Battery discharging to disabled export threshold after recent update

I have a GIV-AC3.0 with inverter firmware D0.535-A0.535 and battery firmware 3015, recently updated. On flux.

Found this evening that the battery discharged to 50% and then stayed there, importing instead of using the battery. I've got it set to Eco mode.

I had wondered if the new update would enable me to do a timed export between 1600 and 1900, and tried setting that up with export to 50%. However, as before, it turned off eco mode so I reset it - having to refresh the settings page a few times to make sure I had returned it to eco. With low solar today, it was the first day that the battery had got to 50% - and it stuck there.

I turned on export, and set the value to 4%, then turned it off again. Seemed not to have reset things so tried a full reset (may not have been necessary) and it's discharging again. It got stuck at 50% - the same as the disabled threshold for export.

Known bug?

Hugh Found this evening that the battery discharged to 50% and then stayed there, importing instead of using the battery. I've got it set to Eco mode.

I had wondered if the new update would enable me to do a timed export between 1600 and 1900, and tried setting that up with export to 50%.

I think it's working as intended, but is a bit of a poor design.

Suppose you're AC charging, and you set a limit of 50%. When it gets there, the battery pauses - it doesn't go back to eco mode and start discharging to cover house load until the configured end-time. And you probaby wouldn't want to, since AC charging implies cheap-rate power.

With a timed discharge, it does exactly the same - if it reaches the 50% minimum before the end-time, it pauses until the end-time, rather than ending the discharge prematurely. Once it gets to the end of the timed period, it should resume discharging in eco mode.

The eco flag getting cleared because you're using timed-export rather than timed-discharge ?

I turned off timed export and returned to pure eco mode, so the export threshold setting was disabled (refreshed the UI a few times to make sure of this). But the threshold was still used even in eco mode. That's the bug.

I've been reading about timed discharge and will try that, thanks.

Hugh ah - did you use the app? I think it actually sets the (global) battery reserve level. You'd to to use the remote control section to access the per-slot discharge limit.

I used the web page.

Checking the registers, there is a single battery reserve % limit value, which is restrictive. Presumably my setting for timed discharge (70%) will also apply to Eco mode, which is not what I want.

I've been avoiding any automation but just might have to put something in place. I'll work around it for the moment by setting a shorter timed discharge. Rare days now that the battery doesn't charge to 100%.

That means I can set the reserve limit to 4%.

Hugh Checking the registers, there is a single battery reserve % limit value, which is restrictive. Presumably my setting for timed discharge (70%) will also apply to Eco mode, which is not what I want.

Yes, that's probably the same issue - need to use the remote-control section to set the per-discharge limit.

Hugh I'll work around it for the moment by setting a shorter timed discharge.

Well, that didn't work. Tried setting it up a couple of times to discharge for 10 minutes, but nothing happened. Also managed to trip it out of eco mode even though it was enabled in the UI - had to reset it again. Is there a trick to setting up discharge?

What is the current consensus on the best combination of tariff and automation for a 9.6 kWh + solar setup?

Hugh What is the current consensus on the best combination of tariff and automation for a 9.6 kWh + solar setup?

Depends on your useage, but Octopus Agile with .15p export using Wonderwatt automation (simple and elegant) is working effectively and financially for me atm.

As with Watcher I'm finding Wonderwatt extremely useful with my setup which is an AIO on the Agile import and 15p fixed export.

Watcher I have a large solar array, 14kWh of battery, am on Agile and 15p export and have decided to stick with it at least for now for the summer.

Hugh The other ‘best’ options for solar and battery are Octopus Flux (pays a higher export rate during the peak 4-7pm period but import prices generally higher) and Eon Drive (slightly better 16.5p export price, overnight cheap rate charging).

Last year a lot of people here were on Flux, as was I, and I was very happy with the export income I received. But that was at the time that there wasn’t cloud automation options like Wonderwatt and My Energy Optimiser and Predbat was less mature - all of which are now great options for getting the best out of Agile. The export rate was I think only 8p as well which made Flux a bit of a no brainer last year.

There’s no single best answer for everyone. A lot of it depends on your battery capacity, your daily home consumption and solar panel size. If you have a 9.5kWh battery then you’re not likely to have lots of spare battery storage for peak evening discharge so some of the benefits of Flux are reduced.

geoffreycoan Eon Drive (slightly better 16.5p export price, overnight cheap rate charging).

Just to note that while Eon Drive specifies that an EV is needed, it seems to that they do also allow people with solar+batteries to enrol.

Thanks all. I hadn't seen Wonderwatt, so after a quick review I've signed up and set up charge and discharge settings which should suit my Octopus Flux tariff.

I'm not wanting to switch tariffs until the billing is sorted out. Looks like Agile is the way to go.