Smart control modeTarget-based cheap-window charging

Time-based Control

A simple schedule-based mode. Time-based Control charges the battery during your cheaper tariff periods until it reaches the battery target you set.

Controlled rollout

This page explains the mode logic, not just the label.

All of these modes sit inside the same wider platform: daytime EV-battery protection where supported, whole-home reporting, and vendor-safe controls. The difference here is what the battery is trying to optimise once those guardrails are in place.

Battery protection still sits above the mode

If your setup qualifies for the flagship daytime drain fix, that protection remains the first job regardless of the mode selected underneath it.

Mode choice changes the operating priority

The question is not whether the battery can charge or export. The question is what outcome should win when value, reserve, and home demand are competing.

Availability still depends on your stack

Real rollout still depends on inverter control support, telemetry quality, tariff setup, and whether current onboarding safely supports your hardware mix.

Best fit

Best for homes that want simple cheap-window charging to a chosen battery level without Autopilot managing export decisions.

Primary goal

Reach a chosen battery target during your cheap tariff window while keeping the rest of the behaviour simple.

Decision check

Do you want the battery to charge during your cheaper tariff periods up to a level you choose?

When this mode wins

  • Homes on fixed off-peak windows such as Go or Intelligent Go where cheap charging is the main goal.
  • Users who want to choose a battery target directly instead of using Autopilot.
  • Setups where simple tariff-window charging is easier to understand than adaptive import/export decisions.

When another mode is better

  • You want the system to decide automatically when exporting is worthwhile.
  • You want the battery to react automatically to changing prices and later home use.
  • You expect a fully hands-off mode with adaptive export decisions.

What it does in practice

  1. 1

    Uses your tariff setup to find the cheap charging window.

  2. 2

    Charges toward the battery target you choose before that window ends.

  3. 3

    Keeps the same minimum battery protection as the other modes.

  4. 4

    Keeps automatic battery export off, even if export prices look attractive.

Guardrails and stop conditions

  • Unsupported devices or safety limits can still stop charging actions.
  • The battery target must stay above the minimum battery reserve.
  • This mode keeps automatic battery export off by design.

Compare with other smart controls

Most homes should choose the operating goal first, then choose the mode. These related pages make the tradeoffs explicit.

Smart controlRecommended

Autopilot

The best starting mode for most homes. Autopilot charges when power is cheap, keeps battery back for the home, and can export spare battery power when prices are high.

Explore page
Smart controlHome-first

Home First

A simpler home-first mode. It runs the home from your own solar and battery first and avoids automatic battery export.

Explore page

Use cases that usually point toward this mode

These whole-home problems are often where this control strategy becomes the practical answer.

Use case

Stop Octopus daytime EV charging from draining your home battery

This is the flagship 1app.energy wedge: stop the daytime EV-battery conflict first, then layer in cheaper-period battery charging and broader whole-home coordination.

Explore page
Use case

Smart tariff EV charging without home energy conflicts

When EV charging is cheap, it can still be operationally expensive if it competes with battery reserve, heating demand or export value elsewhere in the property.

Explore page

Integrations commonly paired with this mode

These integration pages explain the device context where this smart control style usually shows up.

Solar and batteryBeta

Solis

Connect supported Solis hybrid inverter homes to 1app.energy so live solar, battery, grid, home demand, reports and tariff-aware battery behaviour can sit in one place once connected.

Explore page
EV chargingOnboarding now

myenergi Zappi

Connect your myenergi Zappi charger to see EV charging in context with solar, battery and tariff data instead of guessing whether the car is stealing the cheap window.

Explore page

Related reading

Use the overview hub for the big picture, or jump into the comparison blog for a quicker narrative walkthrough.

Overview

Smart Controls overview

See the full smart-control model together and use the overview hub to narrow the choice before you commit to one strategy.

Explore page
Blog guide

Which smart control mode should you use?

Read the comparison blog for a quicker narrative walkthrough of where each mode tends to fit and where it can disappoint.

Explore page

Product context

The smart control is not the whole product.

These modes decide how the battery should behave. The wider platform still includes the daytime EV-battery fix, whole-home visibility, tariff context, and vendor-safe control paths across the rest of the home.

See the wider product

Priority access

Check whether Time-based Control fits your tariff.

If your main goal is simple cheap-window charging to a chosen battery level, we can check whether your tariff and Solis inverter setup are a good fit.

1Choose your inverter first
2Solis and SunSynk monitoring continue
3LuxPowerTek confirms beta access

Start with the signup check.

If your inverter is supported, you can create an account straight away. If it is not listed, the same flow sends you to the compatibility list.

Sign up now

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