Smart grid control

Grid control is the smart steering of devices that use or store a lot of power: your EV charger, home battery or hybrid heat pump. The aim is not to use less power, but to shift when you use it to a quieter moment on the grid. In industry terms this is also called net-aware charging.

Regional grid operators work with energy suppliers to ask households to let their equipment take part during peaks. The grid operator knows when the network is under pressure and makes compensation available; the supplier steers your device and makes you an offer.

Note the difference with steering your own home energy. Grid control helps the network; steering yourself optimises for your own bill. You can do both.

The grid is hitting its limits in many neighbourhoods. Reinforcement takes years, while solar panels, electric cars and heat pumps already push demand to peak, especially between 4 pm and 9 pm in winter.

Regional grid operators manage the local network; TenneT coordinates nationally. Flexible devices buy time: a car that charges later or a battery that waits lowers that evening peak while reinforcement continues.

Flexibility from grid operators, businesses and households is needed to keep the energy transition affordable and reliable. Grid control is one concrete part of that for homes.

Grid operators cannot steer your home charger directly. The route runs through energy suppliers: you sign up, give permission through a contract, and steering happens automatically in the background. In normal use you barely notice it: your car is ready in the morning and your home stays warm. Read more about that chain in Liander's explanation of net-aware home charging.

Taking part is voluntary; the choice is yours. The programme runs in selected neighbourhoods and expands step by step. Which postcodes and suppliers take part changes: see our blog post for the current state, or ask us.

EV charger: during peaks, often between 5 pm and 9 pm, charging power is temporarily limited. Your car then continues charging automatically. Example: you arrive home at 6 pm and plug in. Charging power dips for a while, but the car is ready again in the morning. In a pilot by Enexis and Liander with around 330 households, charging power during the evening peak (5 pm to 9 pm) fell by as much as 68% among participants on a fixed charging rate, Enexis reports.

Home battery: your supplier can delay charging or discharging, or feed power back to the grid when that helps. For summer, grid operators are exploring whether home batteries can absorb solar surplus, so there is less peak on the grid on sunny afternoons.

Hybrid heat pump: the unit can temporarily heat less on electricity and briefly switch to gas so the home stays warm while the grid is relieved. All-electric heat pumps fall outside the current scheme unless your supplier offers that separately.

You sign up with your energy supplier, not the grid operator. Participating suppliers include Frank Energie and Vattenfall; for chargers also Easee; for hybrid heat pumps Greenchoice with Intergas and Remeha. Whether you can take part depends on postcode, device and contract.

The device must be steerable remotely; sometimes a smart meter or software update is needed. Other providers can join as the programme grows.

At SolarFast we pick charger and battery brands that can be steered remotely, so you can join later without replacing everything. Ask in your quote which combinations your supplier supports.

Yes, compensation usually applies when you make flexibility available. It runs through your energy supplier, with money grid operators make available when the network is under pressure. The amount differs per contract; there is no fixed national rate.

There is no fixed national rate that applies to everyone. How much and when you are paid differs per supplier and contract. Expect a modest bonus, not an earner.

Grid control: your supplier steers your device to lower grid peaks, voluntarily and for the network. Smart steering: you or your system pick the best moment for your own bill. Dynamic contract: you pay the hourly market price and shift use to cheap hours. A fourth route is trading on the imbalance market, where your battery automatically responds to TenneT's quarter-hourly prices.

Three different goals, which you can combine if your equipment supports it. In pilots, net-aware charging also worked alongside fixed and dynamic tariffs; grid operators saw the biggest shift among households on a fixed rate. More background is on Enexis on net-aware home charging.

There are quite a few myths around grid control. The grid operator cannot just take over your equipment, your panels are not steered, and taking part is voluntary. Steering always runs through your energy supplier and only with your consent through a contract.

The grid operator cannot just take over your battery. Steering runs through your energy supplier and only with your consent.

Your solar panels are not steered. Grid control targets your charger, home battery or heat pump.

Taking part is not mandatory. And grid control does not replace reinforcement: it is an addition to grid investment, not a replacement.

At SolarFast we pick inverters, batteries and charger brands that can be steered remotely, such as HyxiPower and Kstar batteries and compatible charger brands. During the survey we check your fuse box, smart meter and whether you can join later, including in owners' associations.

At SolarFast our fitters usually install within three weeks of agreeing. That way you avoid replacing everything in a few years just to take part.