Your home battery can do more than just store solar power. Depending on the chosen battery mode, the battery can focus on increasing your own consumption, smart charging based on electricity prices, or automatic trading on the energy market.
In this article, we explain which battery modes are available, how they work, and which one best fits your situation.
Contents
- Overview of the battery modes
- Explanation of each battery mode
- Trading profiles explained
- Which mode suits me?
- Changing the battery mode in the app
- Frequently asked questions
Overview of the battery modes
| Battery Mode | What does the battery focus on? | Brief explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Self-consumption | Own energy consumption | Primarily stores your own solar power for later use. |
| Self-consumption + EPEX Charging | Own consumption + hourly prices | Uses solar power and charges during cheap hours on the day-ahead market. |
| Self-consumption + Trading | Own consumption + energy markets | Combines self-consumption with automatic trading on the energy market. |
| Smart Trading | Energy markets | Fully utilizes the battery to automatically generate returns from price differences. |
Explanation of each battery mode
Self-consumption
In Self-consumption, the battery is used to consume as much of your own generated solar power as possible.
During the day, excess solar power is stored. When your solar panels generate less or no power, such as in the evening or early morning, your home first uses the stored energy from the battery.
The battery is not used for trading on the energy market in this mode.
Suitable if you:
- want to use as much of your own solar power as possible;
- want to draw less power from the electricity grid;
- want to save easily without active trading.
Self-consumption + EPEX Charging
This mode combines self-consumption with smart charging based on the EPEX Day-Ahead market.
Besides storing your own solar power, the battery can automatically charge during hours when electricity prices are low. The stored energy is then used when prices are higher or when your home needs energy.
Because the hourly prices are known a day in advance, the battery can anticipate accordingly.
Suitable if you:
- want to take advantage of cheap electricity hours;
- want to combine your own consumption with price-driven charging;
- want to use as little electricity as possible during expensive hours.
Self-consumption + Trading
In this mode, the battery combines your own energy consumption with automatic trading on various energy markets.
When there are interesting trading opportunities, trading takes priority. When there are few or no interesting price differences, the battery is used for self-consumption.
Within this mode, you choose a trading profile: Low, Medium, or High. This determines how actively the battery takes advantage of price differences.
Suitable if you:
- want to benefit from trading;
- also want to get as much benefit as possible from your own solar power;
- are looking for a balance between saving and earning returns.
Smart Trading
Smart Trading is fully focused on automatic trading on the energy markets.
The battery charges when financially advantageous and discharges when it yields the most return. Multiple energy markets can be used, such as the day-ahead and imbalance markets.
Therefore, it can happen that the battery charges while the hourly price in the app seems relatively high. On another energy market, that moment may actually be favorable.
Within this mode, you also choose a trading profile: Low, Medium, or High.
Suitable if you:
- want to achieve as much automatic return as possible;
- mainly want to use the battery for trading;
- place less value on maximizing your own electricity consumption.
Trading profiles explained
With Self-consumption + Trading and Smart Trading, you choose a trading profile.
This profile determines how actively the battery takes advantage of price differences.
Low
The battery only trades when there are large price differences.
As a result, there are fewer trading moments.
Medium
The battery responds to more price differences and trades more frequently.
High
The battery also reacts to smaller price differences and trades most actively.
This can result in more trading moments.
Whichever profile you choose, the battery trades fully automatically. You don’t have to do anything yourself.
Which battery mode suits me?
| You want to... | Recommended battery mode |
| Use as much of your own solar power as possible | Self-consumption |
| Buy cheap electricity and use it later | Self-consumption + EPEX Charging |
| Save and trade automatically | Self-consumption + Trading |
| Maximize returns from energy markets | Smart Trading |
Changing the battery mode in the app
You can choose a different battery mode at any time.
Open the NextEnergy Smart Home app, go to your battery, and select Battery steering mode. Then select the desired battery mode.
If you choose Self-consumption + Trading or Smart Trading, you can also immediately select the desired trading profile.
Frequently asked questions
Can I switch battery modes later?
Yes. You can choose a different battery mode at any time in the app.
Does my battery always trade?
No.
The battery only trades when you have chosen Self-consumption + Trading or Smart Trading.
How often trading occurs depends on market conditions and the chosen trading profile.
Why does my battery charge when electricity prices are high?
When your battery trades, it doesn’t only look at the hourly prices on the day-ahead market.
The battery can also respond to other energy markets. As a result, charging at a certain moment can still be financially advantageous.
Which battery mode yields the most return?
That depends on the situation.
If you mainly want to save on your own energy consumption, Self-consumption or Self-consumption + EPEX Charging are often good choices.
If you want to maximize benefits from price fluctuations on the energy markets, Self-consumption + Trading and Smart Trading generally offer the most opportunities.
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