Smart control starts with seeing what is happening at home
When several electricity-intensive things are running at the same time, the load can become high. Smart control is about managing that load in a way that fits the home and the equipment actually installed there. EV load balancing and control based on demand charges are related, but they are not the same thing.
What does smart control mean?
Smart control means that electricity use can be adjusted in response to a signal or a limit. For example, the combined load may be kept below a certain level while an EV is charging.
For control to work, the right measurement, equipment, and connections between systems are needed. Not every charger, heating system, or other appliance can be controlled in the same way.
It is therefore more accurate to talk about controlling compatible equipment than about a home where all electricity use is controlled automatically.
Load balancing: when charging adapts
Load balancing is used to manage the home's total electrical load. If other electricity use increases, charging for a compatible EV can be adjusted. When the load decreases, charging can be adjusted again, within the conditions that apply to the solution and the charging equipment.
The point is that charging does not have to use the same available capacity as the home's other loads at that moment.
Power Hub can provide the measurement needed to see the home's consumption in real time. Through the connected app, you can also see historical data and alerts. When compatible EV charging is included, load balancing can adjust the charging rate.
This is a specific use case: the car is connected, the home needs electricity for other things, and charging needs to account for the total load.
A demand charge and demand control are different questions
A demand charge concerns how the utility bills you under its tariff. Household demand peaks may affect the cost, but the agreement determines how the charge is calculated.
EV load balancing and control intended to manage a demand charge can therefore be related, but they are not the same thing.
Load balancing by itself may therefore not change a demand charge. Nor can we promise savings without knowing the tariff, the equipment, and how the household uses electricity.