Solar Energy Management (SEM) is a Home Assistant integration that reads your solar, grid, battery, and EV charger data and makes intelligent decisions about how to distribute energy across your home.
This guide is the detailed companion to the Quick Start guide. If you want to be up and running in five minutes and figure out the details later, start there. Come here when you want to understand what each setting does and why it exists.
For dashboard customization, see DASHBOARD_GUIDE.md. For multi-inverter and multi-charger setups, see MULTI_DEVICE_GUIDE.md. For developer and architecture details, see ARCHITECTURE.md.
- Prerequisites
- Installation via HACS
- Config Flow
- Verification
- Options Flow
- SOC Zone Strategy
- Load Management
- EV Charging Modes
- Battery Charge Scheduler
- Heat Pump and Hot Water
- Language Support
- FAQ
SEM requires Home Assistant 2024.1.0 or newer. Check your version at Settings > System > About.
SEM is distributed through HACS (Home Assistant Community Store). If you do not have HACS installed, follow the official instructions at https://hacs.xyz/docs/use/ before continuing.
SEM reads all its source sensors from the HA Energy Dashboard, not from a manual sensor list you provide. This design means SEM works with any inverter brand automatically — it just asks the Energy Dashboard what you have.
Before installing SEM, go to Settings > Dashboards > Energy and confirm:
- "Solar panels" section has at least one solar production sensor
- "Grid consumption" and "Grid return" sections have sensors assigned
- (Optional) "Home battery storage" has battery in/out sensors
If the Energy Dashboard is blank or partially configured, SEM detects fewer sensors and may fail to calculate energy flows correctly. Configure it first, then install SEM.
Why the Energy Dashboard? HA's Energy Dashboard is already the canonical registry of energy sensors in your installation. SEM leverages this so you never have to map sensors manually — and so it automatically handles the sign conventions of different inverter brands. Fronius and SolarEdge report grid direction opposite to Huawei and SMA; SEM detects this automatically.
Inverters (all auto-detected): Huawei SUN2000, SMA, Victron, Sungrow, Fronius, Enphase, Powerwall, Kostal, SolarEdge, GoodWe, Sonnen, SolaX, Growatt, and any inverter that exposes watt-level sensors to HA.
EV chargers: KEBA P30 (service-based), Easee (service-based), Zaptec (service-based), Wallbox, go-eCharger, ChargePoint, Heidelberg, OpenWB 2.x, OCPP-compatible, Ohme, Peblar, V2C Trydan, Alfen Eve, Blue Current, OpenEVSE, and any charger with a controllable number entity.
Solar forecasts (optional): Solcast, Forecast.Solar. Required for smart night charging and battery charge scheduling.
Easee note: Easee's charging power sensor is disabled by default in HA. Go to Settings > Devices > Easee and enable the power sensor before installing SEM. Without it, SEM cannot read charger power.
GoodWe note: Ensure your Energy Dashboard is configured with GoodWe sensors before installing SEM. SEM auto-detects GoodWe's sign conventions.
- HA 2024.1.0 or newer
- HACS installed
- Energy Dashboard configured (solar + grid sensors at minimum)
- Battery sensors visible in HA (optional)
- EV charger integration installed and power sensor enabled (optional)
- Open Home Assistant and click HACS in the sidebar.
- Click Integrations, then the three-dot menu (top right), then Custom repositories.
- Paste
https://github.com/traktore-org/sem-communityinto the URL field, set category to Integration, and click Add. - Close the dialog and search for Solar Energy Management in the list.
- Click the result, then Download at the bottom right.
- When the download finishes, go to Settings > System > Restart and restart Home Assistant. Wait 30–60 seconds for it to come back.
After the restart, SEM is installed but not yet active. Complete the config flow in the next step to start it.
The SEM dashboard uses several HACS frontend cards. Install these via HACS > Frontend if they are not already present:
| Card | Why it is required |
|---|---|
mushroom |
Chips, entity cards, template cards throughout the dashboard |
card-mod |
Glass card styling -- without this, all dashboard tabs are blank |
apexcharts-card |
All power and energy charts |
sankey-chart |
Energy flow diagram on the Energy tab |
fold-entity-row |
Collapsible welcome section on the Home tab (optional but recommended) |
See DASHBOARD_GUIDE.md for the full list and troubleshooting steps when a card shows "Custom element doesn't exist".
Once SEM is installed, add it via **Settings > Devices & Services >
- Add Integration**, search for Solar Energy Management, and select it.
The config flow has three steps. You can change any setting later via the Configure button on the integration card.
SEM scans your Energy Dashboard and auto-detects all configured sensors: solar production, grid import/export, battery charge/discharge, and EV charger.
| Field | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Observer mode | Off | When ON, SEM only reads data and provides the dashboard — it will not send any commands to your hardware. Use this for testing, secondary HA instances, or monitoring-only setups. You can toggle it later via switch.sem_observer_mode. |
Tip: If a sensor you expect is missing from the detection summary, check your Energy Dashboard (Settings > Dashboards > Energy) and ensure that sensor type is assigned there first.
If you have an EV charger, this step configures how SEM controls it. SEM auto-detects your charger from the HA entity registry — review the pre-filled values and correct anything that looks wrong.
| Field | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Connected sensor | Auto-detected | Binary sensor that reports when the vehicle plug is inserted (e.g. binary_sensor.keba_p30_plug) |
| Charging sensor | Auto-detected | Binary sensor that reports when the EV is actively charging |
| Charging power sensor | Auto-detected | Numeric sensor (W) reporting current charging power |
| Charger service | Auto-detected | HA service called to set the charging current (e.g. keba.set_current). For number-entity-based chargers, this is the number entity instead |
| Service entity ID | Auto-detected | Entity ID passed as the target of the service call. Auto-filled when SEM detects the charger brand |
| Current sensor | None | Optional. Numeric sensor (A) reporting actual charging current. Enables SEM to verify commands are being applied |
| Total energy sensor | Auto-detected | Optional. Cumulative kWh counter for total energy delivered to the EV |
Service-based control (KEBA, Easee, Zaptec): SEM calls an HA service
like keba.set_current to change the charging current.
Number entity control (Wallbox, go-eCharger, Heidelberg, and most others): SEM writes a value to a number entity that represents the current limit. SEM auto-detects whether the entity expects amps or kilowatts.
If you have no EV charger, leave all fields empty and click Submit. You can add a charger later via Configure without reinstalling. For multiple chargers, see MULTI_DEVICE_GUIDE.md.
| Field | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Target peak limit (kW) | 5.0 kW | Maximum grid import before SEM starts shedding controllable loads. Set to your electricity contract's peak demand limit, or 0 to disable peak management |
| Generate dashboard | On | Creates the SEM Lovelace dashboard in your sidebar immediately after setup. Leave this on unless you want to build your own dashboard |
| System diagram style | SEM | Choose which system diagram card appears on the Home tab. SEM uses the built-in illustrated diagram with SVG animations. K-Flow uses the third-party K-Flow card (must be installed via HACS separately) |
Diagram style: You can switch between SEM and K-Flow at any time via Configure without reinstalling. The dashboard regenerates automatically with the selected style.
Click Submit. SEM starts running immediately. The SEM dashboard appears in your sidebar within a few seconds if dashboard generation is enabled.
After setup, spend two minutes confirming that SEM is reading your sensors correctly.
Go to Developer Tools > States and search for sem_:
| Sensor | Expected value |
|---|---|
sensor.sem_solar_power |
Watts, zero at night, positive during day |
sensor.sem_grid_power |
Watts, negative = importing, positive = exporting |
sensor.sem_home_consumption_power |
Watts, always zero or positive |
sensor.sem_battery_power |
Watts, positive = charging, negative = discharging |
sensor.sem_battery_soc |
Percent, 0–100 (if battery present) |
If any sensor shows unavailable, check that your Energy Dashboard has the
corresponding sensor type assigned and that your inverter integration is
online.
Open the SEM dashboard from your sidebar.
The illustrated system diagram should show energy flows between your solar panels, inverter, battery, grid, house, and EV charger with animated spark effects. The sun tracks its real position on the arc during the day. Tap any component to open its HA statistics dialog. A missing component means its sensors were not detected — check the Energy Dashboard. Cards showing "Custom element doesn't exist" mean a required HACS card is missing — see DASHBOARD_GUIDE.md.
Go to Developer Tools > Actions and search for solar_energy_management
to see all available SEM services. If none appear, the integration did not
load — check Settings > System > Logs (filter for
solar_energy_management).
Once SEM is running, open Settings > Devices & Services, find the SEM card, and click Configure to adjust any setting without reinstalling. Changes take effect within one coordinator cycle (default 10 seconds).
The options flow is organized into these pages:
- EV Charger — charger sensors and control method
- Battery & SOC Zones — battery capacity, SOC thresholds, discharge protection
- EV Charging & Solar — daily targets, surplus settings, night charging
- Tariff & Advanced — electricity rates, tariff mode, update interval
- Load Management — peak limit, device shedding, critical device protection
- Notifications — charger display, mobile push, notification types
- Dashboard — diagram style (SEM/K-Flow), dashboard regeneration
- Heat Pump (if configured) — SG-Ready relay entities, temperature targets
- EV Charger Management — add/edit/remove individual chargers
| Setting | Default | What it does and when to change it |
|---|---|---|
| Daily EV target (kWh) — Min | 10 kWh | The guaranteed overnight amount: night/grid charging tops up to at least this. The default covers roughly 50–60 km of range. When a vehicle SOC sensor is configured, the SOC target is used instead. |
| EV solar max (kWh) — Max | 100 kWh | The solar ceiling: surplus charges up to this, then stops. Defaults to full (charge freely from sun); lower it to cap surplus. Must be ≥ Min. |
| EV target SOC (%) — Min | 80% | Guaranteed SOC (50–100%), reached via night/grid. Only used when a vehicle SOC sensor is configured. Per-charger configurable. |
| EV solar max SOC (%) — Max | 100% | Solar SOC ceiling. Defaults to 100% (charge to full from sun); set to e.g. 80% to cap solar charging for battery longevity while still guaranteeing the Min via grid. |
| EV battery capacity (kWh) | 40 kWh | Your EV's battery size (10–120 kWh). Used to convert SOC percentage to kWh remaining. Per-charger configurable. |
| Min solar power to start EV charging (W) | 500 W | How much surplus must appear before solar EV charging begins. The default prevents SEM from starting the charger for tiny, transient surplus spikes. Raise it if your surplus is noisy and the charger starts and stops too often. |
| Max grid import for Min+PV mode (W) | 1380 W | In Min+PV mode the EV runs at minimum current and uses grid to fill the gap. This cap limits how much grid power is used. Lower it to keep Min+PV fully solar; raise it if you want the charger to run continuously even when solar is weak. |
| Night charging | Off | Opt-in (#256). When on, SEM charges the EV from the grid overnight (during the cheap-rate window) to reach the daily-target floor. Off by default so a fresh install charges on solar surplus only — turn it on if you want grid-assisted overnight charging. Existing installs keep their previous setting on upgrade. |
| Smart night charging | Off | When on, SEM evaluates whether tonight's grid charge is actually needed. If tomorrow's solar forecast is strong and the battery is reasonably full, SEM reduces or skips the overnight charge. Enable after SEM has been running for a week and you have a calibrated forecast integration. |
| Setting | Default | What it does and when to change it |
|---|---|---|
| Priority SOC (%) | 30% | Zone 1/2 boundary. Below this, all solar goes to the battery and the EV is blocked. Raise it (e.g. to 40%) if you want more aggressive battery protection. |
| Buffer SOC (%) | 70% | Zone 2/3 boundary. Above this, battery can supplement solar for EV charging. Lower it if you have limited solar and want battery assist to start earlier. |
| Auto-start SOC (%) | 90% | Zone 3/4 boundary. Above this, EV charging starts even without solar surplus. Lower it if your battery rarely reaches 90% and you still want battery-assisted charging. |
| Assist floor SOC (%) | 60% | Once battery assist starts, it stays on until SOC drops here. This prevents rapid on/off cycling. Raise it if the battery cycles too often. |
| Battery capacity (kWh) | 10 kWh | Your battery's usable capacity. Used for SOC target calculations and cost attribution. |
| Max assist power (W) | 4500 W | Maximum battery discharge power allowed for EV charging. Set it to the lower of your battery's rated discharge power and your charger's maximum input. |
| Setting | Default | What it does and when to change it |
|---|---|---|
| Tariff mode | Static | How SEM gets electricity prices. Static uses fixed import/export rates you enter. Dynamic reads prices from a HA sensor (e.g. Tibber, Octopus, Amber). Calendar uses HA's calendar to define cheap periods. |
| Import rate | 0.30 per kWh | What you pay to import from the grid (minimum: 0.00). Used for cost calculations and the break-even check in the battery charge scheduler. Set it to your actual electricity rate. Set to 0 if you have free electricity or net metering. |
| Export rate | 0.08 per kWh | What you receive for feeding into the grid (minimum: 0.00). Used in savings calculations. Set it to your actual feed-in tariff. Set to 0 if you have no feed-in compensation. |
| Dynamic price sensor | None | When tariff mode is Dynamic, point this at a sensor that reports the current price per kWh. SEM uses it to find the cheapest hours for overnight charging. |
| Demand charge (per kW) | 0 | Some utility contracts charge monthly for peak demand (your highest 15-minute average). If yours does, enter the rate here. SEM factors it into the peak management calculation. |
Tariff mode details:
- Static: You enter fixed import and export rates. Cost calculations use these rates throughout the day. Best for simple flat-rate tariffs.
- Dynamic: SEM reads the current rate from a HA sensor every cycle. Used with time-of-use tariffs (Tibber, Octopus Energy, Amber) where prices change hourly. The battery charge scheduler will pick the cheapest hours automatically.
- Calendar: You define cheap/expensive periods via a HA calendar entity. Useful for fixed time-of-use tariffs without a dynamic price API.
| Setting | Default | What it does and when to change it |
|---|---|---|
| Charger display | Off | Shows charging status messages on the KEBA charger's built-in screen. Only applies to KEBA chargers. Enable it if you want the charger display to reflect what SEM is doing. |
| Mobile push notifications | Off | Sends alerts to the HA Companion App on your phone. Enable it to get notified about important charging events (see list below). |
| Mobile service | Auto | Which HA notification service to use. SEM auto-detects the HA Companion App. Set manually if you want notifications on a specific device or through a different service. |
Notifications sent when mobile push is enabled:
- Battery nearly full (when SOC exceeds 95%)
- Daily energy summary (sent at configurable time)
- EV nearly full (taper detection — car's BMS is tapering current)
- Smart charge recommendation (when conditions favor charging)
- Forecast-based charge alert (solar tomorrow looks good/poor)
Notifications have a 10-minute cooldown per type to prevent alert fatigue. Flap suppression prevents notifications for transient state changes (state must be stable for 60 seconds before a notification fires).
| Setting | Default | What it does and when to change it |
|---|---|---|
| Update interval (s) | 10 | How often SEM reads sensors and adjusts devices. Lower values are more responsive but use more CPU. Values below 5 are not recommended. Raise it to 30 if you are on low-powered hardware and SEM is using too much CPU. |
| Power delta (W) | 50 | Minimum power change before SEM updates a device. Prevents constant small adjustments. Raise it if you see too many small current adjustments to the EV charger. |
| Entity | Purpose |
|---|---|
select.sem_charger_<id>_charge_mode |
Per-charger EV intent (v1.6.3) — Solar only / Solar + cheapest hours / Min + Solar / Always (max) / Off. Replaces the legacy night_charging, smart_night_charging, tariff_optimized switches and ev_charging_mode select. |
switch.sem_observer_mode |
Toggle read-only mode without reinstalling |
| Setting | Default | What it does and when to change it |
|---|---|---|
| System diagram style | SEM | Choose the system diagram card on the Home tab. SEM uses the built-in illustrated SVG diagram with detailed component drawings, animated spark flows, time-based sun arc, and clickable nodes. K-Flow uses the third-party K-Flow HACS card with PV string details, cell temperatures, and BMS data. K-Flow must be installed separately via HACS. |
| Generate dashboard | — | Recreates the SEM Lovelace dashboard. Safe to run at any time — rebuilds all tabs with current settings and language. |
| Dashboard title | Solar Energy Management | Display name shown in the sidebar. |
| Dashboard path | sem-dashboard | URL path (lowercase, dashes). Change if you have a naming conflict. |
Run solar_energy_management.generate_dashboard via Developer Tools >
Actions any time you change hardware, switch diagram style, or want to
rebuild the dashboard after a language change. It is safe to run at any time.
When a battery is present, SEM uses a four-zone model to decide how to share solar energy between the battery and the EV. The zones are defined by three SOC thresholds you set in the options flow.
SOC 100% ─────────────────────────────────────────────
| Zone 4: FULL ASSIST |
| Battery assist always on. EV charges even |
| without solar surplus. |
SOC 90% ─── battery_auto_start_soc ─────────────────
| Zone 3: DISCHARGE ASSIST |
| Battery supplements solar for EV. |
| Assist ramps from 50% at 70% SOC to |
| 100% at 90% SOC. |
SOC 70% ─── battery_buffer_soc ─────────────────────
| Zone 2: SURPLUS ONLY |
| EV gets pure solar surplus only. |
| Battery does not discharge for EV. |
SOC 30% ─── battery_priority_soc ───────────────────
| Zone 1: BATTERY PRIORITY |
| All solar goes to battery. EV is blocked. |
SOC 0% ─────────────────────────────────────────────
Zone 1 — Battery Priority (SOC below 30%): The battery is low. All available solar goes to the battery. The EV is blocked from starting. This protects battery longevity and ensures you have enough stored energy to cover the household through the evening.
Zone 2 — Surplus Only (SOC 30–70%): The battery is in good shape. The EV charges from pure solar surplus — power that would otherwise be exported to the grid. The battery does not discharge to assist EV charging in this zone.
Zone 3 — Discharge Assist (SOC 70–90%):
The battery is healthy and can spare some energy for the EV. Battery assist
ramps from 50% of battery_assist_max_power at SOC 70%, up to 100% at SOC
90%. The gradual ramp avoids wasting battery power on days when solar alone
is sufficient.
Zone 4 — Full Assist (SOC above 90%): The battery is nearly full. Full battery assist is active. EV charging starts even without solar surplus — a nearly full battery has little additional value and the energy is better used in the car.
Hysteresis: Once battery assist activates, it stays on until SOC drops
below battery_assist_floor_soc (default 60%). This prevents rapid on/off
cycling that would stress both the battery and the charger.
| Goal | Adjustment |
|---|---|
| Protect the battery more aggressively | Raise battery_priority_soc (e.g. 30% to 40%) |
| Start EV charging sooner from the battery | Lower battery_buffer_soc (e.g. 70% to 60%) |
| Battery rarely reaches auto-start threshold | Lower battery_auto_start_soc (e.g. 90% to 80%) |
| Too much on/off cycling of battery assist | Raise battery_assist_floor_soc (e.g. 60% to 70%) |
| Battery is small and you want EV to get more priority | Lower all three zone thresholds by 5–10% |
SEM has two systems that can control devices in your home. Understanding how they work prevents surprises like devices turning off unexpectedly.
| System | Purpose | When it acts |
|---|---|---|
| Peak protection | Prevents your 15-minute rolling grid import from exceeding your peak limit | When grid import approaches or exceeds the target peak limit |
| Surplus allocation | Turns on devices when solar surplus is available | When solar production exceeds home consumption |
Peak protection is defensive — it sheds loads to stay within your electricity contract limit. Surplus allocation is proactive — it turns devices on when free solar power is available and turns them off when surplus disappears.
Every managed device has a Mode setting:
| Mode | SEM turns it ON? | SEM turns it OFF? | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Off | Never | Never | Devices you control manually |
| Peak Only | Never | Yes, during grid peaks | Devices that should run normally but can be temporarily shed |
| Surplus | Yes, when surplus is available | Yes, when surplus drops or during peaks | Discretionary loads (hot water boiler, pool pump, dishwasher) |
The default mode is Peak Only. SEM will never turn a device ON unless you explicitly set its mode to Surplus.
EV chargers stay in this list for priority ordering, but they no longer show a Mode dropdown — all EV charge-target controls live on the EV charger card (see below).
All EV charge-target controls live together in the Charge Target block on the EV charger card — one place, per charger, no config-flow round-trips:
- Charge to — the target value, with a unit selector beside it:
- kWh (default): the daily kWh target (
number.sem_charger_<id>_daily_ev_target). - % (SOC): the vehicle state-of-charge target (
number.sem_charger_<id>_target_soc), using the vehicle's live SOC sensor. The unit selector (select.sem_charger_<id>_ev_target_type) only offers % when that charger has a vehicle SOC entity configured — otherwise it shows kWh only.
- kWh (default): the daily kWh target (
- Solar max (
number.sem_charger_<id>_daily_ev_target_max/_target_soc_max): the Max handle of the range slider — solar-surplus charging stops once this ceiling is reached. Defaults to full (charge freely from sun); lower it to cap surplus. (Replaces the former Limit surplus switch.) - Charge mode (
select.sem_charger_<id>_charge_mode, v1.6.3): the per-charger intent that carries the night-charging + tariff-window decision. Picking Min + Solar (the default) or Solar + cheapest hours implicitly enables the night-window top-up to the Min target; picking Solar only skips it.
These controls compose freely (Target type × Solar-max × Charge mode). The legacy
switch.sem_charger_<id>_night_charging, ..._smart_night_charging,
..._tariff_optimized, and select.sem_charger_<id>_ev_charging_mode have been
removed in v1.6.3 — their intent now lives in the single Charge mode selector.
Existing ev_target_mode settings are migrated to ev_target_type automatically.
| Toggle | When On | When Off |
|---|---|---|
| Controllable | SEM can control this device (per its mode) | SEM ignores this device completely |
| Critical | Device is never shed, even in emergencies | Device can be shed during peak events |
Quick guide:
- Device should never be touched by SEM: set Controllable to Off
- Device should run normally and only be shed as a last resort: set Critical to On
- Device is discretionary (hot water, pool pump): leave defaults and set mode to Surplus
Priority controls the order in which devices are activated and shed:
- Lower number = higher priority (1 is highest, 10 is lowest)
- During surplus allocation: higher-priority devices get power first
- During peak shedding: lower-priority devices are shed first (high-priority devices are preserved as long as possible)
Drag and drop devices on the Control tab of the SEM dashboard to change their priority.
A device can depend on another device. When device B "requires" device A:
- SEM will not activate B unless A is already running
- If A is shed, B is automatically shed too (cascade)
- If A is restored, B becomes eligible for activation again
Use this for physical dependencies, such as a pool heater that requires the pool pump to be running.
Check these in order:
-
Check the device's mode on the Control tab. If it is "Surplus", SEM will turn it off whenever solar surplus drops. Switch to "Peak Only" if you only want peak protection.
-
Check the load management status —
sensor.sem_load_management_statusshowsnormal,warning,shedding, oremergency. If it showsshedding, grid import exceeded the peak limit. -
Check your peak limit — compare
sensor.sem_consecutive_peak_15minwith your target peak limit. If the two are close or the peak exceeds the limit, peak shedding is active. -
Check dependencies — if the device depends on another device that was shed, the dependent device is shed automatically too.
- Set mode to Off — SEM never touches the device
- Mark as Critical — SEM never sheds it, even in emergencies
- Raise the target peak limit — reduces how often peak shedding triggers
- Lower the device's priority number (assign a higher number) — it is shed last instead of first
SEM runs two parallel state machines — one for daytime solar charging and one for overnight grid charging. The two modes operate independently and hand off cleanly at sunrise and sunset.
During the day, SEM selects one of three strategies based on battery SOC and available surplus:
Solar Only (Zone 2)
The EV charges from pure solar surplus. SEM constantly adjusts the charging current (within your configured min/max range) to match the available surplus. If surplus drops below the minimum threshold, SEM pauses the charger and waits for surplus to recover.
Scenario: 3 kW surplus, 3-phase charger with 6 A minimum. SEM sets 5 A (~3.5 kW). Cloud reduces surplus to 500 W — SEM drops to 6 A minimum, then pauses when surplus falls further.
Battery Assist (Zone 3 and 4)
The battery supplements solar to give the EV more power. In Zone 3, battery assist is proportional — at SOC 70% the battery contributes 50% of its maximum assist power; at SOC 90% it contributes 100%. In Zone 4 (above auto-start SOC) the EV starts even without solar surplus.
Scenario: 1.5 kW solar surplus, SOC 85%. Battery contributes ~2.5 kW assist, giving the EV ~4 kW. Charger runs continuously instead of intermittently.
Min+PV
A hybrid mode for overcast days. The charger runs at minimum current (using a small amount of grid power if needed) and uses any available solar on top. This keeps the car charging slowly rather than waiting for surplus that may never arrive. Enable it via the "Min+PV" toggle on the Control tab.
Use Min+PV when: the daily target needs to be reached but solar is consistently below the minimum threshold for solar-only mode.
During the overnight window (typically 22:00–06:00, or your cheap-rate window), SEM charges the EV from the grid to reach the daily target.
SEM plans the overnight session using a latest-start calculation:
- Determine remaining energy needed (daily target minus energy already charged today)
- Estimate the time required at maximum current
- Start charging late enough to finish just before the window ends — minimizing time at full grid draw
Example: Target is 10 kWh, 7 kWh already charged from solar. Remaining 3 kWh at 7.4 kW (32 A, 1-phase) takes about 24 minutes. If the night window ends at 06:00, SEM starts at 05:36.
If the daily target is already reached from solar, SEM skips overnight charging entirely.
When smart night charging is enabled, SEM evaluates whether overnight grid charging is actually necessary before starting:
- If tomorrow's solar forecast is strong (e.g. expected yield covers typical daily consumption), SEM may skip or reduce the overnight charge
- If the battery is already well charged and the EV's virtual SOC is high, SEM may skip charging for one or more nights
This saves money by avoiding grid electricity when solar will cover the need anyway. Enable it after SEM has been running for at least a week so the forecast and usage patterns are calibrated.
SEM monitors charging power during a session. When a car's battery management system (BMS) approaches full charge, it reduces the charging current in a characteristic staircase pattern (for example: 7 kW to 5 kW to 3 kW over 17 minutes). SEM detects this pattern via linear regression on stable samples.
When taper is detected:
sensor.sem_ev_taper_trendshows "declining"sensor.sem_ev_taper_minutes_to_fullestimates time remaining- A push notification is sent if mobile notifications are enabled
This lets you see in the dashboard when the car is nearly full, even without knowing the actual EV battery SOC.
sensor.sem_charging_state tells you what SEM is currently doing:
| State | Meaning |
|---|---|
solar_charging_active |
Charging from solar surplus |
solar_super_charging |
Charging from solar + battery assist |
solar_min_pv |
Min+PV mode active |
solar_idle |
EV connected but no surplus |
solar_waiting_battery_priority |
Battery too low, EV blocked |
solar_target_reached |
Daily target reached |
night_charging_active |
Overnight grid charging in progress |
night_target_reached |
Overnight target reached |
idle |
EV not connected |
The battery charge scheduler decides whether to charge the home battery from the grid overnight, and if so, at what time and to what SOC level. It is separate from EV night charging.
The scheduler requires:
- A solar forecast integration (Solcast or Forecast.Solar)
- An inverter that supports forced battery charging via a HA service or number entity
- The battery charge scheduler enabled in the options flow
At a configurable daily evaluation time (default 21:00), the scheduler:
- Reads tomorrow's solar forecast and your typical daily consumption
- Calculates the expected energy deficit (consumption minus expected solar)
- Converts the deficit to a target SOC (how charged the battery needs to be by morning to cover the shortfall)
- Performs a break-even check: only charges if the overnight electricity rate (accounting for battery round-trip efficiency) is cheaper than what grid electricity would cost during the day
If the break-even check passes, the scheduler picks the cheapest hours in the overnight window (using dynamic tariff data if available, or the full window on a static tariff) and issues forced charge commands to the battery.
The scheduler charges overnight only when:
night_rate / battery_efficiency < day_rate
For example, if the night rate is 0.15/kWh and battery efficiency is 90%, the effective cost of storing and using overnight energy is 0.167/kWh. If the day rate is 0.30/kWh, charging overnight saves 0.133/kWh. If the rates are similar, the scheduler skips charging and lets solar fill the battery the next day.
sensor.sem_battery_charge_scheduler_state shows:
| State | Meaning |
|---|---|
idle |
No schedule active, waiting for next evaluation |
evaluating |
Running the daily analysis |
scheduled |
Charge plan created, waiting for start time |
charging |
Forced battery charging in progress |
target_reached |
Battery reached the target SOC |
not_needed |
Tomorrow's solar is sufficient, no grid charge needed |
not_profitable |
Break-even check failed, grid charge is not worth it |
The scheduler coordinates with EV night charging. Both share the same grid connection. If both the battery and the EV need overnight grid power, the scheduler distributes current across time slots to stay within your peak limit (if configured).
SEM can control a heat pump or hot water system using the SG-Ready standard.
SG-Ready (Smart Grid Ready) is a German standard for heat pump control that uses two digital relay signals to communicate four operating states to the heat pump's internal controller:
| SG State | Relays | What the heat pump does |
|---|---|---|
| 1 — Blocked | Off, Off | Reduces consumption on utility request |
| 2 — Normal | Off, On | Standard operation (default) |
| 3 — Boost | On, Off | Recommended to increase consumption — heat more now |
| 4 — Force On | On, On | Maximum consumption — use available power |
SEM sets State 3 (Boost) when moderate solar surplus is available, and State 4 (Force On) when surplus is high. The heat pump responds by heating more aggressively, using surplus solar instead of exporting it.
You need two switch entities in HA to control the SG-Ready pins — typically a Shelly or ESPHome device connected to the heat pump's input terminals.
| Config field | What to set |
|---|---|
| Relay 1 entity | switch. entity for the first SG-Ready pin |
| Relay 2 entity | switch. entity for the second SG-Ready pin |
| Climate entity (optional) | Your heat pump's climate. entity for setpoint boost |
| Power sensor (optional) | Power consumption sensor for the heat pump |
If you provide a climate entity, SEM can raise the heating setpoint by a configurable amount (default +2°C) when surplus is available. This pre-heats the building or tank, storing solar energy as thermal mass. The setpoint returns to normal when surplus disappears.
| Setting | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Normal setpoint (°C) | 21°C | Operating temperature during normal mode |
| Boost offset (°C) | +2°C | How much to raise the setpoint during Boost state |
| Max setpoint (°C) | 55°C | Safety cap — SEM will never raise the setpoint above this |
| Force-on threshold (W) | 5000 W | Surplus level at which SEM escalates from Boost to Force On |
The scheduler has a built-in legionella protection override. If the hot water temperature has not reached the legionella kill temperature for more than a configurable period, the heat pump is set to Force On regardless of surplus. This overrides the normal surplus-based control and ensures public health safety requirements are met.
Heat pumps register with the SurplusController like any other device. A typical priority setting is 3 or 4, placing the heat pump after the battery (priority 2) but before EV charging (priority 5). This means solar fills the battery first, then heats water, then charges the car.
SEM supports 15 languages: English, German, Dutch, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Polish, Swedish, Czech, Danish, Finnish, Hungarian, Romanian, and Norwegian.
Translation works in two layers:
Layer 1 — Dashboard labels (server-side): Static card labels, axis titles, and section headers are translated at dashboard generation time using the server language set in Settings > General. All users see the same labels for mushroom and standard HA cards.
Layer 2 — Custom card text (per-user, runtime): SEM's custom cards (system
diagram, title cards, charger status card, period selector) call
semLocalize(key, lang) on every render, using the language from each user's
HA profile. Users with different language preferences each see the SEM
dashboard in their own language without any extra configuration.
To change your language:
- Click your profile icon in the bottom-left of the HA sidebar
- Select Language
- Choose your preferred language
- SEM custom cards update immediately — no dashboard regeneration needed
To change the server language (affects static labels for all users):
- Go to Settings > General and update the language
- Run
solar_energy_management.generate_dashboardto rebuild the dashboard with the new language
The source of truth for all translations is dashboard/translations.json
(759 keys across 15 languages). If you want to contribute a translation
correction or add a new language, see
DASHBOARD_GUIDE.md.
Do I need a battery or EV charger to use SEM?
No to both. SEM works with solar and grid sensors alone and provides monitoring, cost tracking, and environmental reporting. A battery adds SOC zone control and battery-assisted EV charging. An EV charger adds solar charging and night scheduling. Both are optional and can be added later via Configure on the integration page.
My sensors show "unavailable" after installing SEM.
SEM reads source sensors from the Energy Dashboard. Check that your inverter
is online, verify that Settings > Dashboards > Energy has sensors
assigned and that those sensors currently report values, then review logs at
Settings > System > Logs (filter for solar_energy_management). Also
check the SEM System tab, which shows a diagnostic summary of sensor health.
Can I change settings after the initial setup?
Yes. Click Configure on the SEM card in Settings > Devices & Services. All settings are available in the options flow. Changes take effect within one coordinator cycle (default 10 seconds).
SEM sent a command to a device I did not want it to touch.
Set that device's control mode to Off via the Control tab on the SEM
dashboard, or call solar_energy_management.update_device_config with
mode: off. In Off mode SEM monitors but never controls the device.
I have two HA instances. How do I prevent them from conflicting?
Enable Observer Mode on the secondary instance. Both instances can read
sensors simultaneously without conflict. Toggle via switch.sem_observer_mode
or the Configure screen — no reinstall needed.
How does SEM know which direction my grid power sensor reads?
SEM compares your grid sensor's sign against the Energy Dashboard import and export counters at startup and auto-corrects if needed. This works for all brands — Fronius and SolarEdge use positive = import, while Huawei and SMA use positive = export. You do not need to configure anything.
Will SEM drain my battery to charge the EV?
Only above 70% SOC (Zone 3 and 4). Below 70% the EV gets pure surplus only; below 30% the EV is blocked entirely. See SOC Zone Strategy for the full logic.
What is smart night charging and should I enable it?
Smart night charging evaluates whether tonight's grid charge is necessary. If tomorrow's solar forecast is strong and the battery is reasonably full, SEM may skip or reduce the night charge — saving money on grid electricity. Enable it after SEM has been running for at least a week. It is off by default because it requires a calibrated forecast integration and usage history to make accurate decisions.
How long until SEM predictions are accurate?
Days 1–2: rough estimates, surplus window recommendations imprecise. Days 3–7: reasonable hourly predictions, surplus window useful. After two weeks: well-calibrated to weekday and weekend patterns. No configuration needed — the predictor trains itself automatically from historical data.
Why do daily energy values reset at sunrise instead of midnight?
Overnight EV sessions (22:00–06:00) span midnight. Resetting at sunrise keeps the entire session in one daily bucket, giving more accurate cost and energy totals for the day.
The EV is connected but SEM is not charging it.
Check sensor.sem_charging_state. If it shows solar_waiting_battery_priority,
the battery SOC is below the priority threshold and the EV is blocked. If it
shows solar_idle, there is no solar surplus. If it shows night_target_reached,
the daily target has already been reached. If it shows idle, SEM may not
be detecting the EV as connected — check that the connected sensor entity you
configured is reporting on.
Can I use SEM with a time-of-use tariff?
Yes. Set the tariff mode to Dynamic in the options flow and point SEM at a HA sensor that reports the current electricity price (e.g. Tibber or Octopus Energy integrations). SEM uses this data to pick the cheapest hours for overnight EV and battery charging.
My dashboard shows white tabs or "Custom element doesn't exist".
The card-mod HACS card is missing or not loaded, which causes white tabs
on the whole dashboard. A "Custom element doesn't exist" error on a specific
tab means that tab's required card is missing. See
DASHBOARD_GUIDE.md for the full card list and
troubleshooting steps. After installing missing cards, hard-refresh your
browser (Ctrl+Shift+R on Windows/Linux, Cmd+Shift+R on Mac).
How do I add a second EV charger?
Click Configure on the SEM card, then select Add EV charger to run the EV charger step for a second device. SEM assigns each charger a separate ID and tracks sessions, power, and costs per charger. See MULTI_DEVICE_GUIDE.md for multi-charger priority and surplus distribution details.
SEM is using too much CPU on my Raspberry Pi.
Raise the update interval in the options flow from 10 seconds to 30 seconds. SEM will be less responsive to rapid solar changes but will use significantly less CPU. On very constrained hardware, 60 seconds is also acceptable.
Enable debug logging by adding the following to configuration.yaml:
logger:
logs:
custom_components.solar_energy_management: debugView logs at Settings > System > Logs (filter for solar_energy_management).
- Common issues: TROUBLESHOOTING.md
- Dashboard problems: DASHBOARD_GUIDE.md
- Multi-inverter and multi-charger: MULTI_DEVICE_GUIDE.md
- Architecture and developer details: ARCHITECTURE.md