Ohme Solar Boost Feature

Introducing Solar Boost: Solar Compatibility for Ohme EV Chargers

Our Ohme products now feature solar compatibility, thanks to the innovative Solar Boost. But what exactly is Solar Boost? This advanced charging mode minimises the use of grid energy by utilising self-produced green energy. It’s important to note that this is not a solar-only option, as all EVs require additional top-ups from the grid to reach a minimum charging rate. Solar Boost aims to maximise the use of solar power for green charging, reducing your carbon footprint and saving you money on your energy bills.

Eligibility

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

Enable Solar Boost

Enabling Solar Boost is easy. Simply tap the ‘Solar Boost’ tab under Solar Charging and plug in your car. If you wish to turn off Solar Boost mode at any point, tap the “Solar Off” tab to charge your vehicle as usual.

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.

Scheduling with Solar Boost

When you have an active routine with Solar Boost enabled, Ohme calculates the energy needed to achieve your target. If excess solar power is available during an active session, we may exceed your charge target to take advantage of the solar energy you’ve generated.

Charging with a price cap

For customers on a variable price tariff, you can optimise your use of solar energy during the day by allowing Ohme to schedule most of the charging during your off-peak period.

To achieve this, ensure that the Price Cap feature is enabled. Then, plug in your vehicle during the day. Ohme will manage the charging, prioritising off-peak hours according to your tariff, and will only charge outside these hours if there is surplus solar energy available.

Charging with an active routine

If you want to reach a specific charge target by a certain time while also utilizing solar energy, you can achieve this through a routine or by manually setting the desired charge amount and the ready-by time.

When your charger is plugged in, Ohme will create a schedule to meet the desired charge by the set ready-by time. This routine will proceed as normal, but with Solar Boost enabled, you can potentially save money by using solar energy, thereby reducing the amount of grid energy needed.

For example, if it’s a sunny day and you have a departure time of 6:00 PM with a target of 50% charge, Ohme will allocate enough time to meet this goal. Additionally, Ohme may begin charging outside the usual schedule to take advantage of any excess solar energy.

Charging with a 0% target

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

This setting ensures that Ohme will only charge when there is enough solar energy to activate the Solar Boost feature.

We hope this guide helps explain the new Solar Boost feature on our Ohme products.