Energy management of car chargers

What can you do with your car charger(s) in Niko Home Control?

Before you can use these functionalities, you have to activate the car charger in Niko Home Control (version 2.21).

The Niko Home app allows you to choose different charging modes, putting you in control of your car’s range. Niko Home Control will take care of the charging process, depending on the availability of solar power and an attractive grid power tariff, while you can be confident that your car is always charged sufficiently when you need it.

You can:

• start/stop charging: control multiple car chargers within your Niko Home Control installation,

• optimize charging: choose the charging mode (and charging target),

• see real-time information: check the current status of the charging progress and get warnings,

• monitor performance: your car charger’s power consumption and set energy alerts.

As of Niko Home Control software version 2.21, multiple car chargers can be linked to a single Niko Home Control installation.

Charging modes

Icon in Niko Home App	Charging mode	Description
	Solar	Your car will charge solely with excess solar power. More
	Fast	Your car will charge fast with a mix of solar and grid power. More
	Smart	Your car will charge cost-effectively to meet the chosen charging target. You set a distance and a time. More

Solar mode

When you select solar mode, your car will charge solely with excess solar power.

Your car always requires a minimum amount of power to start charging: 

• The minimum for single-phase loading is 1380 Watt (6A)   

• The minimum for three-phase loading is 4140 Watt (3 x 6A)  

If your car charger technically supports this, Niko Home Control (as of software version 2.21) can automatically switch between single-phase and three-phase charging, depending on the amount of solar power available.

If your photovoltaic panels do not generate sufficient solar power to start charging (e.g. in winter), you can use a grid power supplement. You can enter the maximum grid power supplement for solar energy in your EV charger settings in the Niko Home app.

Fast mode

When you select fast mode, your car will charge fast with a mix of solar and grid power.

The maximum available power can vary:

• The power usage of your other devices in your home is taken into account to ensure that your fuse will be protected. 

• If your energy contract includes a capacity tariff (only in Flanders, Belgium), your total consumption of grid power will be kept below the capacity tariff limit. You can use the boost function to overrule the capacity tariff limit.

Smart mode

Your car will charge cost-effectively to meet the chosen charging target. You have to set the following parameters:

• The distance that you want to add to its range (in kilometers)

• The time when you need it

Niko Home Control calculates the optimal charging curve based on factors such as expected excess solar power, forecasted tariffs and the habitual patterns of energy consumption in your home. This means that charging might not start immediately after plugging in and might be postponed to a time with a lower energy cost.

You can set a charging target up to 24 hours in advance. You can always change the charging target, even when a charging session is in progress. Niko Home Control will recalculate the optimal charging curve.  

• When the charging target is reached successfully, you will be notified. Your car will continue to charge solely with excess solar energy. 

• If your charging target can not be reached on time, you will be notified. The best alternative will be shown in the Niko Home app. If your energy contract includes a capacity tariff (only in Flanders, Belgium), you can also use the boost function to overrule the capacity tariff limit.
  

Energy tariffs

Niko Home Control optimizes car charging, considering the specific tariffs of your energy contract.