and maximise savings. From simple manufacturer apps showing daily generation to sophisticated custom dashboards tracking every aspect of your energy flows, there’s a dashboard solution for every level of interest and technical ability.
The best dashboards combine solar generation, battery status, home consumption, grid import/export, and tariff information into a single view. This lets you see at a glance whether you’re using solar, drawing from battery, or buying from the grid – and make real-time decisions about running appliances or adjusting your energy behaviour.
This guide covers the main dashboard options available to UK solar homeowners, from built-in manufacturer apps to advanced custom solutions, what metrics to track, and how to set up effective monitoring for your home.
Dashboard Options at a Glance
| Dashboard Type | Complexity | Cost | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer app | Simple | Free | Basic monitoring |
| Smart meter app | Simple | Free | Grid data focus |
| Home Assistant | Moderate | Free / £5pm | Full integration |
| Grafana | Advanced | Free | Beautiful graphs |
| PVOutput | Simple | Free | Comparison; logging |
| Custom web | Advanced | Varies | Specific needs |
Manufacturer Apps
GivEnergy Portal/App
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Real-time data | Generation; battery; grid; consumption |
| Historical | Daily; monthly; yearly views |
| Energy flow | Animated diagram |
| Battery control | Charge times; modes; schedules |
| Tariff integration | Octopus; Agile; Flux |
| Platforms | iOS; Android; web portal |
| Rating | Excellent |
Enphase Enlighten
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Panel-level data | Individual microinverter output |
| System overview | Generation; consumption |
| Lifetime stats | Total generation; savings |
| Alerts | Panel issues; system faults |
| Clean interface | User-friendly design |
| Rating | Excellent |
Enphase’s panel-level data is one of the strongest reasons to choose microinverters over a string inverter – the visibility into each panel’s output makes underperformance and shading issues immediately obvious in the dashboard.
SolarEdge Monitoring
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Panel-level | Via power optimisers |
| Layout view | Visual array representation |
| Energy production | Detailed graphs |
| Environmental | CO2 saved; trees equivalent |
| Professional portal | Installer access |
| Rating | Very good |
Sungrow iSolarCloud
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| System overview | Generation; battery; grid |
| Historical data | Comprehensive logging |
| Battery status | SOC; charge/discharge |
| Interface | Clean; functional |
| Rating | Very good |
Other Manufacturer Apps
| Brand | App | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fox ESS | Fox Cloud | Solid; recent UI improvements |
| Sunsynk | SunsynkConnect | Detailed; battery-focused |
| Growatt | ShinePhone | Functional; UI dated |
| Solax | SolaxCloud | Reliable; basic graphs |
| Huawei | FusionSolar | Comprehensive; commercial feel |
| Tesla | Tesla app | Excellent for Powerwall users |
Smart Meter Dashboards
Bright App
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Data source | Smart meter via n3rgy/DCC |
| Import data | Half-hourly consumption |
| Export data | Half-hourly export |
| Cost tracking | With tariff setup |
| Comparisons | Day to day; week to week |
| Cost | Free |
| Rating | Very good |
Loop Energy
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Data source | Smart meter |
| Analysis | Usage patterns; insights |
| Solar compatible | Shows export |
| Tariff comparison | Suggests better deals |
| Cost | Free |
| Rating | Very good |
Hugo Energy
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Data source | Smart meter |
| Solar focus | Generation and export |
| Savings calc | Value of solar |
| Cost | Free |
| Rating | Good |
In-Home Display (IHD)
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Provided by | Energy supplier with smart meter |
| Shows | Real-time import; cost |
| Solar limitation | Often shows net only |
| Export display | Varies; often poor |
| Usefulness | Limited for solar homes |
Home Assistant Energy Dashboard
Overview
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| What it is | Built-in HA energy monitoring |
| Data sources | Inverter; smart meter; CT clamps |
| Visualisation | Daily; hourly; real-time |
| Cost tracking | Import/export tariffs |
| Device breakdown | Individual device consumption |
| Setup | Moderate complexity |
Home Assistant publishes detailed setup guidance for solar at their official solar panels integration documentation, including the recommended hardware route (Shelly EM CT clamps) for homeowners whose inverter doesn’t expose data directly. The integration is vendor-agnostic, so most UK inverters – GivEnergy, Solis, Sungrow, Solax, Sunsynk, Fronius, SMA – work out of the box.
Energy Dashboard Features
| Section | Shows |
|---|---|
| Electricity grid | Import from grid; cost |
| Return to grid | Export; income |
| Solar production | Total generation |
| Battery systems | Charge/discharge; SOC |
| Home consumption | Total usage; self-consumption |
| Individual devices | Per-device breakdown |
Setting Up Energy Dashboard
| Step | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 | Add inverter integration |
| 2 | Go to Settings → Dashboards → Energy |
| 3 | Configure solar production sensor |
| 4 | Configure grid consumption sensor |
| 5 | Configure grid return (export) sensor |
| 6 | Add battery system if applicable |
| 7 | Set import/export tariff rates |
Required Sensors
| Sensor Type | Unit | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Solar production | kWh (cumulative) | Inverter |
| Grid import | kWh (cumulative) | Smart meter/CT |
| Grid export | kWh (cumulative) | Smart meter/CT |
| Battery charge | kWh (cumulative) | Battery system |
| Battery discharge | kWh (cumulative) | Battery system |
Custom Home Assistant Dashboards
Popular Dashboard Cards
| Card | Purpose | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Power Flow Card Plus | Animated energy flow | HACS |
| Sunsynk Power Flow | Detailed system view | HACS |
| Tesla Style Solar Card | Tesla-like interface | HACS |
| Energy Flow Card | Simple flow diagram | HACS |
| ApexCharts Card | Advanced graphs | HACS |
| Mini Graph Card | Compact history | HACS |
Dashboard Layout Ideas
| Section | Cards to Include |
|---|---|
| Overview | Power flow; current status |
| Generation | Solar power; daily total; graph |
| Battery | SOC gauge; charge/discharge rate |
| Grid | Import/export; daily totals |
| Consumption | Home usage; top devices |
| Financials | Daily cost/income; tariff rates |
Example Dashboard Structure
| Row | Content |
|---|---|
| Top | Power flow diagram (full width) |
| Middle left | Solar generation graph |
| Middle right | Battery status gauge |
| Bottom left | Daily statistics |
| Bottom right | Cost/savings summary |
A well-built Home Assistant dashboard is also the foundation for automating appliances around your solar generation – once the dashboard is reading your solar surplus reliably, the same data drives automations that switch on water heating, dishwashers or EV charging when there’s spare power.
Grafana Dashboards
Overview
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| What it is | Professional visualisation platform |
| Data source | InfluxDB; Prometheus; others |
| Visualisation | Highly customisable graphs |
| Historical | Excellent long-term analysis |
| Complexity | Advanced setup required |
| Cost | Free (self-hosted) |
Grafana Advantages
| Advantage | Benefit |
|---|---|
| Beautiful graphs | Professional appearance |
| Flexible queries | Complex data analysis |
| Multiple data sources | Combine different systems |
| Alerting | Threshold notifications |
| Sharing | Public dashboards possible |
| Templates | Community dashboards available |
Typical Solar Panels
| Panel | Shows |
|---|---|
| Generation over time | Line graph; daily/weekly |
| Self-consumption rate | Percentage graph |
| Grid dependency | Import vs solar use |
| Battery cycles | Charge/discharge patterns |
| Financial summary | Costs; savings; income |
| Comparison | Month vs month; year vs year |
Setting Up Grafana
| Step | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 | Install Grafana (add-on or standalone) |
| 2 | Install InfluxDB for data storage |
| 3 | Configure Home Assistant to send data |
| 4 | Add InfluxDB as Grafana data source |
| 5 | Create dashboards and panels |
| 6 | Configure time ranges and refresh |
PVOutput
Overview
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| What it is | Community solar data sharing |
| Data upload | Via API; scripts; Home Assistant |
| Comparison | Compare with nearby systems |
| Leaderboards | Local; national; global |
| Historical | Permanent data logging |
| Cost | Free (donation model) |
PVOutput Features
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Live view | Current generation |
| Daily graphs | Generation curve |
| Monthly/yearly | Aggregated data |
| Efficiency | kWh per kWp |
| Neighbours | Compare local systems |
| Alerts | Underperformance warnings |
Uploading to PVOutput
| Method | Difficulty |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer direct | Easy (if supported) |
| Home Assistant automation | Moderate |
| Python script | Moderate |
| SBFspot (SMA) | Moderate |
| PVOutput integration | Easy (HACS) |
PVOutput is also the data foundation for our own solar generation tracker tool, which compares your output against local averages without requiring you to publish your data publicly.
Key Metrics to Track
Essential Metrics
| Metric | What It Shows | Good Target |
|---|---|---|
| Daily generation | kWh produced today | 3-5 × system kWp (summer) |
| Self-consumption % | Solar used directly | 30-70% |
| Export | kWh sent to grid | Lower = better use |
| Import | kWh from grid | Lower = more self-sufficient |
| Battery SOC | Charge level | Strategic management |
If your daily generation is consistently coming in well below the 3-5x kWp summer target, our guide to solar producing less than expected walks through the diagnostic sequence – shading, soiling, panel degradation, inverter issues, and how to use your dashboard data to pinpoint the cause.
Advanced Metrics
| Metric | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Specific yield | kWh per kWp installed |
| Performance ratio | Actual vs theoretical |
| Peak power | Maximum generation reached |
| Grid independence | % from solar/battery vs grid |
| Cost savings | £ saved vs grid purchase |
| Export income | SEG/FIT earnings |
Battery Metrics
| Metric | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Cycles per day | Usage intensity |
| Charge source | Solar vs grid charging |
| Depth of discharge | How low it goes |
| Throughput | Total kWh cycled |
| State of health | Capacity retention |
Financial Metrics
| Metric | Calculation |
|---|---|
| Daily savings | Self-use × import rate |
| Daily export income | Export × export rate |
| Daily grid cost | Import × import rate |
| Net daily position | Savings + income – cost |
| Monthly summary | Aggregated financials |
Display Options
Dedicated Display
| Option | Cost | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Old tablet | Free-£50 | Wall-mounted dashboard |
| Raspberry Pi + screen | £80-150 | Dedicated display |
| Amazon Fire tablet | £50-100 | Cheap; good display |
| E-ink display | £100-200 | Low power; always on |
| Smart display | £80-200 | Nest Hub; Echo Show |
Wall-Mounted Dashboard
| Component | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Tablet/screen | Display device |
| Mount | Wall bracket |
| Power | USB power; hidden cable |
| Software | Fully Kiosk; WallPanel |
| Dashboard URL | Home Assistant; Grafana |
Kiosk Mode Setup
| Step | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 | Install Fully Kiosk Browser (Android) |
| 2 | Set dashboard URL as start page |
| 3 | Enable kiosk mode (no nav bars) |
| 4 | Configure screen timeout/wake |
| 5 | Enable motion activation if wanted |
| 6 | Mount tablet in desired location |
Tariff Integration
Time-of-Use Visualisation
| Tariff | Dashboard Benefit |
|---|---|
| Octopus Agile | Show current/upcoming rates |
| Octopus Flux | Highlight peak export window |
| Octopus Go | Show cheap rate period |
| EDF GoElectric | Show 11pm-6am off-peak window |
| Economy 7 | Track off-peak usage |
| Standard | Simple cost tracking |
Useful Tariff Displays
| Display | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Current rate | Know cost right now |
| Next rate change | Plan usage |
| Daily rate graph | See cheap/expensive times |
| Cost so far today | Running daily total |
| Savings indicator | Using solar vs would-have-paid |
If your inverter is export-limited, your dashboard should show both available solar power and actual export – the difference is the curtailed energy. For the underlying mechanics of how this works, see our export limitation guide.
Mobile vs Desktop
Mobile Dashboard Tips
| Consideration | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Screen size | Prioritise key metrics |
| Quick glance | Current status prominent |
| Swipe views | Multiple focused screens |
| Widget | Home screen widget if available |
| Notifications | Alerts for key events |
Desktop Dashboard Tips
| Consideration | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Space available | Show more detail |
| Multi-column | Side-by-side comparisons |
| Historical graphs | Longer time ranges |
| Live updates | Auto-refresh |
| Multiple tabs | Different focus areas |
Building Effective Dashboards
Design Principles
| Principle | Application |
|---|---|
| Hierarchy | Most important at top/centre |
| Glanceability | Key status visible instantly |
| Colour coding | Green = good; red = attention |
| Consistency | Same layout; predictable |
| Actionable | Lead to decisions |
What to Prioritise
| Priority | Metric |
|---|---|
| 1 | Current energy flow (using/exporting/importing) |
| 2 | Battery state of charge |
| 3 | Today’s generation total |
| 4 | Current solar power |
| 5 | Today’s cost/savings |
Common Mistakes
| Mistake | Solution |
|---|---|
| Too much data | Focus on actionable metrics |
| Tiny text | Readable from distance |
| No hierarchy | Clear visual priority |
| Outdated data | Ensure live updates |
| Complex graphs | Simple clear visualisation |
Summary
| Dashboard Type | Best For |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer app | Starting point; basic monitoring |
| Smart meter apps | Grid data; cost tracking |
| Home Assistant | Full integration; automation |
| Grafana | Beautiful long-term analysis |
| PVOutput | Comparison; permanent logging |
| Dedicated display | Always-visible status |
Energy dashboards transform your solar system from a passive generator into an actively managed energy asset. At minimum, your manufacturer’s app provides essential monitoring of generation, battery status, and system health. For most users, this is sufficient – apps from GivEnergy, Enphase, and SolarEdge offer excellent dashboards that show everything you need to understand your system’s performance.
For deeper integration, Home Assistant’s built-in Energy Dashboard combines solar, battery, grid, and individual device consumption into a single view, with cost tracking based on your actual tariff rates. Adding custom cards through HACS creates beautiful, animated displays of energy flows that make understanding your system intuitive and even enjoyable.
Grafana appeals to those wanting professional-grade visualisation and long-term data analysis. Combined with InfluxDB for data storage, it enables sophisticated queries comparing months, years, or custom periods. The learning curve is steeper, but the results are genuinely impressive dashboards suitable for detailed system analysis.
Whatever approach you choose, the key is focusing on actionable information. A good dashboard should tell you at a glance whether now is a good time to run appliances, what your battery can cover tonight, and whether your system is performing as expected. Start simple with your manufacturer app, then expand as your interest and technical confidence grow.
The progression that works for most homeowners. Start with your manufacturer’s app for the first 6-12 months – this is enough to verify your system is performing, spot any obvious issues, and understand your daily generation pattern through the seasons. Add the Bright app to overlay smart meter data once you’re on a SEG tariff, mainly to verify your supplier’s export figures match your meter readings.
If you find yourself wanting more – particularly automating appliances, EV charging, or hot water around solar surplus – that’s the moment to invest in Home Assistant. The official Energy Dashboard is genuinely free, the learning curve is real but short (a weekend’s work), and the integration ecosystem covers virtually every UK inverter and battery on the market. Grafana on top is for hobbyists who want publication-grade graphs and historical analysis going back years – useful if you’re the kind of person who enjoys it, but not necessary for managing the system well.
