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Decision Timeline

The decision timeline is a chronological log of every action the engine takes. It is the primary diagnostic tool for understanding why a load was activated, adjusted, shed, or skipped.

Reading the Timeline

Each entry in the timeline contains:

Field Description
Timestamp When the decision was made
Smoothed surplus The EMA-smoothed surplus value at the time of the decision (watts)
Actions List of actions taken during this evaluation cycle
Remaining surplus Surplus left after all allocations

Action Types

Action Meaning
Activate A load was switched on or a dynamic load's setpoint was increased from zero
Adjust A dynamic load's setpoint was changed (up or down) to match available surplus
Shed A load was switched off because surplus dropped below what was needed to sustain it
Skip A load was evaluated but not activated, with a reason provided

Skip Reasons

When a load is skipped, the timeline entry includes the reason:

  • Insufficient surplus -- surplus is below the entry's min_surplus_w
  • Min off time -- the load was recently turned off and min_off_time_sec has not elapsed
  • Min on time -- the load cannot be shed yet because min_on_time_sec has not elapsed
  • Threshold satisfied -- the feedback entity has reached the target value
  • Disabled -- the priority entry is disabled
  • Entity unavailable -- the Home Assistant entity is not responding
  • Awaiting trigger -- deferred load has no pending user trigger
  • Error state -- the load is in an error state after repeated command failures

History Limits

The number of decision entries retained depends on your license tier:

Tier History
No License Last 10 decisions
Free Last 10 decisions
Pro Unlimited
Max Unlimited

Pro Feature

Unlimited decision history is available with a Pro or Max license. Without a Pro license, only the last 10 decisions are retained. Older entries are discarded as new ones arrive.

Using the Timeline for Diagnostics

The decision timeline is the fastest way to answer questions like:

  • Why did the EV charger not turn on? Find the most recent timeline entry and look for a "Skip" action on the EV charger. The skip reason will tell you whether surplus was insufficient, the minimum off time had not elapsed, or another condition blocked activation.

  • Why did the heat pump turn off? Look for a "Shed" action. The smoothed surplus value at that timestamp will show how much surplus was available when the shedding decision was made.

  • Is the engine evaluating at all? If the timeline has no recent entries, the engine may not be running. Check the connection status on the dashboard -- if it shows "Disconnected", the engine is not receiving sensor data.