Fix: Energy Dashboard Not Remembering Untracked Consumption

Hey everyone! Today, we're diving deep into a peculiar issue that some of you might have encountered with the Energy Dashboard in Home Assistant. Specifically, we're talking about the Energy Dashboard not remembering the state of the "Untracked Consumption" selection. It's a frustrating problem, but don't worry, we're going to break it down, explore the steps to reproduce it, and discuss potential solutions. So, buckle up and let's get started!

Understanding the Issue

The core problem lies in the Energy Dashboard's behavior regarding the "Untracked Consumption" setting. Imagine this: you've carefully deselected "Untracked Consumption" under the Individual devices detail usage section of your Energy Dashboard. You navigate away, maybe to check another dashboard or tweak some settings. But when you return to the Energy Dashboard, bam! The "Untracked Consumption" is selected again. This is not the behavior we expect, guys, especially when other individual devices do remember their selection states perfectly fine.

This inconsistency is not only annoying but also hinders the user experience. The Energy Dashboard is designed to give you a clear and accurate picture of your energy consumption, and having to repeatedly deselect "Untracked Consumption" disrupts this flow. We need a solution that ensures the dashboard remembers your preferences consistently across all devices and settings.

Replicating the Problem: A Step-by-Step Guide

To really understand the issue and ensure we're all on the same page, let's walk through the steps to reproduce it. This way, if you're experiencing this, you can confirm it's the same bug we're addressing. Here's the breakdown:

1. Head to the Energy Dashboard: Start by opening your Home Assistant instance and navigating to the Energy Dashboard.
2. Deselect "Untracked Consumption": Under the "Individual devices detail usage" section, find the "Untracked Consumption" option and deselect it. This is the crucial step where you're telling the dashboard to ignore untracked consumption.
3. Navigate Away: Now, leave the Energy Dashboard. Go to any other dashboard within Home Assistant, or even just another page within the interface. This simulates a normal user workflow where you're checking different parts of your smart home setup.
4. Return to the Energy Dashboard: Come back to the Energy Dashboard. This is where the problem manifests. You'll likely find that "Untracked Consumption" is selected again, undoing your previous action.
5. Test Other Devices: To highlight the inconsistency, try unselecting any other individual device from the list. For instance, maybe you have a smart plug or a specific appliance you want to exclude from the energy calculations. Deselect it.
6. Navigate Away (Again): Just like before, navigate away from the Energy Dashboard to another part of Home Assistant.
7. Return to the Energy Dashboard (Again): Now, come back to the Energy Dashboard. You should observe that the device you unselected in step 5 remains unselected. This starkly contrasts the behavior of "Untracked Consumption."

This step-by-step reproduction clearly shows the inconsistent behavior within the Energy Dashboard, specifically regarding the "Untracked Consumption" setting. It's this inconsistency that we need to address to improve the user experience.

Expected Behavior: What Should Happen?

So, what's the ideal scenario? What should the Energy Dashboard do when we deselect "Untracked Consumption" or any other device for that matter? The answer is simple: it should remember the selection state. This is crucial for a smooth and intuitive user experience. When you deselect a device or an option, you expect that setting to persist until you explicitly change it again.

In the case of "Untracked Consumption," if you deselect it, the Energy Dashboard should keep it deselected even if you navigate away and return. This ensures that your dashboard accurately reflects your desired view of energy consumption. Similarly, if you unselect a specific device, that device should remain unselected until you choose to include it again.

This expected behavior is not just about convenience; it's about trust and reliability. Users need to trust that their settings are being respected and that the dashboard is providing accurate information based on their preferences. When the dashboard forgets settings, it erodes this trust and leads to frustration. Therefore, ensuring consistent state management is paramount for the Energy Dashboard to be a truly useful tool.

Root Cause Analysis: Why Is This Happening?

Now, let's dive into the possible reasons why this issue might be occurring. While we can't say for certain without access to the Home Assistant codebase, we can make some educated guesses based on the observed behavior. Here are a few potential culprits:

1. Caching Issues: One possibility is that the Energy Dashboard is not properly caching the state of the "Untracked Consumption" setting. Caching is a common technique used in web applications to store data temporarily, reducing the need to repeatedly fetch it from the server. If the caching mechanism is not working correctly for this specific setting, the dashboard might revert to a default state each time it's loaded.
2. State Management Bug: Another potential cause could be a bug in the state management logic of the Energy Dashboard. State management refers to how the application tracks and updates the different settings and variables that define its current state. If there's an error in how the "Untracked Consumption" state is being managed, it could lead to the observed behavior. This bug might be specific to "Untracked Consumption" or could indicate a broader issue with state management in the dashboard.
3. Component Lifecycle Problem: It's also possible that the issue stems from how the Energy Dashboard's components are being loaded and unloaded. In complex web applications like Home Assistant, different parts of the user interface are often built as separate components that are loaded and unloaded as needed. If the component responsible for handling the "Untracked Consumption" setting is not being properly initialized or destroyed, it could lose its state.
4. Data Persistence Issue: A more fundamental problem could be related to how the Energy Dashboard persists data. When you change a setting, the dashboard needs to store that change somewhere so it can be retrieved later. If there's an issue with this data persistence mechanism, the "Untracked Consumption" setting might not be saved correctly, leading to it being reset each time the dashboard is loaded.

These are just some potential explanations, and the actual cause could be a combination of factors. Further investigation and debugging within the Home Assistant codebase would be needed to pinpoint the exact root cause.

Impact and Severity: Why This Matters

Okay, so the Energy Dashboard forgets a setting. Is it really that big of a deal? Actually, yes, it is! This seemingly small bug has several significant impacts on the user experience and the overall usability of the Energy Dashboard.

First and foremost, it leads to user frustration. Imagine you're meticulously setting up your Energy Dashboard to track your consumption accurately. You deselect "Untracked Consumption" because you want a clear view of your specific devices. But then, every time you navigate away and come back, you have to do it all over again. This repetitive task is not only annoying but also time-consuming. It erodes the user's patience and makes them less likely to engage with the dashboard.

Secondly, the issue undermines the credibility of the data. The Energy Dashboard is meant to provide you with a reliable snapshot of your energy usage. But if settings are constantly reverting, you can't be sure that the data you're seeing is accurate. This lack of trust can lead to users questioning the entire dashboard and its usefulness.

Thirdly, it hinders effective energy management. The goal of the Energy Dashboard is to help you understand your energy consumption patterns and identify areas where you can save energy. But if you're constantly fighting with the interface to get it to display the right information, you're less likely to use it effectively. This bug gets in the way of achieving the dashboard's core purpose.

Finally, this issue can be particularly problematic for new users. First impressions matter, and if a new user encounters this bug right away, it can give them a negative view of Home Assistant as a whole. They might assume that the system is buggy or unreliable, which can deter them from exploring its other features.

In short, while this bug might seem minor on the surface, its impact on the user experience and the effectiveness of the Energy Dashboard is significant. Addressing it is crucial for ensuring that Home Assistant remains a user-friendly and reliable smart home platform.

Workarounds and Potential Solutions: What Can We Do?

Alright, so we've established that this is a real issue. What can we do about it? While a permanent fix will require a code update from the Home Assistant developers, there are a few workarounds and potential solutions we can try in the meantime.

1. Be Mindful and Double-Check: This is the simplest workaround, but it requires vigilance. Whenever you return to the Energy Dashboard, make it a habit to double-check the "Untracked Consumption" setting. If it's selected when it shouldn't be, deselect it immediately. This won't solve the problem, but it will help you ensure that you're seeing the correct data.
2. Use Browser Extensions for State Persistence: There are browser extensions available that can help with state persistence. These extensions essentially remember the state of web pages and restore them when you return. While this is a more technical solution, it could potentially mitigate the issue by forcing the browser to remember the deselected state of "Untracked Consumption."
3. Consider Using a Different Dashboard or Method for Tracking Untracked Consumption: If the constant resetting of the "Untracked Consumption" setting is too frustrating, you might consider using a different dashboard or method for tracking your energy consumption. For example, you could create a custom dashboard using Lovelace or explore other energy monitoring tools.
4. Report the Issue and Contribute to the Solution: The most important thing you can do is to report the issue to the Home Assistant developers. This helps them prioritize bug fixes and ensures that the problem is addressed in a future update. You can also contribute to the solution by providing detailed information about the issue, such as the steps to reproduce it, your system configuration, and any relevant logs.

Remember, the Home Assistant community is built on collaboration. By reporting issues and sharing solutions, we can all help make the platform better.

Community Discussion and Next Steps

This brings us to the heart of the matter: community discussion. Have you guys experienced this "Untracked Consumption" issue on your Energy Dashboard? What workarounds have you tried? Share your experiences and insights in the comments below! The more we discuss this, the better we can understand the scope of the problem and collaborate on finding solutions.

Moving forward, it's crucial that we keep this issue visible to the Home Assistant developers. If you haven't already, consider reporting the bug on the Home Assistant GitHub repository. Providing detailed information, including the steps to reproduce the issue and your system configuration, will greatly assist the developers in diagnosing and fixing the problem.

In the meantime, let's continue to share our experiences and workarounds. Together, we can make the Energy Dashboard a more reliable and user-friendly tool for managing our energy consumption. Let's keep the conversation going!

Versions Affected

Based on the initial report, this issue seems to have surfaced in Home Assistant Core version 2025.8.2, with the previous version, 2025.7, reported as working correctly. This information is crucial for developers as it helps narrow down the timeframe during which the bug was introduced. If you're experiencing this issue, it's helpful to note your Home Assistant Core version when reporting it.

Browser and OS Information

The initial report also provides valuable information about the browsers and operating systems where the issue has been observed. Specifically, the bug has been reproduced on:

• Browsers: Google Chrome 128, Edge 139
• Operating System: Windows 11

This doesn't necessarily mean that the issue is limited to these specific browsers and operating systems, but it provides a starting point for investigation. If you're experiencing the bug, it's helpful to include your browser and operating system information in your report, as this can help developers identify any potential browser-specific or OS-specific issues.

Conclusion

The Energy Dashboard's inability to remember the state of "Untracked Consumption" is a frustrating bug that impacts user experience and the reliability of energy data. By understanding the issue, replicating the steps, and discussing potential solutions, we can work together to address it. Remember to report the bug, share your experiences, and stay tuned for updates from the Home Assistant developers. Let's make our smart homes even smarter, one bug fix at a time!