Forum verdict · build Solution request

Solar savings tracker that values energy production by real-time electricity rates

Built for Home Assistant solar panel users tracking financial ROI.

“Good morning, If my solar panels produce 1 KWh at a time when electricity costs €0.20/kWh they have saved me €0.20 Can you add to the solar panels the possibi…”

The receipts — real demand

“Good morning, If my solar panels produce 1 KWh at a time when electricity costs €0.20/kWh they have saved me €0.20 Can you add to the solar panels the possibility of valuing the savings via a cost entity as for the pur…”

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Every corroborating quote, the source receipts, and the community echo. One email, no payment.

6.0 / 10 · demand score
Pain 7
Willingness to pay 4
Feasibility 8
Specificity 8
Audience 6
Competition 7

Why this is a gap

Surfaced from a high-intensity complaint with clear willingness to pay and a specific, reachable audience.

The market

Home Assistant solar panel users wanting to value energy production against real-time electricity rates for ROI tracking. No search volume; niche audience (Home Assistant + solar owners), but demand is explicitly stated in the pain point and financially motivated.

Competition & the opening

Wedge play crowded — win on a narrow angle Moat 3/10 · thin angle Market 6/10 · a real vertical
Crowded market · 7/10 vs Enlighten (Enphase Energy monitoring app)SolarEdge Monitoring PlatformPVWatts Calculator (NREL)SolarAnywhere / Clean Power ResearchTesla Energy app (Powerwall/solar dashboard)PVOutput.org

Enphase Enlighten, SolarEdge Monitoring, Tesla Energy, and PVOutput already track solar production. None appear to tie real-time grid electricity rates to production value in a user-friendly, open-source way for Home Assistant. Market has moderate competition (7/10) but a clear gap in real-time rate integration.

What's hard to build

Requires real-time electricity price feeds (varies by region/provider—ENTSO-E for EU, ISO/RTO APIs for US, etc.) and stable Home Assistant integration. Electricity pricing data is fragmented by geography and utility; building a multi-region solution requires data partnerships or scraping many sources. Feasibility is moderate-to-high (8/10), but you must handle regional rate variance and keep data

Why now

Real-time energy pricing (spot markets in EU, US grid dynamics) now API-available; incumbents (Enphase, SolarEdge) optimize for hardware, not dynamic rate valuation.

How you'd monetize

Freemium app (basic production tracking free) + $4.99/mo for real-time price-wei