diff --git a/homeassistant/core.py b/homeassistant/core.py
index 39a10beda8d5b946d91956201b4ea6c6f743dc0f..37f909e218a8ffd827b3b8f170d6d70046a12ec4 100644
--- a/homeassistant/core.py
+++ b/homeassistant/core.py
@@ -309,7 +309,7 @@ class State(object):
                 "Format should be <domain>.<object_id>").format(entity_id))
 
         self.entity_id = entity_id.lower()
-        self.state = state
+        self.state = str(state)
         self.attributes = MappingProxyType(attributes or {})
         self.last_updated = dt_util.strip_microseconds(
             last_updated or dt_util.utcnow())
diff --git a/homeassistant/helpers/state.py b/homeassistant/helpers/state.py
index 1a3520d47331658b4eeaa815a31ed6ad6a14e738..23673e678ca0dabc92ad5d592d6c5bccb35145c8 100644
--- a/homeassistant/helpers/state.py
+++ b/homeassistant/helpers/state.py
@@ -109,16 +109,5 @@ def state_as_number(state):
     elif state.state in (STATE_OFF, STATE_UNLOCKED, STATE_UNKNOWN,
                          STATE_BELOW_HORIZON, STATE_CLOSED):
         return 0
-    else:
-        try:
-            # This distinction is probably not important,
-            # but in case something downstream cares about
-            # int vs. float, try to be helpful here.
-            if '.' in state.state:
-                return float(state.state)
-            else:
-                return int(state.state)
-        except (ValueError, TypeError):
-            pass
-
-    raise ValueError('State is not a number')
+
+    return float(state.state)
diff --git a/tests/components/test_graphite.py b/tests/components/test_graphite.py
index 720da54930f88111bc2957e62728a1be20a32fcb..b50a7f1963013adfdce8d2097b9e1f27bb1bb883 100644
--- a/tests/components/test_graphite.py
+++ b/tests/components/test_graphite.py
@@ -89,6 +89,7 @@ class TestGraphite(unittest.TestCase):
                  'bat': 'NaN',
                  }
         expected = [
+            'ha.entity.state 0.000000 12345',
             'ha.entity.foo 1.000000 12345',
             'ha.entity.bar 2.000000 12345',
             'ha.entity.baz 1.000000 12345',
diff --git a/tests/components/test_statsd.py b/tests/components/test_statsd.py
index 72c61a22f541b790acd1660f1e2a80693089e068..ad3a96a1a8df31f161e1a34e9ca253dc842ef35e 100644
--- a/tests/components/test_statsd.py
+++ b/tests/components/test_statsd.py
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ Tests statsd feeder.
 import unittest
 from unittest import mock
 
+import homeassistant.core as ha
 import homeassistant.components.statsd as statsd
 from homeassistant.const import STATE_ON, STATE_OFF, EVENT_STATE_CHANGED
 
@@ -78,6 +79,6 @@ class TestStatsd(unittest.TestCase):
             mock_gauge.return_value.send.reset_mock()
 
         for invalid in ('foo', '', object):
-            state = mock.MagicMock(state=invalid)
-            handler_method(mock.MagicMock(data={'new_state': state}))
+            handler_method(mock.MagicMock(data={
+                'new_state': ha.State('domain.test', invalid, {})}))
             self.assertFalse(mock_gauge.return_value.send.called)
diff --git a/tests/helpers/test_state.py b/tests/helpers/test_state.py
index e222e72fe4b93ebe89fed0b3bb94936383e48d7c..27cc5426c3e125705618452a5b143844d374471f 100644
--- a/tests/helpers/test_state.py
+++ b/tests/helpers/test_state.py
@@ -165,24 +165,18 @@ class TestStateHelpers(unittest.TestCase):
                 ha.State('domain.test', _state, {})))
 
     def test_as_number_coercion(self):
-        for _state in ('0', '0.0'):
+        for _state in ('0', '0.0', 0, 0.0):
             self.assertEqual(
-                0.0, float(state.state_as_number(
-                ha.State('domain.test', _state, {}))))
-        for _state in ('1', '1.0'):
+                0.0, state.state_as_number(
+                    ha.State('domain.test', _state, {})))
+        for _state in ('1', '1.0', 1, 1.0):
             self.assertEqual(
-                1.0, float(state.state_as_number(
-                    ha.State('domain.test', _state, {}))))
-
-    def test_as_number_tries_to_keep_types(self):
-        result = state.state_as_number(ha.State('domain.test', '1', {}))
-        self.assertTrue(isinstance(result, int))
-        result = state.state_as_number(ha.State('domain.test', '1.0', {}))
-        self.assertTrue(isinstance(result, float))
+                1.0, state.state_as_number(
+                    ha.State('domain.test', _state, {})))
 
     def test_as_number_invalid_cases(self):
-        for _state in ('', 'foo', 'foo.bar', None, False, True, None,
-                       object, object()):
+        for _state in ('', 'foo', 'foo.bar', None, False, True, object,
+                       object()):
             self.assertRaises(ValueError,
                               state.state_as_number,
                               ha.State('domain.test', _state, {}))