What is Solar Boost

Solar Boost is an advanced charging mode designed to use as little grid energy as possible by supplementing your charge with self-produced green energy. It’s important to note that Solar Boost is not exclusively a ‘Solar only’ option as all electric vehicles may require an additional top-up from the grid to reach a minimum charging rate. The goal is to use as much solar power as possible for cost-effective, green charging to reduce your carbon footprint and save some money on your energy bills.

Solar Boost is an Ohme Labs feature, meaning it is in the advanced stages of testing. We’re always working to offer the latest in technology to our customers. As part of Ohme Labs, we’re continuously improving this feature and, from time to time, it may not work as intended.

Jump to:

How does it work?
Am I eligible?
How do I enable Solar Boost?
Scheduling with Solar Boost
What can I do if I’m not eligible?
FAQs

How does it work?

When you plug in your vehicle while Solar Boost is enabled, Ohme will wait until a certain threshold of solar energy is generated to start charging (typically, around 0.72kW of power). Ohme will then top up the charge with 0.72kW of power from the grid to meet the minimum charging rate for electric vehicles (1.44kW of power).

The more solar power you generate, the less energy Ohme will draw from the grid. For example, on a cloudy day there may be insufficient solar export to reach the minimum charging rate of the vehicle, resulting in a maximum of a 50/50 split between solar and grid usage. In contrast, on a really sunny day, providing the solar array is large enough, there may be sufficient solar export to charge the vehicle without drawing from the grid.

If the solar power suddenly drops, Ohme will need to temporarily rely on the grid before stopping the charge, and you will be charged for the additional grid energy at your relevant tariff rate. Once the solar export increases again, charging will resume.

Am I eligible?

Solar Boost is available for most Ohme Home Pros and Ohme ePod chargers with a recent and complete setup installed from January 2023 onwards.

Please note: if you are not on a fixed electricity tariff, setting up Solar Boost will require careful consideration of charging settings to avoid consuming higher-cost grid electricity.

For customers on a dual or multi-rate tariff, although you will be able to charge with Solar Boost, it’s important to consider all of your options. Charging during night-time when electricity rates are lower and selling the excess solar power back to the grid could potentially yield a more favourable return than utilising the solar export solely for car charging.

If you would like to check if you are eligible for the Solar Boost feature, please keep reading to see how you can do this.

My charger page with Solar Boost option visible and in the off position

Eligible for Solar Boost

If you open the Ohme app, and click on the “My charger” section of the app, and see a “Solar charging” section with an option to toggle “Solar Boost” on or off, congratulations! You are eligible for the Solar Boost feature. Please see below for further guidance on how to get started.

Not eligible for Solar Boost

Alternatively, if you open the Ohme app, and click on the ‘My charger’ section of the app and cannot see an option to toggle Solar on or off, this indicates that you are unfortunately ineligible for this feature at this time. The two main reasons for this could be either the charger was installed before January 2023, or a CT clamp isn’t installed/isn’t returning a reading.

Please read the information below for guidance on what to do if you are not eligible.

How do I enable Solar Boost?

My charger page with Solar Boost option visible and in the on position

Enable Solar Boost

Enabling Solar Boost is easy. Just tap the ‘Solar Boost’ tab under Solar charging and plug in your car.

If at any point you wish to turn off the Solar Boost mode, simply tap the “Solar Off” tab and you can charge your vehicle as usual.

Learn more

Additionally, you can tap the “Learn More” button to find our further information on exactly how Solar Boost works, as well as some FAQs.

Charge stats showing a solar session with savings

Solar savings

Once charging is complete and Ohme has recorded the session in the app, you’ll see an estimated amount saved while charging with excess solar power (based on the tariff information provided).

If a charger has just been installed, there may be a delay in the Solar Boost option being visible in the app while Ohme gathers and reviews the CT clamp data. This setting should appear once sufficient CT clamp data is retrieved, provided the unit is eligible for this feature.

Scheduling with Solar Boost

When you have an active routine with Solar Boost enabled, Ohme will calculate how much energy is needed to achieve your target. If excess solar power is available whilst in an active session, we may exceed your charge target to take advantage of the solar that you generated. Here are some scheduling options that we suggest:

Charging page of the Ohme app in an active session charging with solar

Charging with an active routine

If you want to achieve a set target by a particular time, but also want to make use of solar energy, you can do this with a routine or by manually setting the amount of charge to add and ready by time.

When your charger is plugged in, Ohme will generate a schedule to reach the desired amount of charge by the ready by time. This charging routine will be followed as usual, however with Solar Boost enabled, you may be able to save some money from the solar generation and reduce the amount of grid energy required to meet your target.

For example, if it’s a particularly sunny day and you have a scheduled departure time of 6:00pm and a target of 50%, Ohme will schedule enough time to reach this goal. On top of this, Ohme may start to charge outside of its schedule to make use of any excess solar energy.

Charging with a 0% target

If you just want to make use of your excess solar generation without a specific target for Ohme to charge to, you can set a charging target to 0% in your routine, or on the Charging page ‘Charge to add’.

This will mean that Ohme only charges when there is sufficient solar energy to activate the Solar Boost feature.

Price cap enabled, showing times available for Ohme to charge

Charging with a price cap

For customers with a variable price tariff, you may wish to make use of solar energy during the day with Ohme scheduling the bulk of the charging within your off-peak period.

To do this, please ensure the Price Cap is enabled. Then, simply plug in your vehicle during the day and Ohme will schedule to charge during the off-peak hours of your tariff, and only commence charging outside these hours provided there is excess solar energy available.

Max Charging

If you wish to charge the vehicle to full as soon as possible, you can initiate a Max Charge and Ohme will deliver the maximum charging rate that your vehicle can accept. If there is any solar export, this will be used to reduce the amount drawn from the grid while maintaining the maximum charging rate.

Solar Boost overview video

2 minutes 33 seconds video

What can I do if I’m not eligible?

We appreciate your interest in our Solar Boost system. However, certain requirements need to be met for the system to function properly. If you’re finding that you’re not eligible, it could be due to one of the following reasons:

Older devices

If your device was installed prior to January 2023, it may not contain the necessary components required for the Solar Boost system to work. The technology required for this system was not standard in devices installed before this date.

No CT clamp installed

A CT (Current Transformer) clamp is a crucial component for the Solar Boost system. While it’s not a requirement for charging, it is essential for the Solar Boost system to function. If your installation does not have a CT clamp, you will need to have one fitted.

The CT clamp will need to be located on a live wire as close to the meter box as possible.

Install close to the electricity meter, around the incoming phase wire
The arrow pointing in the direction of electricity going to the house (away from the source of electricity)
Ensure the clamp is properly closed and locked

UK Standard Installation Diagram

If you find that your system falls into one of these categories, please contact your installer to discuss potential upgrades or modifications to make your system compatible with Solar Boost. We’re committed to helping you transition to this innovative and sustainable energy solution.

FAQs

How does the Solar Boost feature work with my battery system?

Ohme chargers are unable to distinguish between incoming sources of energy, and as a result may draw energy from the battery system if it is set to discharge while the charger is plugged in. To avoid depleting your home battery, you may wish to set it not to discharge when you are charging with this feature enabled.

How much energy will come from the grid?

1.44kW is the minimum power required for charging, but Ohme will start charging once your excess solar generation is at least half of that, drawing the necessary difference from the grid. If it’s a particularly sunny day and your solar generation exceeds 1.44kW, Ohme will use as much as possible.

How will my array size affect the charging of my car?

This depends very much on the battery capacity your electric car – a larger battery will take longer to charge from a small array versus a larger one. Generally speaking, a solar array of between four and ten panels is sufficient to generate enough electricity to charge the average EV without drawing a single watt-hour from the grid.

Why does the feature go beyond the target percentage?

Our feature tries to maximise the amount of solar energy we are using to charge your car. This means that, on occasion, we may charge more than you asked for. This is something we’re looking to improve upon in the near future to make sure you get only as much as you had requested.

The easiest way to only charge during your off peak times would be to enable your Price cap setting.

This can be done on the ‘Charging’ screen in the Ohme app by tapping ‘Price cap”, and then enabling the setting before tapping ‘Confirm‘.

You can also edit the price for the price cap, by tapping on the ‘Never charger over’ amount and adjusting accordingly.

Please note, you will need to have set up a tariff in the My Tariff section of the Ohme app, with the correct prices and times, in order for Ohme to schedule the charge at the correct times. Ohme will also need to be online prior to plugin to pick up this setting – you can check this in the top right-hand corner of the Charging page.

If you would like the charger to put in as much charge as possible during these times, you can disable ‘Dynamic charging’ on the Charging page of the Ohme app, or set the charging amount to 100% with a ‘Ready by’ time for when you want to unplug the charger.

Ohme will then schedule to deliver as much charge as possible within the hours defined by the Price cap. Please note: if Ohme is unable to deliver the requested amount of charge in the hours given, Ohme will adjust the session to deliver the maximum amount possible during the timeframe provided, and Ohme will notify you of these changes via the app.

Alternatively, with ‘Dynamic charging’ enabled, you can specify a charging target for Ohme to meet during the off-peak hours. For more information on Dynamic charging, please see this guide: How to charge using a set target and ready by time

Finally, if you need to override the Price cap at any time, and begin charging immediately, this can be done by tapping ‘Max Charge’ in the Ohme app once plugged in. This will override any other settings or schedules, and deliver as much charge as possible until the vehicle is full, or the charger is unplugged.

If you are Intelligent Octopus Go, the Price Cap setting must be disabled as part of the tariff requirements. Please see here for more information on how to charge with this tariff.

If you would like to specify the amount of charge for Ohme to deliver, and set a time for your charging to be ready by, you can do this by turning on the ‘Dynamic Charging’ setting on the Charging page of your Ohme app.

When this is enabled, you will either be able to set an amount of charge to ‘add’ to your vehicle, or a battery ‘target’ for Ohme to reach, as well as an end time for the charging schedule (typically when you will unplug the charger).

For more information on what ‘Dynamic charging’ is, versus standard charging, please see this helpful information: How Our EV Chargers Work

Note: Your charger must be unplugged from the vehicle and online in order to enable / disable Dynamic charging.

Setting an amount of charge to add (Non-API)

If you have not connected your Ohme account to your car’s app account (non-API integration), Ohme will assume an empty battery upon plugin, and default to adding an amount of charge to your vehicle, on top of any existing battery. To set the amount of charge you would like Ohme to add, follow these steps:

On the Charging screen in the Ohme app, enable Dynamic charging.
Set an amount of charge to add to your car on top of any existing battery.
Set the ‘Ready by’ time (this is when you’d like the car to be charged up by).

Ohme app Charging screen with Dynamic Charging enabled.

In this example, Ohme will add 30% of the known battery capacity of your car during the session. When you plug in, Ohme will assume the battery is 0%, however if your car already has 50% battery you will have 80% charge by the end of the session.

If you set a charge target asking Ohme to add charge that would total over 100% battery (for example, you ask Ohme to add 50% but you’re already on 80%), once your car is full you might receive an alert to tell you that your car isn’t charging as expected. This isn’t anything to worry about, but it’s our way of letting you know that we were expecting to deliver more charge.

Setting a target to charge to (Requires API integration)

If you have signed in to your car app account when selecting your vehicle in the Ohme app (API integration), Ohme will detect the live battery level in the vehicle. This will allow you to specify an amount you would like Ohme to ‘Charge to’. Follow these steps to charge with API integration:

Enable Dynamic charging
Set a target amount for Ohme to ‘Charge to’
Set the ‘Ready by’ time.

Ohme will check in with your car at regular intervals during the session to achieve the target and adjust accordingly.

Charging screen with Charge to set to 80%

In this example, if you set the amount to 80% and you already have 30% charge in your vehicle, Ohme will communicate with your vehicle brand’s app to detect this, and adjust the schedule to add a further 50% to charge to your 80% target.

For more information on how to pair your Ohme account to your vehicle’s app account, please see this guide for further information: How to pair to your car’s app account (API integration)

We’re always working to offer the latest in technology to our customers. As a part of Ohme Labs, we’re continuously improving API integration feature and, from time to time, it may not work as intended.

Please note, certain functionality may also be limited based on manufacturer-specific API restrictions or limitations.

Upon plugin, on the Charging page of the app, Ohme will show the smart charging schedule with the timeslots Ohme intends to deliver the charge, and how much charge will have been added by the end of each slot to get you to your set target.

Note: If you have vehicle API integrated, you will see the expected battery level in the vehicle at the end of each slot instead.

Updating your charging target

You can keep these settings the same each time you plug in, or you can adjust them for each session depending on how much charge you want and what time you need your car to be ready. The charge amount and the ready by time can be adjusted both before plugin and during a session via the Charging page.

1. Tap the setting you wish to adjust
2. Use the +/- buttons to increase or decrease the number as needed
3. Tap ‘Confirm’ to save.

When the charger is unplugged, the last changes made to the charging schedule will be saved.

Some vehicles may have climate control settings that allow you to warm or cool the cabin of your car before setting off on a journey. These ‘preconditioning’ settings can drain some of the car’s battery power, however, and might mean the car battery isn’t as full as expected at the end of charging.

To help keep your battery full when climate control settings are on in the vehicle, you can enable a feature called ‘Cabin preconditioning’ in your Ohme app, either as part of your dynamic charging plan, or as part of a repeated schedule (‘Routines’). This can be found on the main ‘Charging page’, or within a Routine – you will need to have ‘Dynamic charging’ turned on to see this.

With Cabin preconditioning enabled, the Ohme charger will add a boost of charge at the end of the charging session in order to top up any battery loss caused by climate control settings within the vehicle.

Please note, Ohme is currently unable to set these climate controls directly and this will need to be managed via the vehicle’s app or from inside the vehicle itself.

preconditioning enabled with duration set to 30 minutes

Once enabled, you will need to set a duration for the preconditioning, up to 60 minutes. This will be the length of time Ohme will schedule to add this boost of charge to your car before your ‘Ready by’ time, and should typically match the duration of your climate control settings in your vehicle.

For example, if you have set your climate controls to warm your car up between 7:30am – 8:00am, we would recommend setting your ‘Ready by’ time to 8:00am, and the Cabin preconditioning duration to 30 minutes.

If there is no battery loss for the Ohme charger to top up, you may find that this preconditioning setting does not add any further charge to the vehicle. This is because Ohme cannot charge the vehicle over its maximum battery limit.

Finally, it’s important to note that Ohme will ignore your price cap setting if needed, to allow for cabin preconditioning before your ‘Ready by’ time. This therefore means you may be charged more for preconditioning charging during your peak hours depending on your tariff. For example, if the ‘Ready by’ time is set to 8:00am and cabin preconditioning set to 30 minutes, Ohme will schedule to begin charging again around 7:30am, even if the off-peak win

To charge your vehicle with your Ohme charger, it’s as simple as plugging the charging cable into the vehicle’s charging port. When it is first installed, Ohme will behave as a ‘Plug and Go’ charger, and charge immediately upon plugin until the charger is unplugged or the vehicle stops the charge.

To make the most of your Ohme charger, and use the Smart features available, we recommend downloading the Ohme app and creating an account to pair with your charger. For more information on how to create an Ohme account, please see this help guide: Your First Charge

Once an account has been created and paired with Ohme, there are five key ways you can use the Ohme app to schedule your charging, providing you with various levels of control over the charging process:

The app also allows you to set up security features for your Ohme charger, to help prevent any unwanted usage. You can find more information about our security features in this help guide: How do I keep my charger secure?

Finally, the app will allow you to keep track of your charging along with estimated costs for your sessions. This information can be found via the ‘Usage’ page of the app – please see this help guide to find out more: Explore: Usage

If you’d like to find further details about the settings of your charger, including the Charger ID, firmware, and the configuration settings, these can be found on the Advanced Settings page. In the Ohme App, tap Settings > My Charger > Advanced Settings to access this page.

Advanced settings page with numbered labels

The serial number, or device ID, for the Ohme charger currently linked to your account. This should match the serial number on the white sticker underneath your Ohme charger.
The current firmware version of the charger.
The maximum charging speed the charger can deliver (in Amps). Please note the maximum speed cannot be set higher than 32A.
The reading from the CT Clamp (if fitted). This will update each time the page is refreshed, to show the reading at the time the page is loaded.
Load Balancing setting turned on or off. This will be decided by your installer and will require their assistance to enable/disable.
Load balancing limit (set by your installer, typically to match the size of property fuse).

Advaced settings page showing enable configuration requests and change charger button

Enable configuration requests – this can be toggled on or off, depending on whether you would like installers to request access to make changes to your chargers configuration settings.
Change charger, allowing you to link your Ohme account to a different Ohme charger.

EV Glossary

New to electric vehicles and not sure what everybody’s talking about? Here’s all of the EV jargon you need to know, in plain English.

AC

Alternating Current. The type of electricity flow used for home EV chargers. This goes via the car’s onboard charger before it can be stored in your battery.

API

An API (Application Programming Interface) allows access to information about your car via your manufacturer’s smartphone app. Providing your login details in the Ohme app allows Ohme to access your car’s current state of charge. This is used to work out how much charge you need. We are currently integrated with the following APIs: Audi, BMW, Hyundai, Jaguar, Kia, MINI, Nissan, Renault, SKODA, Tesla, Volkswagen

Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV)

A battery powered car which is charged when plugged into mains electricity.

Battery Capacity

This is the amount of energy a battery can hold (and is often converted into achievable range). This reduces over time as the battery degrades.

Charge Rate

Sometimes referred to as charge speed, this is how quickly electricity is being accepted (or can be accepted) by your EV.

Charge Schedule

These are your default charge preferences. You can create these in the My Charger section of the Ohme app, so that your car charges to your desired amount by your preferred departure time.

CSS

Combined Charging System. This is a standard EU fast charging system.

Connector Type

Chargers either have cables connected (see Tethered) or you need to plug in your own (see Un-tethered). The ends of these cables can have different connectors. Most EVs manufactured post 2018 need a Type 2 connector.

CPO

Charge Point Operator. These are companies who own and run public chargers.

DC

Direct Current. The type of electricity flow used for public chargers. This is faster than AC charging as it goes straight to the battery without having to go via the car’s onboard charger.

Degradation

EV batteries are made from lithium-ion (like laptop and mobile phone batteries). They work by the movement of lithium ions. Each time you fully charge and discharge the battery, the reaction causing this movement within the cells becomes less efficient which means that, over time, the battery can hold less charge and discharges more quickly.

Economy 7

A tariff which has periods of cheaper off-peak electricity, usually overnight when fewer people are using electricity.

EVHS

Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme. This is a government grant which allows eligible drivers to claim up to £350 off their charger and installation costs. More info here.

Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV)

An EV that runs off energy created by a chemical reaction between hydrogen and the oxygen in the air.

ICE

Internal Combustion Engine. These are traditional petrol and diesel vehicles.

kW

Kilowatt. This is a measurement of power. When you check the specs of your EV, you’ll see your onboard charger has a charge speed listed in kW. This is how fast your EV can charge with an AC charger.

kWh

Kilowatt Hour. This is a measurement of energy. When you check the specs of your EV, you’ll see your battery size is listed in kWh. This is how much energy your battery can store. You might be familiar with miles per gallon which helps you work out how far you can get with a full tank of fuel but, with an EV, think of miles per kWh. Find out more here.

Max Charge

A feature in the Ohme app which temporarily disables all charge schedules and smart features, to charge your car as much as possible at full power.

Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle

A petrol or diesel car that also has a small battery that needs to be recharged with power from the mains.

Powercycle

Power cycle is the act of turning the charger off and on again from the main circuit breaker.

Range

This is how many miles you can drive your EV without needing to charge. The range you can achieve may vary depending on driving style, weather conditions, and your EV battery health.

Range Anxiety

Range anxiety refers to the worry that you’ll run out of charge before you reach your destination. Most EVs can go between 100-300 miles on a single charge, so although it’s the most common fear among EV drivers, it’s mostly irrational.

Range-extended EV (REx)

A type of hybrid EV that has a small petrol generator to charge your battery when range is depleted, allowing you to drive further.

Regenerative braking

Cars with regenerative braking can recycle the energy used when braking and store it back in their batteries. Find out more here.

Smart Charging

An intelligent charging system that optimises charging through data connections. Ohme chargers work out the best times to charge based on your current energy tariff and grid conditions.

SoC

Stage of charge. How much energy is in your battery? This will be presented as a percentage in your car or car app.

Tethered

A tethered EV charger, like the Ohme Home Pro, has the charging cable built-in. To charge, you simply unwind it and plug it into your EV.

Trickle Charge

A trickle charge refers to a very slow charge speed. The lowest speed a car can safely charge is 6A / 1.44kW.

Time-of-Use Tariff

A time of use tariff offers electricity for lower prices at certain times of the day when fewer people are using electricity. This encourages customers to use electricity at off-peak times, helping to balance the electricity grid. These cheaper periods are typically overnight, making these tariffs popular with EV drivers who charge their cars while they sleep.

Type-of-Use Tariff

A type-of-use tariff offers electricity for lower prices when it’s used for certain purposes, like charging an EV. Type-of-use tariffs are popular with EV drivers as they allow them to top up at cheaper rates.

ULEZ

Ultra Low Emission Zone. Drivers without a low or zero emission vehicle will be charged a daily fee for entering the zone without a compliant vehicle.

Un-tethered

An un-tethered EV charger, like the Ohme ePod, doesn’t have a charging cable built-in. You’ll need to plug a separate charging cable into the charger and the car itself to start charging.

V2G

Vehicle to Grid. This allows drivers to fill up their batteries and then send this energy back to the electricity grid, often earning a cash reward for doing so. This technology is still in early development and not supported by Ohme chargers.

V2H

Vehicle to Home. This allows drivers to fill up their batteries and then use this stored energy to power your home. This technology is still in early development and not supported by Ohme chargers.

WLTP

Worldwide Harmonized Light vehicles Test procedure. It’s a test designed to give a more realistic view of a car’s range and fuel efficiency.

Zero Emission

This can be anything (a car, a company, an energy source) that emits no greenhouse gases.

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