Energy Window

Inspiration

Energy planning is easier to inspect when the tariff, appliance load, and decision are visible as separate inputs. Energy Window is a small prototype for that transparent calculation.

What it does

It stores same-day, non-overlapping tariff windows; registers an appliance's minutes, watts, and flexibility; plans a run only when the full duration fits; and confirms a persisted schedule record without controlling hardware.

How we built it

The implementation is a local Python MCP server tested via Streamable HTTP (MCP 2025-11-25), with SQLite persistence and typed tools. A static browser replay, when used, is a JavaScript/localStorage equivalent and is not connected to MCP or Alexa.

Challenges

The important boundary is between planning and action: a successful confirmation records a local plan, while it must not imply a smart plug command or measured saving. Same-day fit and overlap validation keep the calculation constrained.

What we learned

Small, explicit inputs make an energy estimate explainable, while persistence makes the confirmation step testable.

Accomplishments

Local tests and a fresh Streamable HTTP transcript cover the tariff, appliance, feasible plan, and confirmation workflow.

What's next

Add verified utility data, currency presentation, authenticated users, and a separately reviewed device-control integration with safety controls.

This is a local single-user prototype: no cloud or LLM claim, no Alexa/Echo integration, no smart-plug control, live tariff feed, notification, or measured-savings claim.

Built With

• css3
• fastmcp
• html5
• javascript
• json-schema
• localstorage
• model-context-protocol
• pytest
• python
• sqlite
• streamable-http