Growatt Battery Charging From Grid In ShinePhone App

[@handyandyandi]

Great information. Today Octopus are giving rewards for not using the grid for a 1 hour period this evening, so knowing how to charge my battery ahead of the period is super useful! Thanks.

[@MySolarGen]

Thanks Andy I also am waiting to go onto octopus just waiting for a smart meter

[@joggingsteve7606]

The fact the system carries on drawing from grid once battery has reached required charge can be a bonus in my opinion. If you charge at off peak rates and then start using the battery during the off peak period you are paying extra for those Kws due to system losses. Better to draw from grid until off peak period finishes then switch to powering house from battery as peak period cuts in. Setting the charge period to match off peak period will mean cheapest electricity. Looking at the charge and discharge figures I only seem to be getting around 85% out of what goes into battery. This is with a single Growatt 6.5Kwh battery. Would be interesting to hear of other peoples experience of turn round efficiency.

[@pavelgalle6698]

Hi, I have TOU-Discharging and a TOU- Charging options, instead of Battery first. Set-up is very easy. This video helped me to load battery for a day when repairs on local grid. thank You!!

[@jeremyroberts2782]

really useful video, Octopus (and some others) are doing free electricity when there is surplus supply, was looking for a way to charge the battery up during these times to make the most of it. Cheers mate.

[@prewdles]

Thank you for this really helpful video and my batteries are now charging on cheap electric at night - great. However, the inverter also started using this battery power to run stuff while still on the cheap electric rate, which rather negated the benefit of it. Can I stop the batteries being used to power my home during certain hours?

[@MySolarGen]

Hi your inverter should not use your battery during the charging times so if it was set to charge between 12-4am you should only use your grid power to charge stuff even if your battery is fully charged before the end time of 4am. Hope this makes sense ?

[@clivethomas2039]

.....But you can't set this on a timer, it's set to the value you select until you change it.

[@GBLeo]

Very useful, thanks for sharing. Please do make more videos on any more Growatt/Shine tasks which help people with PV and baattery setups.

[@DJLsbVapes]

Awesome, does that apply to every growatt model like the 12kw? Thanks

[@MySolarGen]

I’m guessing if you use the same Shinephone app then yes although I’m not familiar with this model

[@DJLsbVapes]

@@MySolarGen Thanks

[@anitaarya5985]

Hi! I followed your instructions about charging the battery overnight from the grid and took on what you said about the low level activity overnight. I assumed if you didn’t disable AC it should still fill your battery but in my case it didn’t last night it from the grid. Is that because I didn’t put AC disabled..I thought that wouldn’t matter with filling of the battery?

[@RodSmith-f3h]

Is there a way to stop the battery discharging to the grid? Just so that I can keep more energy for my use in the house? Thanks.

[@andreiwall8119]

Yes, does anyone know how?

[@clivethomas2039]

Yes, on the server set load first "discharge soc" to 100 😊

[@georgejohnson7591]

I spotted whilst having a browse around the control settings that the time of the inverter was incorrect, by 2 hours! That could muck things up when charging on the cheaper rate, it potentially could have been charging the battery for 2 hours on the expensive stuff.

[@williamwhale5619]

Wow! Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge. I thought i was going to be crawling around loft voids and pressing buttons on the inverter. I have one question - Once you've set the parameters, will it repeat everyday? Thanks again Will

[@MySolarGen]

Yes once it’s set it’s set 😁 thanks for watching

[@KeaAlstrup]

Good explanation of this. I have a question About using my battery. I don’t know how you guys are being charged for electricity, but in Denmark where i live, more than 1/2 of the price is “Delivering” the electricity. And it’s a variable pris. The most expensive time of the day is from 17.00-21.00, when we all come home and make food and what ever we are doing when we get home form work. The price of “delivering” electricity is about 0.5 euro/kWh and then you pay for electricity, taxes and wat of it all. So my question is. How do i setup my inverter to use battery as priority between 17.00-21.00? I found out to charge my battery from the grid from 01.00-04.00. That’s the cheapest time on the “delivery” not always on the electricity price. But I don’t charge the battery when the electricity price is off the charts When I look at my inverter now, it’s using the battery first no matter the time. And then the idea is gone. So my plan is 1. Charge the battery when it’s cheap. Or sunny 2. Use the battery as priority one, when the “delivery”/electricity is most expensive from 17.00-21.00. I’m aware that I probably must change this more or less on daily basis. But we’re already doing this with our electric car.😅 Would this be possible?

[@DavidHughes-je1dp]

Thanks for video, just what I've been looking for, question, when you say the unit will continue to take from the grid after battery is full, is that only in the set time period.

[@fishgonesouth]

This is a really great video. However, I’m missing the buttons to make actually the changes. Do the buttons come with certain access rights. So if I don’t have the buttons, I guess I’m not a super user. I’m just regular user reading. Do you know how to become a super user as well and therefore forget the buttons and be able to change it?

[@WilliamMartin-qr3fr]

Is it possible to fully charge battery and save for a black out

[@MySolarGen]

You could save it but batteries do lose power over time dependant on ambient temperature.

[@WilliamMartin-qr3fr]

How do you save it

[@MySolarGen]

@@WilliamMartin-qr3fr I would think you would choose no discharge option on the battery I may do a video on this one.

[@georgejohnson7591]

The system has to be designed to work as a battery backup. Most don't have that functionality. Some have an EPS (Emergency Power Socket) But this is used for plugging in your fridge (or something like that) You don't feed this into the house, as that will powerup the grid and possibly zap the man fixing the fault.

[@MySolarGen]

@@WilliamMartin-qr3fr George is correct the power backup is the eps so in theory I’m guessing you could set up not using the battery at all but you would need to draw from this dedicated socket during a black out.

[@smithia6]

How do I stop all usage of my battery between 11:30 pm and 5:30am. I get cheap ev charging during these hours and it drains off my battery 1st I'm paying 29p per kw all the time apart from these hours using a specified charger and car I get these hours for 7.5p per kw. The rest of the house hardly uses anything so I'd sooner keep my battery for next day and early evening usage.

[@MySolarGen]

Put the battery to charge at this time this will make it draw the ev from the grid that’s how I do it

[@smithia6]

I have no idea to do that, that's the bit in struggling with

[@MySolarGen]

So you do it how I show in this video set your charging for your battery’s to come on between 11.30 -5.30 if you don’t want them to fully charge from the grid set a limit on them like 50% 40% or something as even when it’s not physically charging the fact that it’s set to charge your solar battery’s at this time will mean anything else like your ev will only draw from the grid during this set period.

[@HarunKhan-kg8zr]

Hi sorry to be spoiled sports please can explain what about summer time Charging or sunny weather like today in Oldham?

[@MySolarGen]

Hi yes your battery’s will charge during the day in sunny weather

[@daipower1]

Is this soley for the charging from the grid and not the solar panels.

[@phillipdoorbar1615]

What is the lowest % I should be discharging my battery to ??

[@MySolarGen]

Hi Philip I believe the recommended percentage is 10%

[@Cptnbond]

Great episode. Please describe the Growatt models and units you have in your complete setup. There is an inverter manufacturing trend going to high-voltage Li-ion batteries, which is not helpful for us, DIY, who prefer the safer chemistry with LiFePO4. Most KZbinrs with solar videos are in the USA (it sounds like you are living outside the USA?), which has the additional complex split-phase utility. In contrast, most other areas use three-phase and 230V - thus, I like your coming episodes. Thanks for sharing, and cheers.

[@simongodfrey1020]

Hi, thanks for this video, been looking for how to do this will try tonight, is your app up to date as I don’t have ac charge on/ off option?

[@MySolarGen]

Hi Simon yes it’s the new version from the apple App Store.

[@gojonny971]

good evening, I ask how to configure the inverter so that: from 6.00pm to 9.00pm no energy is taken from the battery, i.e. in that time slot the battery must not be discharged because I have a free tariff. thank you in advance

[@rzvideos786]

I have Growatt SPH5000TL BL-up Newly installed lead acid batteries 48v, When we turn off grid and solar both load should be run on battery backup but its not working any seting i have to do in setting for backup...

[@AlanStainer]

Very useful. On my version of the app it says TOU-Charging instead of Bat first, but the rest of the options are the same.

[@castleman7300fx]

Hi, thanks for your video 👍 wondered if you have the Growatt batteries ? And what percentage you stop discharging at ? Tia

[@nicolajhermansen3298]

Great video! Thanks! Is there no way to set this for more than a day at a time? During the Winther months I would like this active everyday.

[@joggingsteve7606]

Once you set it up to grid charge it will repeat every day until you change the settings.

[@nicolajhermansen3298]

@@joggingsteve7606 Great! I guess what I would like to do is to have the battery charged at night. Then have it hold on to the charge until late afternoon and then allow it to discharge from there. At least during the Winther period. I assume that’s possible by setting the charting time and the limit for discharge at the same time but to the proper (individual) time intervals?

[@joggingsteve7606]

@@nicolajhermansen3298 If you set the charge time to finish when you want the battery use to start that should work so long as the charge period starts early enough to allow battery to fully charge on off peak rate. I assume any solar would power the house along with the grid until the battery cuts in. You don't need to set the discharge option unless you want to export it to the grid which I assume is not your intention.

[@STEVESL200]

Hi. I've been wanting to do this for a long time. But got stuck when it asked for a code. Thanks for giving the heads up on the code and the process. Steve

[@EscribanoEl]

Thanks for the Vid. I know it's a long shot, but I am just about to install Growatt ARK HV batteries to my Hybrid MIN 5000 inverter. Can anyone tell me how to add the batteries on Shinephone or do they appear unprompted when you connect thye batteries up with the BMU? Thank you!

[@philwright961]

What it this don't work? Is my unit faulty or is there a setting somewhere that needs changing. Unit just installed new

[@davecoward8891]

Once you have changed the setting to charge using ac and set the timer do you need to switch back to dc for the rest of the time or does it happen automatcally and still charge from the solar panels when there is enough sun?

[@stevelamb8849]

I would like to know this too.

[@richardduran6936]

Hi! Great info, congrats. Do you have any solution for the 401 warncode, when you activate the backup box? since when activated it gives that warning, that is, the communication with the meter is disconnected. And when I disable the backup box, the 401 warncode disappears. Thanks for your help.

[@andreiwall8119]

I just noticed that my battery is giving to my house and the grid at night. Is it possible to not give to the grid so I can use more of the battery myself? Thanks

[@MySolarGen]

Hi how much does it put back in the grid at night ?

[@andreiwall8119]

@@MySolarGen Thanks for your reply. Just one night was giving 2..5 kw. So didn’t get full use of battery. I have a 20 kw Growatt battery. I’v only just purchased so still learning to use the app.

[@MrSensible2]

Hi, Can you help with something that's bugging me? I have 8 x 395W JASolar panels, a Growatt 3600 SPH inverter & a Growatt 3.3 kWh battery. Ever since it was installed, the system seems to pull more from the grid than I'd expect. For example, I was away from home for 4 weeks in Oct/Nov. In that period, the panels generated an average of 3.32 kWh/day which should have fully satisfied my empty house's demand of 2.11kWh/day (fridge-freezer, router, etc). Each day, the battery filled up to 100% & never really went below 70%. However, the system still pulled in an average of 0.41 kWh/day from the grid? Why would it do this??? Also, as a secondary question, my grid imports as shown on ShinePhone are always lower than what I measure on my old Chameleon 3 Smart Meter In-home Display. Whereas ShinePhone said I pulled in an average of 0.41 kWh/day while I was away, my old meter put it at 0.67 kWh/day. The error gets bigger as the amount I pull from the grid increases. Yesterday when solar was low, according to ShinePhone, I pulled 5.8 kWh from the grid but my old Smart Meter put it at 6.73 kWh. Importantly, my supplier, EDF, says the old Smart Meter numbers are correct & that's what I get billed for. Any thoughts as to what's going on??

[@narry123456789]

I have had my system for over a year now What shows in the shine app and what the smart meters imports or exports are never correct I am with octopus and I can see what I import and export But agree there is always a difference

[@MrSensible2]

@@narry123456789 Hoping to move from EDF onto Octopus Flux on July 1st. I think that will mitigate my problems. If my system imports from the grid unnecessarily, I should correspondingly export more to the grid & the Flux export prices are way higher than the measly 5.6p/kWh you get from EDF.

[@ambiachoudhury4912]

Electric showers use grid energy in addition to the solar & battery power so could be that ☝🏽

[@MrSensible2]

@@ambiachoudhury4912 Seven months on, I better understand my system. The 'problem' such as it is, stems from the way my Growatt inverter balances off the requirements of my panels, the battery, my domestic demand & the grid. Throughout any 24 period, 10 to 20W of power might be going in & out of the grid. It's just the way it is. Thankfully, now I'm on Octopus Flux, these little idiosyncrasies don't matter. The system will always balance itself out. Import too much here & there & it will correspondingly export an equivalent amount somewhere else. Smart!

[@roberthogg181]

Every time I try this and press enable press done parameter set yes. Go back to app log back into control go to batt first it has changed back to disable?

[@MySolarGen]

It will be enabled Robert it just seems the app is buggy when you go back to check it will say disabled but if you just leave after it’s set it will be ok.

[@OrrcoRacing]

If you change "Charging Power" to lower than 100%, that will surely allow you to use power from your battery during that time as well as charging? I don't get why it matters though as your battery will be charged at the same cost as the grid usage.

[@joggingsteve7606]

Hi. You can't charge and discharge a battery at the same time only one or the other. Also if the battery reaches required SOC before the end of the set charging time the system continues to draw from the grid until the finish time by design it seems. This is beneficial as it is cheaper to use off peak grid direct as if you put it into the battery first you will lose some of it due to system losses. Possibly 10% but still trying to find actual figure.

[@OrrcoRacing]

@@joggingsteve7606 I've been looking into it more and you're right. The efficiency is somewhere around 95%, saw it on the battery manual.

[@joggingsteve7606]

@@OrrcoRacing My Growatt app figures suggest its lower than that nearer 85%. I think the 95% figure is for the battery alone. The inverter converts the grid power to DC to charge then converts back again when you use it so you have inverter losses as well. Have so far been unable to find real world efficiency figures for using grid charging to power your house.

[@DavePeter-v3n]

I don't have a bat first setting

[@kevinnuttall7858]

Does any one find that the shine app is woefully inaccurate in how it says what you have used. Last month is said we only imported 80kw when in fact we have used 125kw any help with thus would be great.

[@georgejohnson7591]

It is rubbish, isn't it. So far this month I've imported 19.6kw but my smart meter says 42.9kw used, mmmmm. Also I get endless unable to connect to the server and network issues. Overall the system needs a lot more development!

[@narry123456789]

Agree it is never correct

[@narry123456789]

Agree

[@joggingsteve7606]

Are you grid charging? The system doesn't seem to count the Kwh that go into the battery during charge as load consumption or grid import. The KWH only seem to get counted during the discharge use and as you don't get all the kWh out that you put in due to system losses there's another reason for difference. Grid import seems to be only what goes direct to house load.

[@gregPendleton-f3m]

When time is set is it recurrent every day ?

[@mariuspotgieter9306]

Very interesting, many thanks. Please make vid on other control parameters as it is very difficult to get good info in English.

[@WilliamMartin-qr3fr]

How can I check how may kw are stored in my Growatt battery on my Shine app.

[@CambridgeCookie]

Thanks for this. I don't have permission to change the settings using the Shinephone app 😢 Logged on to the Growatt server to put the times in under 'bat first' *2am on 5am off* to benefit from Octopus Flex tariff, but this doesn't seem to work 😢 My installer First4Solar has since gone into liquidation 😢

[@MrJcarden]

Hi, how are you getting on with the growatt battery and inverter, i have seen some mixed reviews

[@MySolarGen]

I heard allot of bad things but I do like it and have had no troubles at all really. I’m putting up a video soon talking about my growatt set up and how much I’m making and using so keep watching.

[@Abbasaijaz]

Hi When i turn off grid power inverter is not going on back mode Already changed to lead acid battery but no back up Just installed inverter Kindly guide

[@AndrewTideswell-i8r]

Hi can someone tell me what the best settings to have on all my parameters within the app

[@craigspratt8097]

Great video thanks been looking for this for a couple of weeks. Just been on my app and i dont have bat first in my list. Had my batteries installed in August so guess i will have to ring them and see why i dont have this option.

[@MySolarGen]

Yes that is strange have you tried re downloading the app again as this may help you may have a different version. I will do one also on the web server version soon so keep watching and Thankyou for your kind comments.

[@taichpaul]

Ah, this no longer works they have changed the app. Are you able to do an update please.

[@homemade_homeowner3301]

This option isn't available for me in the app??

[@georgejohnson7591]

Thank you for this, I've been looking for how to do this since the shitty weather hasn't given much solar and the battery barely gets more than 30% charged. Mine is slightly different, it doesn't have a Batt First option but has a TOU-Discharging and a TOU- Charging options, the latter giving (I think) the same as your Batt First. I've just set it to charge to 60% in the early hours, so will see how that works for me.

[@MySolarGen]

Hi George yes the tou charging will be the option you need I would think. It can depend on what inverter you have maybe as I hear this sometimes about the app and how it’s slightly different. Thankyou for your support I plan on doing more videos soon.

[@georgejohnson7591]

@@MySolarGen I can confirm the TOU-Charging option did as expected, this morning I had a 60% charge in the battery. I'm going to experiment with the settings now to find the balance of having enough battery for the morning, but not taking more off the grid than I need. (I have a shading issue which means little generation until around 10:30)

[@blackflek4]

Went to 1 minute and 2 seconds but I don't have the line on the bottom with the option for control.

[@jmfdsouza]

I can't find Bat First option.

[@magnusclaren7390]

Really like your videos. And helps me as a new user. Hoping for more videos from you. Can you maybe do some on bat first, grid first, load first settings. Thanks anyway

[@MySolarGen]

Great suggestion! More too come

[@Thenerdywalrus]

Very concise and useful video, thank you

[@trevorhammond9980]

At last, someone who knows the password . I've tried to amend the TOU Discharging times just to see if it works and when I press Done, i get a note 501 modification failed message. Works fine on the TOU charging amndment. Any ideas? Have to say getting any info on this system from growatt is v difficult.Thanks.

[@jayis007]

When I set the time and enable and save it. It says parameter set successfully When I go back to the settings it doesn’t show that it’s enabled? 😢

[@MySolarGen]

Don’t go back it always shows this as disabled when you go back. Maybe give it a test run

[@sparky_862]

I don't even have these options and my App looks nothing like this aswel

[@MySolarGen]

I’m uk based are you as well ?

[@sparky_862]

@@MySolarGen Nope, South Africa

[@narry123456789]

Great video ,very helpfull . I was looking to set this on my system. 👍

[@MySolarGen]

Thanks narry I appreciate the comment and support

[@jamesklinge6386]

Would have been great if the password actually worked

[@MySolarGen]

Did this not work for you ? Are you sure your doing it right putting the date in correctly in the right order as never had anyone tell me the password doesn’t work

[@DavidHughes-je1dp]

sorry, answered my own question by listening to the video again, it's an age thing.

[@stevelamb8849]

Once you have changed the setting to charge using ac and set the timer do you need to switch back to dc for the rest of the time or does it happen automatcally and still charge from the solar panels when there is enough sun?