So last night I was having a browse through the Homey App Store and came across the Fuel Prices app, which looked brilliant. It covers the Netherlands (with Germany coming in test), and it got me wondering, could we have the same for the UK?
It turns out we can! Since February every forecourt in the UK has to report its prices to the government’s Fuel Finder scheme within 30 minutes of a change, and that data is free to use. So I built a UK version, and in all honesty it’s turned into a lot more than I first planned?
What it does
It pulls in live prices for all 8,000+ UK stations and keeps a copy on your Homey, so it starts instantly even after a reboot. Out of the box it leaves out motorway services & Costco (members only) because those aren’t prices most of us would pay, but you can switch both back on.
Dashboard widgets
- Nearby stations: your 3 (or 5 on the large size) nearest or cheapest stations, with prices in colour coded circles. Green is cheaper than the local average, amber is around average, red is dearer. Petrol, diesel or both, E10 or E5.
- Favourite station: pin your local station with its opening hours and prices.
- Price change: your favourite station’s price yesterday vs today, with a ▼ or ▲ showing the change.
Tap any station and a map opens up right inside the widget, with a Directions button that hands you over to your device’s default maps app.
Flow cards
When:
- The cheapest price dropped by at least Xp / went below Xp
- A different station became the cheapest
- Prices nearby are rising or falling (average up or down Xp in 24 hours)
- Filling up at the cheapest saves at least £X against the average (based on your tank size)
- The price at [any station] changed / went below Xp
And:
- The cheapest is below Xp / is a [brand] / is within X miles
- The cheapest is at least Xp below the local average
- The cheapest is below its 7, 14 or 30 day average
- [Station] is open now
- [Station] is the cheapest within X miles
Then:
- Refresh prices now
- Find the cheapest near a postcode
- Get the 1, 3 or 5 cheapest nearby as text (great for a morning announcement on a Sonos speaker
) - Get today’s prices at [station]
Most of the triggers give you the price, station, distance, full tank cost and a directions link to use in your notifications.
Where to get it
It’s available in test right now:
https://homey.app/a/com.simon.fuelpricesuk/test/
This is version 1.0.0, so if you spot anything odd, a station with the wrong name, or there’s a card you’d find useful, let me know below and we’ll get it added. And if it saves you a few quid at the pump, there’s a donate button on the app page… it’s all appreciated!
