Home Energy Visualytics

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Quick Start
3. Hardware Setup
   • Configuration of Raspberry Pi via the Pi imager
   • Setting up the gPlug
4. Software Setup
   • Access to Raspberry Pi
   • Install dependencies
   • Installing docker
   • Prepare the environment
   • Installing Docker compose
   • Clone the repository
   • Access the web interface

1. Introduction

Home Energy Visualytics is a lightweight platform designed to monitor, visualize, and analyze household energy consumption. Using a Raspberry Pi connected to an IoT device (gPlug), the system collects telemetry data from the smart meter, enabling users to track usage patterns, detect anomalies, and gain insights for energy efficiency. This guide provides step-by-step instructions for hardware setup, software installation, and accessing the web-based dashboard.

2. Quick Start

If the raspberry pi is already configured, you can skip the first steps and you can just plug the gPlug into the wall socket and connect it to the desired Wi-Fi network (must be the same as the Raspberry Pi).

3. Hardware Setup

3.1 Configuration of Raspberry Pi via the Pi imager

If you don't have the Raspberry Pi Imager installed, you can download it from the official Raspberry Pi website. The imager allows you to easily set up your Raspberry Pi with the desired operating system and configurations.

1. Download the Raspberry Pi Imager from the official website: https://www.raspberrypi.com/software/
2. Select Device: Raspberry Pi 5
3. OS: Raspberry Pi OS Lite (64-bit)
4. Storage: 64 GB (Should be the SD card)

Click next and then select the following options (under modify settings):

1. Under general:
   1. Hostname: raspberrypi
   2. Username: morel
   3. Password: morel
   4. Wifi: Enable wifi and enter the credentials
   5. Nation: CH
   6. Time Zone: Europe/Zurich
   7. Layout keyboard: ch
2. Under services:
   1. SSH: Enable SSH

Once is all done, click on Save and then Write to flash the SD card with the selected configurations. This process may take a few minutes.

3.2 Setting up the gPlug

This set up is very simple, just plug the gPlug into the wall socket and connect it to the desired Wi-Fi network (must be the same as the Raspberry Pi).

4. Software Setup

4.1 Access to Raspberry Pi

ssh morel@raspberrypi.local

And then insert the password set before.

3.2 Install dependencies

sudo apt update

sudo apt upgrade

it can take a while...

4.3 Installing docker

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install ca-certificates curl

sudo install -m 0755 -d /etc/apt/keyrings

sudo curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/debian/gpg -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc

sudo chmod a+r /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc

Add the repository to Apt sources:

echo \
  "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc] https://download.docker.com/linux/debian \
  $(. /etc/os-release && echo "$VERSION_CODENAME") stable" | \
  sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null

sudo apt-get update

Install the latest version:

sudo apt-get install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin

Verify the installation:

sudo docker run hello-world

4.4 Prepare the environment

Create a directory for the project:

sudo mkdir /home/pi

Give full access (to be able to access the files from the host):

sudo chown morel:morel /home/pi

sudo usermod -aG docker morel

sudo reboot

4.5 Installing Docker compose

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install docker-compose-plugin

docker compose version

4.6 Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/MorelliDUniFr/Home_Energy_Visualytics.git

cd Home_Energy_Visualytics

sudo chown -R morel:morel .

sudo chmod -R 755 .

docker compose up --build

4.7 Access the web interface

Open a web browser and go to http://192.168.1.125:8501. You should see the Home Energy Visualytics web interface.