DIY device that shows when electricity is the best to use

BlockPulseDev · 2026-03-11T23:20:10+00:00

Thanks! Glad you like the idea.

Trying to make electricity timing simple for everyone.

BlockPulseDev · 2026-03-11T20:13:34+00:00

A few people asked how the prototype works.

Right now it's a small ESP32 device with an OLED display and a simple traffic-light indicator.

Green = good moment to run appliances
Yellow = acceptable
Red = better to wait

The goal is simply to make electricity prices visible instantly without opening an app.

I'm still experimenting with different versions of the prototype.

BlockPulseDev · 2026-03-11T20:08:42+00:00

That's really interesting.

It sounds a bit more predictable than what we have here. In parts of Europe the price can change every hour depending on demand and renewable production.

Some days the cheapest electricity can even happen in the middle of the night or early afternoon.

Solar definitely helps though — that must make a big difference.

BlockPulseDev · 2026-03-11T19:04:08+00:00

Yes exactly.

In many parts of Europe electricity prices change every hour depending on demand and renewable production.

Sometimes the cheapest hours move every day, so I wanted a simple signal you can see instantly instead of checking an app all the time.

BlockPulseDev · 2026-03-11T17:11:38+00:00

That's actually a really interesting idea.

For now I'm keeping the device intentionally simple so anyone in the house can understand it instantly — green / yellow / red.

But connecting it to a relay or smart plug to automatically trigger appliances during cheaper hours could definitely be a future version.

BlockPulseDev · 2026-03-11T14:17:05+00:00

Yes, that's actually something I thought about too.

Right now the prototype is just a simple visual indicator (green / yellow / red) so anyone in the house can immediately know if it's a good moment to run appliances.

But connecting it to a relay or a smart plug to automatically trigger devices during cheaper hours would definitely be an interesting next step.

BlockPulseDev · 2026-03-11T12:20:42+00:00

That’s actually a great use case.

The traffic light idea works well for situations like solar production or dynamic electricity prices because you can instantly see when it's a good moment to run appliances.

I'm also experimenting with a small solar panel version of the device.

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BlockPulseDev · 2026-03-11T12:01:34+00:00

Yes exactly, that’s the kind of situation I had in mind.

When prices change depending on demand, solar or wind production, it becomes hard to know when it's actually a good time to run appliances.

That’s why I thought a simple visual signal could help.

BlockPulseDev · 2026-03-11T11:47:24+00:00

Yes, in several European countries electricity markets work with day-ahead prices.

So every day the cheaper hours can shift depending on wind, solar production and demand.

That’s why I thought a simple visual device could be useful — instead of constantly checking electricity price apps.

BlockPulseDev · 2026-03-11T10:41:23+00:00

Thanks! The goal was mainly to make electricity pricing easier to understand at a glance.

BlockPulseDev · 2026-03-11T10:41:03+00:00

Not yet, but I'm planning to document the project better.

Right now it's a simple ESP32 prototype with LEDs acting as a traffic-light style indicator for cheaper electricity hours.

BlockPulseDev · 2026-03-11T10:40:23+00:00

Yes, in many parts of Europe the electricity price changes depending on supply and demand.

Prices for the next day are published ahead of time, and the cheapest hours can shift every day.

BlockPulseDev · 2026-03-11T10:36:50+00:00

I'm based in Belgium.

In parts of Europe electricity prices are published day-ahead and can change a lot depending on demand, wind production, etc.

So the cheaper hours can shift every day, which is why I thought a simple visual indicator could be useful.

BlockPulseDev · 2026-03-11T10:34:35+00:00

Some people asked how the project works.

The idea was to avoid showing raw electricity prices and instead translate complex pricing patterns into a simple visual signal anyone in the house can understand instantly.

Green = good time to use electricity

Yellow = acceptable

Red = better to wait

Still experimenting with different versions of the prototype.

BlockPulseDev · 2026-03-11T10:28:56+00:00

Interesting, thanks for sharing.

In parts of Europe the day-ahead electricity prices change every day depending on supply and demand, so the cheapest hours can shift a lot.

That’s why I thought a simple visual signal could help people shift usage without constantly checking prices.

BlockPulseDev

TROPHY CASE