Why is my alarm not triggering even though consumption seems high?

If your alarm rule is not firing when you expect it to, work through this troubleshooting checklist:

1. Is the alarm rule enabled?

Go to Analytics → Alarms, select the meter, and check the status indicator in the left panel. A green dot and "Active" text means it is enabled. If it shows "Inactive", click "Activate Alarm."

2. Is the alarm still in its cooldown period?

After a trigger fires, the rule enters a cooldown (default: 60 minutes). During cooldown, the same rule will not trigger again even if the condition is still met. Check the rule's last_triggered_at — if it fired recently, wait for the cooldown to expire.

3. Does the meter have recent data?

The evaluator checks the latest reading for each meter. If no new readings have arrived since the last evaluation, there is nothing to compare against. Go to Analytics → Data Import to verify data is flowing for this meter.

4. Is the threshold set correctly?

For threshold alarms, verify the comparison operator and value. A rule set to "> 500 kWh" will only fire when readings exceed 500 — if your readings are 480, it will not trigger. Check the chart overlay to see where your threshold line sits relative to actual consumption.

5. For pattern/AI alarms — is a pattern model trained?

Pattern and AI-learned alarms require a trained pattern model. Go to Analytics → Alarms → Pattern Learning for the meter. If no model exists, click "Learn Pattern" to train one. The model needs sufficient historical data (several weeks minimum).

6. For trend alarms — is there enough historical data?

YoY baselines need 12+ months of data. Rolling averages need data spanning the configured period (e.g., 12 weeks). If insufficient data exists, the evaluator silently skips the rule.

7. For schedule alarms — is the current time within the schedule window?

Schedule alarms only evaluate during their configured days and time range. An alarm set for "weekends 22:00–06:00" will not evaluate on a Tuesday at 14:00.

8. Is the meter assigned to the correct building?

The alarm rule links to a specific meter_id. If the meter was reassigned or replaced, the rule may point to an old meter with no new data.