emporia-energy

What This Skill Does

The emporia-energy skill provides a robust interface for interacting with Emporia Vue energy monitoring systems through OpenClaw. It abstracts the complexity of data retrieval by supporting two distinct operating modes: Cloud and Local. In Cloud mode, it leverages the PyEmVue library to communicate directly with the Emporia cloud services, allowing users with stock hardware to monitor their energy consumption patterns remotely. In ESPHome mode, it offers a high-performance, low-latency alternative for users who have opted to flash their devices with custom ESPHome firmware, communicating directly over your local network using native API protocols.

This skill enables users to view power usage summaries, list individual energy channels, and perform detailed analysis on specific circuits. Whether you are tracking daily consumption for sustainability goals or auditing high-load appliances in real-time, this tool provides the necessary hooks to pull data into your automated workflows.

Installation

To integrate this skill, use the OpenClaw management utility: clawhub install openclaw/skills/skills/urosorozel/emporia-energy. Once installed, ensure you satisfy the dependencies. For cloud-based setups, run the requirements-cloud.txt via pip or uv. For ESPHome-based setups, use requirements-esphome.txt. Configuration is managed via environment variables: set your EMPORIA_MODE (cloud or esphome) and supply the relevant credentials or network parameters like IP addresses and API keys to get started.

Use Cases

This skill is ideal for home energy management dashboards, automated cost-tracking systems, and power-usage alerts. If you are a developer building an energy-conscious smart home, you can use the outputted JSON data to trigger events—such as shutting down non-essential devices when usage peaks or notifying you via chat when a specific circuit exceeds its expected load. It acts as the critical bridge between physical hardware measurements and actionable data points.

Example Prompts

1. "OpenClaw, pull a summary of my home's current energy usage from the Emporia cloud."
2. "List all active circuits on my local ESPHome energy monitor and provide the power consumption for the HVAC system."
3. "Show me the last 15 minutes of energy usage for the main circuit and format the output as JSON."

Tips & Limitations

Choose your mode wisely: Cloud mode is safer for non-technical users but relies on an internet connection and Emporia servers. ESPHome mode offers superior performance and privacy but requires technical confidence to flash hardware and manage local network configuration. Always ensure your security credentials, such as API keys and email passwords, are stored in encrypted environment variables and never hardcoded in scripts. The tool does not perform hardware modifications; it only interprets the data generated by your sensors.