Smart charging and discharging

The real power of a modern home battery lies in its “smart” capabilities. By connecting your battery to the internet and your energy supplier, you can automate how the battery charges and discharges to maximise your savings and support the greening of the national grid.

1. Time-of-Use (TOU) Tariffs

A smart battery is the perfect partner for a Time-of-Use tariff, such as “Octopus Cosy,” “Agile,” or “Go.”

  • Cheap Overnight Charging: During the winter, when solar generation is low, you can set your battery to charge from the grid between 2am and 5am when electricity is at its cheapest (often 7p to 10p per kWh).
  • Avoid Peak Prices: The battery then powers your home during the day, specifically avoiding the “peak” window (usually 4pm to 7pm) when prices can be 30p or higher.

2. Automated Smart Charging

Many battery manufacturers now offer “AI-driven” charging. The system looks at:

  1. Weather Forecast: If a very sunny day is predicted, the battery will leave space for solar power and won’t charge from the grid overnight.
  2. Usage Patterns: The system learns when you use the most energy (e.g., Sunday roasts or evening laundry) and ensures there is enough stored power for those times.
  3. Real-time Pricing: Some systems can automatically charge when the grid price is very low (or even negative!) and discharge when the price is high.

3. Grid Services and VPPs

A Virtual Power Plant (VPP) is a network of home batteries that work together to support the national grid.

  • Grid Balancing: During times of extreme demand, the grid operator may pay you to discharge your battery back into the grid.
  • Solar Soaking: During times of excess renewable generation (e.g., a very windy night), you may be paid to charge your battery to help prevent grid oversupply.

4. Forced Discharge (Exporting)

If you have a large battery and a smart export tariff, you can manually or automatically “force discharge” your battery to the grid during peak times. If you buy at 7p at night and sell at 15p during the day, you can earn a profit even without solar panels.

Note on Compatibility: Not all batteries are compatible with all smart tariffs. Check if your battery brand has a direct integration with your energy supplier (e.g., Octopus Energy’s “Intelligent” platform).