diff --git a/.changeset/history-period-freshness.md b/.changeset/history-period-freshness.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e5affd4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/history-period-freshness.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"ftw-webapp": patch
+---
+
+Keep History totals and bars with their selected period. Clear the previous period while a new one loads, ignore its late replies, and retry failed reads.
diff --git a/src/lib/state/energy.svelte.test.ts b/src/lib/state/energy.svelte.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d760a83
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/lib/state/energy.svelte.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+import { afterEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
+import type { ApiResponse } from '$lib/protocol/session'
+import { EnergyStore } from './energy.svelte'
+import { SiteStore } from './site.svelte'
+
+describe('energy period changes', () => {
+  afterEach(() => vi.restoreAllMocks())
+
+  it('does not call a new period empty because the previous period was empty', async () => {
+    const site = new SiteStore('test')
+    const api = vi.spyOn(site, 'api').mockResolvedValue({
+      status: 200, headers: {},
+      body: new TextEncoder().encode('{"days":[]}'),
+    })
+    const energy = new EnergyStore(site)
+    await energy.load()
+    expect(energy.loaded).toBe(true)
+
+    energy.select('today')
+    expect(energy.loaded).toBe(false)
+    expect(energy.days).toEqual([])
+    expect(api).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
+    site.destroy()
+  })
+
+  it.each(['success', 'failure'] as const)('ignores a late %s before the next period can be fetched', async outcome => {
+    const site = new SiteStore('test')
+    let answer!: (response: ApiResponse) => void
+    vi.spyOn(site, 'api').mockReturnValue(new Promise(resolve => { answer = resolve }))
+    const energy = new EnergyStore(site)
+    const pending = energy.load()
+
+    // The new range may be selected offline, before another load can start.
+    energy.select('today')
+    answer({
+      status: outcome === 'success' ? 200 : 503,
+      headers: {},
+      body: new TextEncoder().encode(JSON.stringify({ days: [{ day: '2026-07-15', load_wh: 308_000 }] })),
+    })
+    await expect(pending).resolves.toBeUndefined()
+    expect(energy.spec.title).toBe('Today')
+    expect(energy.days).toEqual([])
+    expect(energy.loaded).toBe(false)
+    expect(energy.loading).toBe(false)
+    expect(energy.error).toBeNull()
+    site.destroy()
+  })
+})
diff --git a/src/lib/state/energy.svelte.ts b/src/lib/state/energy.svelte.ts
index 3398e3e..8cafce0 100644
--- a/src/lib/state/energy.svelte.ts
+++ b/src/lib/state/energy.svelte.ts
@@ -78,11 +78,11 @@ export class EnergyStore {
   /** Oldest first, today last. Empty until an answer lands. */
   days = $state.raw<EnergyDay[]>([])
 
-  /** True only while waiting on the box. Whatever is drawn stays drawn. */
+  /** True only while waiting on the box for the selected period. */
   loading = $state(false)
 
   /**
-   * Whether the box has ever answered with a set of days.
+   * Whether the box has answered for the selected period.
    *
    * Three states, not two, for the same reason the roster needs three: a
    * period this app has not read is not a period with nothing in it. Without
@@ -125,17 +125,23 @@ export class EnergyStore {
   /**
    * Choose what the figures cover.
    *
-   * Only sets the range, exactly as the history chart does: the range is the
-   * question `askWhenLive` asks under, so changing it is already what fetches
-   * and what heals a tap whose answer never arrives. Fetching here as well
-   * would spend a second round trip on one tap.
+   * Clear the previous period before its figures can take the new label.
+   * `askWhenLive` fetches the selected range and retries failures.
    */
   select(range: EnergyRangeKey): void {
+    if (range === this.range) return
+    // A selection can change while offline, before another load starts.
+    // Invalidate that period's pending reply at selection time.
+    this.#token += 1
     this.range = range
+    this.days = []
+    this.loaded = false
+    this.loading = false
+    this.error = null
   }
 
   /**
-   * Ask the box, and keep whatever is on screen until a better answer comes.
+   * Refresh the selected period, keeping any figures from that period.
    *
    * Rejects when the box did not answer, because the caller that heals this
    * has no other way to tell an answer from a failure that was swallowed.
@@ -163,8 +169,7 @@ export class EnergyStore {
       // range's news, and not a reason to ask for this one again.
       if (token !== this.#token) return
 
-      // What happens now. Whatever was drawn stays drawn — last week's totals
-      // are still last week's — with a line saying they are not current.
+      // Retain figures only for this period, with a note that the refresh failed.
       this.error =
         err instanceof BoxApiError
           ? this.days.length > 0
diff --git a/src/views/Energy.svelte.test.ts b/src/views/Energy.svelte.test.ts
index 0d22289..c7ce81e 100644
--- a/src/views/Energy.svelte.test.ts
+++ b/src/views/Energy.svelte.test.ts
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
  */
 
 import { describe, it, expect, vi, afterEach } from 'vitest'
-import { render } from '@testing-library/svelte'
+import { fireEvent, render, screen } from '@testing-library/svelte'
 import Energy from './Energy.svelte'
 import { SiteStore } from '$lib/state/site.svelte'
 import { LoopbackCarrier } from '$lib/carrier/loopback'
@@ -130,6 +130,78 @@ describe('the energy screen', () => {
     expect((await chartWhenDrawn()).data).toHaveLength(7)
   })
 
+  it('never labels the previous period as today while loading or after a failure, then retries', async () => {
+    vi.useFakeTimers()
+    vi.setSystemTime(NOON)
+    const box = new SimBox({ now: () => Date.now() })
+    const serve = box.api.serve.bind(box.api)
+    let failDaily = false
+    vi.spyOn(box.api, 'serve').mockImplementation(req => {
+      if (req.path === '/api/energy/daily' && failDaily) {
+        return { status: 503, contentType: 'application/json', body: new TextEncoder().encode('{}') }
+      }
+      return serve(req)
+    })
+    const site = new SiteStore('test')
+    site.connect(new LoopbackCarrier(box, { latencyMs: 40 }))
+    const view = render(Energy, { props: { site } })
+    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(1_000)
+    expect((await chartWhenDrawn()).data).toHaveLength(7)
+    const week = document.querySelector('.card-value')?.textContent
+
+    failDaily = true
+    await fireEvent.click(screen.getByRole('button', { name: 'Today' }))
+    expect(screen.getByRole('heading', { name: 'Today' })).toBeTruthy()
+    expect(document.querySelector('.card-value')?.textContent, 'week total relabelled as Today').toBe('—')
+    expect(document.querySelector('ftw-bar-chart'), 'week bars remained under Today').toBeNull()
+    expect(text()).toContain('Reading your box…')
+    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(1_000)
+    expect(text()).toContain('Still trying.')
+    expect(document.querySelector('.card-value')?.textContent).toBe('—')
+    expect(text()).not.toContain('Nothing recorded')
+
+    failDaily = false
+    for (let i = 0; i < 32; i++) {
+      box.tick(1_000)
+      await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(1_000)
+    }
+    const today = document.querySelector('.card-value')?.textContent
+    expect(today).toContain('kWh')
+    expect(today).not.toBe(week)
+    expect(document.querySelector('ftw-bar-chart')).toBeNull()
+    expect(text()).not.toContain('Still trying.')
+    expect(screen.getByRole('button', { name: 'Today' }).getAttribute('aria-pressed')).toBe('true')
+    view.unmount()
+    site.destroy()
+  })
+
+  it('keeps figures for the same period when its refresh fails', async () => {
+    vi.useFakeTimers()
+    vi.setSystemTime(NOON)
+    const box = new SimBox({ now: () => Date.now() })
+    const site = new SiteStore('test')
+    site.connect(new LoopbackCarrier(box, { latencyMs: 0 }))
+    const view = render(Energy, { props: { site } })
+    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(500)
+    const chart = await chartWhenDrawn()
+    const before = document.querySelector('.card-value')?.textContent
+    const serve = box.api.serve.bind(box.api)
+    vi.spyOn(box.api, 'serve').mockImplementation(req => req.path === '/api/energy/daily'
+      ? { status: 503, contentType: 'application/json', body: new TextEncoder().encode('{}') }
+      : serve(req))
+
+    site.setVisible(false)
+    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(20)
+    site.setVisible(true)
+    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(500)
+    expect(document.querySelector('.card-value')?.textContent).toBe(before)
+    expect(chart.data).toHaveLength(7)
+    expect(text()).toContain('Last 7 days')
+    expect(text()).toContain('Not up to date')
+    view.unmount()
+    site.destroy()
+  })
+
   it('asks again once the hour turns, on a wire that never drops', async () => {
     // "Today so far" keeps filling all day, and a figure fetched at nine in
     // the morning used to still be the figure at nine in the evening unless