Your Sense dashboard is the central hub for understanding how your home uses energy. It translates raw data into clear, actionable charts that help you track consumption, spot trends, and ultimately save on your electricity bill.
Here is a guide to reading and getting the most out of your dashboard charts:
1. The Power Meter (Real-Time Usage)
The Power Meter gives you a live look at your energy consumption. It shows your whole-home wattage moving in real time.
- How to use it: Watch the meter as you turn everyday things on and off, like starting a dryer cycle or listening for the AC kicking on. You will immediately see how these actions spike and drop your energy use in the moment.
2. Detailed Usage Chart
Located just below your list of devices, the detailed usage chart is a bar chart that breaks down your electricity use over time so you can see exactly what is adding up.
- Comparison View: You can switch to the comparison view to see how this month stacks up against last month. This gives you a clear read on what is driving changes in your bill, often displayed in relatable dollar amounts rather than just kWh.
3. The Solar Chart
For homes equipped with solar integration, the Solar chart displays your solar generation and energy consumption in a single unified view.
- Visual Indicators: In the Solar chart, your home's usage and solar production are overlaid; solar production is yellow and usage is gray, or blue if you have your app's appearance set to dark mode.
- Understanding Overlap: The yellow bars showing solar production are darkened where they overlap with the usage bars. This darkened area represents the portion of your solar production that is being used directly by your home rather than being sent back to the grid.
4. Always-On Energy
Some energy use never switches off. The Always-On section shows the baseline electricity your home uses around the clock (like refrigerators, routers, and plugged-in electronics).
- How to use it: Monitor this chart to spot hidden waste. Understanding your baseline makes it much easier to take steps to lower it over time.
5. Compare and Trends
Sometimes you need to zoom out for the bigger picture. The historical trend view lets you explore your usage over a specific day, week, or month so you can track your progress as you make energy-saving changes.
- Neighborhood Comparison: This feature allows you to compare your home's usage with similar homes nearby. A little context makes it much easier to know what's typical and where there is room to save.