Understand Smart Home Energy Skills
You can use the Alexa APIs to report energy usage and manage automation of devices that consume energy. The smart home energy interfaces are intended to help users manage their energy usage with the Alexa energy dashboard. You create smart home energy skills the same way you create any other smart home skill. For details, see Understand Smart Home Skills and Steps to Build a Smart Home Skill.
Utterances
The smart home energy interfaces are different than other Alexa interfaces. Your skill doesn't support voice user interactions with Alexa. Instead, your skill communicates with Alexa about energy usage and device automation. There are usually no user utterances associated with these interfaces.
Alexa interfaces for smart home energy skills
Implement the following Smart Home APIs in your Alexa skill to enable users to control your smart home energy devices.
- Alexa.AutomationManagement — For devices that support automation, such as thermostats.
- Alexa.DeviceUsage.Estimation — Users can view an estimate of their energy use for devices that don't measure energy use directly, such as light bulbs and televisions.
- Alexa.DeviceUsage.Meter — Users can view their energy use for devices that measure energy use directly, such as electricity and natural gas meters.
- Alexa.ThermostatController.HVAC.Components — Users can view an estimate of their energy use for a thermostat device or a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system.