Could your home choose when to use energy?

Start with a task that can move without disrupting your day. Electric vehicle (EV) charging and water heating may be more flexible than cooking dinner. The system still needs to have the car charged and hot water ready when the household needs them.

Begin with one schedule

A delay-start function or a charging schedule can be enough for a predictable cheap period. Check the appliance’s instructions and set it to finish when you need it.

For an illustrative task using 2 kWh, moving from a 40-cent rate to a 20-cent rate reduces its electricity cost from 80 cents to 40 cents. The task still uses 2 kWh. Scheduling has changed the price paid.

That distinction helps you judge the benefit. If your usage rate is the same all day and you have no solar surplus to use, shifting the clock alone may not reduce the electricity cost.

For hot water, check scheduling with the manufacturer or installer so the system still completes its required heating and hygiene cycles.

Know what the system actually controls

A monitoring app can show energy use without being able to change it. A controller needs compatible equipment and a way to operate it.

A home energy management system can coordinate supported devices using information about household use, solar generation or electricity prices. Its abilities depend on the devices, metering and communications installed.

For solar charging, measuring the surplus matters. A timer knows it is noon; a properly configured solar-aware controller can respond to how much spare electricity is actually available.

Fronius’s Australian Wattpilot Flex documentation, for example, describes a solar-prioritising Eco Mode and a Next Trip Mode for charging to a departure target. It also states that additional components are needed for surplus-solar charging.

Ask for the exact supported configuration, including extra metering, communications and subscriptions. Confirm whether it works with your current equipment or would require replacement. A product name alone does not establish that it can control the devices in your home.

Keep the household in charge

A useful system needs to know your priorities. Set the EV’s departure target, make sure hot water will be ready, and choose which loads can wait.

Before paying for equipment or a subscription, ask:

• Which of my existing devices can it control?
• What extra metering or hardware is needed?
• Can I override a schedule easily?
• What happens if the internet connection drops?
• What fees and ongoing support are included?

Read the privacy policy too. The Australian privacy regulator recommends checking what connected devices collect, whether information is shared and how long it is kept. Review the available privacy settings rather than accepting unnecessary access by default.

What if a VPP controls my battery?

A virtual power plant, or VPP, adds an agreement with the operator to the household controls. If you are considering our VPP, ask us what we may operate, what reserve can be kept, which schedules you can override and what the service needs from your internet connection. Confirm the answer for your exact battery.

Read the exit process as well as the app settings. Our VPP agreement, effective 1 July 2026, sets written-notice conditions for termination. If you participate in our VPP, contact us to discuss ending participation; turning a control off in an app should not be assumed to complete that contractual process. If you’re with another VPP, check its agreement and ask the operator about the exit process.

Begin with one flexible load. Check that the task finishes when needed, the schedule follows the correct tariff clock and manual overrides work. Then compare the energy and rates paid over a representative period, allowing for weather and routine changes.

If an existing schedule solves the problem, you may need little extra equipment. If several devices need to share solar, a battery and different tariff periods, compare a compatible controller’s additional benefit with the full installed cost and ongoing fees.

If a battery, charger and retailer service all have schedules, ask which controller takes priority. Request the response to an internet outage, an early departure or a manual override. Then check one ordinary day and one changed routine before adding more devices. A graph showing energy use is useful, but it does not establish that the controller can operate every connected appliance.

Related advice: When is off-peak electricity? · VPPs in the ACT and south-east NSW: is joining worth it?

Check the plan behind the schedule

Start with our pricing information (opens in a new tab) for ActewAGL smart-meter plans. If you’re considering our VPP, Battery Power Top-Up (opens in a new tab) explains battery eligibility and participation terms. If you’re with another retailer or VPP, use its tariff and agreement. Have the installer confirm which controller takes priority before combining schedules or buying equipment.

Check how a hot-water schedule could work