Which 1app smart control mode should you use?

If you are looking at the smart controls inside 1app.energy, the main question is not "which mode sounds cleverest?" It is "what do I actually want the battery to do for my home?"

One home wants calmer battery behaviour and lower grid dependence. Another wants reserve protected before expensive periods. Another wants to push harder for tariff upside. Those are different goals, so they should not all run the same control logic.

One important framing point first: the smart control choice sits underneath the flagship daytime EV-battery protection fix. In other words, if your setup qualifies for the Octopus daytime battery-drain protection workflow, that still comes first. The mode choice mostly affects what the battery does outside those conflict windows.

If you want the product pages for each mode, start here:

• Smart Controls overview
• Autopilot Value Engine
• Maximise Self-Sufficiency
• Arbitrage + Reserve
• Profit
• Manual Control

The short version

• Choose Autopilot Value Engine if you want the best default for a mixed home and you do not want to babysit the battery.
• Choose Maximise Self-Sufficiency if your priority is keeping energy for the home and reducing grid dependence rather than exporting for value.
• Choose Arbitrage + Reserve if you want the battery to trade intelligently, but only after protecting reserve for the home.
• Choose Profit if you are explicitly chasing tariff-driven upside and you accept a more aggressive operating style.
• Choose Manual Control only if you already know the exact current behaviour you want and need a fixed advanced mode.

Quick comparison

| Mode | Best for | Not ideal when | | --- | --- | --- | | Autopilot Value Engine | Mixed homes that want one balanced default | You want a strict no-export home-first policy | | Maximise Self-Sufficiency | Home coverage and lower grid dependence | You want active tariff trading or export-led behaviour | | Arbitrage + Reserve | Export-aware homes that still need reserve protection | You want maximum aggression or no export behaviour at all | | Profit | Users explicitly chasing earnings and spread capture | Comfort, reserve, or home coverage matter more than upside | | Manual Control | Advanced users who want fixed current behaviour | You want the system to choose strategy for you automatically |

1. Autopilot Value Engine

Start here if you are not sure.

Autopilot Value is the most sensible default for a home where EV charging, solar, battery use, and tariff signals all interact. It is trying to balance value against reserve and refill risk rather than committing too early to either a very cautious or very aggressive style.

Use it when:

• the home has several moving parts
• you want fewer manual changes
• you want one mode that can adapt as tariff conditions change

Do not use it when:

• you want a pure home-first battery policy
• you want the most aggressive earnings-led behaviour possible
• you need fixed manual current control for testing or troubleshooting

Read the full page: Autopilot Value Engine

2. Maximise Self-Sufficiency

This is the home-first option.

If your instinct is "I want my solar and battery to cover the house well, and I do not want the optimiser exporting just because a headline rate looks attractive," this is the cleaner fit.

Use it when:

• evening home coverage matters more than export upside
• you want lower grid dependence
• you prefer calmer, easier-to-understand battery behaviour

Do not use it when:

• you want active import/export arbitrage
• you are trying to maximise revenue from volatility
• you want the system to opportunistically export whenever margins appear

Read the full page: Maximise Self-Sufficiency

3. Arbitrage + Reserve

This is the cautious trading option.

Some homes do want the battery to take advantage of import/export spreads, but not at the cost of arriving at the expensive evening with too little reserve left. That is the problem this mode is trying to solve.

Use it when:

• you have export opportunity
• reserve still matters for the house
• you want the optimiser to ask "does this trade still make sense after protecting reserve?"

Do not use it when:

• you want a simpler home-first mode
• you do not want optimiser-led export at all
• you actually want the most aggressive trading style

Read the full page: Arbitrage + Reserve

4. Profit

This is the aggressive option.

Profit mode is for users who are deliberately optimising for tariff upside. It fills harder in cheap windows and is much more comfortable with an earnings-led battery strategy than the other modes.

Use it when:

• you want maximum tariff-driven upside
• you accept a more aggressive operating style
• you are comfortable with the battery being used more actively for value capture

Do not use it when:

• your main goal is comfort, resilience, or protected reserve
• you want a conservative export posture
• you mainly care about home-first battery behaviour

Read the full page: Profit

5. Manual Control

Manual Control is not really a "smart" choice in the same sense as the others. It is an advanced fixed-behaviour tool for users who already know the current behaviour they want.

Use it when:

• you are testing
• you need deterministic fixed-current behaviour
• you are temporarily overriding while troubleshooting

Do not use it when:

• you want hands-off optimisation
• you want the system to decide between value, reserve, and home coverage automatically
• you are looking for the recommended everyday mode

Read the full page: Manual Control

If you are still unsure

The safest practical rule is:

1. Start with Autopilot Value Engine if you want the best general default.
2. Switch to Maximise Self-Sufficiency if you care most about home coverage and lower grid dependence.
3. Move into Arbitrage + Reserve or Profit only when you are deliberately optimising for export or tariff spreads.
4. Treat Manual Control as an advanced tool, not the normal destination.

That sequence usually keeps people out of the most common mistake: choosing the most aggressive mode before they are clear on whether the battery is really there for earnings, reserve, or home coverage.

If you want the full reference view, go back to the Smart Controls overview.