Smart homes with solar, batteries and EV charging
Energy technology works best when it is coordinated. A smart home can run your car, battery, hot water and appliances around solar output and cheaper tariff periods.
Energy technology works best when it is coordinated. A smart home can run your car, battery, hot water and appliances around solar output and cheaper tariff periods.
Why coordination matters
Solar panels, a home battery, an EV charger and a heat pump each come with their own app and their own idea of when to run. Left alone, they can work against each other. A smart home ties them together, so the car charges from surplus solar, the battery fills up in cheap periods and hot water heats when electricity is cheapest or free.
Time-of-use tariffs
Time-of-use tariffs charge different prices at different times. To access smart time-of-use tariffs you need a smart meter set up to send half-hourly readings (Which?). Some tariffs are tied to particular technology, such as EV, heat pump or battery tariffs. Automation helps you actually move usage into cheaper periods without thinking about it.
Exporting solar
Under the Smart Export Guarantee, which launched on 1 January 2020, licensed suppliers pay eligible small-scale generators for electricity exported to the grid. Suppliers set their own rates, which must always be above zero (Ofgem). In many homes, using solar yourself is worth more than exporting it, which is where automation earns its keep.
What a smart home can automate
- EV charging from surplus solar or in the cheapest tariff window.
- Battery charging and discharging around tariff prices and forecast solar.
- Hot water diverted from excess solar or scheduled for cheap periods.
- Appliances such as dishwashers and washing machines started at the right time.
- Monitoring showing generation, usage and costs in one dashboard.
Standards are catching up
Matter 1.4 added support for solar systems, batteries and heat pumps, and Matter 1.5 added energy tariff information (Matter handbook). Support in real products is still arriving, so for now integration often uses each manufacturer's own interface. Home Assistant supports a wide range of these.
New builds and EV charging
Since 15 June 2022, Approved Document S has required charge points for new homes in England that have associated parking, with some exceptions (Planning Portal). Developers can read more in our guide for developers.
What we do and do not do
We design the monitoring, control and automation. Solar, battery and charger hardware should be installed by appropriately certified installers, and we work alongside them. Our Seaham farmhouse project included energy monitoring.
Common questions
Do I need a smart meter for this?
For smart time-of-use tariffs and export payments, yes, typically one that sends half-hourly readings. Monitoring within the home can also use separate energy sensors.
Can you integrate my existing solar and battery?
Usually. Many inverters, batteries and chargers can be integrated with Home Assistant. We check compatibility during the survey.
Will automation pay for itself?
It depends on your tariff, equipment and usage. We do not promise a payback figure, but we do show you exactly what is being saved.
Related services
Sources
- Which?: Time of use tariffs explained
- Ofgem: Smart Export Guarantee
- Planning Portal: Approved Document S
- Matter handbook: specification versions
Last reviewed 1 November 2026. Prices ex. VAT unless stated.
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