PowerSmart is a key feature in the Emporia platform designed to prioritize safety by managing service capacity and preventing over-usage. As such, PowerSmart will override other energy management features, including Scheduling (Time of Use), Excess Solar, and Peak Demand Management for the EV Charger, when necessary to maintain safe operating conditions.
Key Overrides and Interactions
1. Dynamic/Adjustable Charge Rates
Since PowerSmart dynamically controls the available charge rate to ensure safety, manual adjustment of charge rates is disabled while PowerSmart is active. This ensures the charging process remains within safe limits based on real-time service load conditions.
2. Time of Use Management (Schedules)
While PowerSmart may adjust charge rates dynamically, it will still respect your configured schedules. This means charging will only occur during the scheduled periods you have set. However, during those times, the actual charge rate may be lower if PowerSmart imposes restrictions to maintain safe service capacity.
3. Excess Solar Management
PowerSmart and Excess Solar Management work on opposite ends of energy control. Since Excess Solar generation focuses on net production (energy being sent back to the grid), it does not interfere with PowerSmart. Any net production from solar generation will effectively offset consumption, allowing PowerSmart to function without imposing additional limitations.
4. Peak Demand Management
PowerSmart takes precedence over Peak Demand Management because safety is the primary concern. If you are approaching peak demand thresholds, PowerSmart will likely already be adjusting the available load to the EV Charger to ensure service capacity is not exceeded. Therefore, while Peak Demand Management aims to reduce consumption during peak times, PowerSmart will act as the overriding control when safety limits are reached.
Providing Feedback and Suggestions
This knowledge base article is part of our ongoing effort to help you manage your energy efficiently and safely. If you have suggestions for improvement or if there are aspects of this article that were unclear, please contact the Emporia Customer Support team. Your feedback is invaluable in helping us refine and improve our guides.