[APP][Pro] HomeFlux EMS – Your energy, managed differently

Apps
62

HomeFlux EMS 1.0.6 – more flexible external price sources

A new Homey app, Energy Price Forecast, can now provide external electricity price data to HomeFlux EMS. Besides official day-ahead prices when available, it can also provide forecast prices further into the future. This gives HomeFlux another independent price source and makes planning less dependent on Homey Energy availability.

To support this properly, HomeFlux EMS 1.0.6 includes several changes to the price-source system and will be available for testing soon.

The main changes are:

  • Support for two independent external price inputs: External Price 1 and External Price 2.
  • Homey Energy, External Price 1 and External Price 2 can be enabled independently.
  • When multiple sources are enabled, the user can set their priority order.
  • HomeFlux automatically uses the highest-priority source that is ready and can fall back to another enabled source when necessary.
  • The price horizon for external data has been extended from 72 to 120 hours, allowing longer forecasts to be used for planning.
  • The existing price normalization remains in place, so compatible price curves can still be compared and combined correctly.
  • The HomeFlux widget has been expanded to show the status and current price of all three possible sources, together with their original price curves. This makes it much easier to see which source is currently controlling the EMS and whether another source is waiting as fallback.

The screenshot already shows the new setup running in development with External Price 1, External Price 2 and Homey Energy available at the same time.

Version 1.0.6 is currently running in development. I plan to move it to the test channel after 1.0.5 is live, so users always have a stable HomeFlux version to fall back to while the new multi-source price system is being tested.

image
image416×512 50.7 KB

(in my test case, no formula is used, so base prices are shown)

63

Hi Davy Bert. Rel. 1.07 update seems to have made the ems instable. I’ve send you a report on the issues.

2c994ae2-fb85-4819-b133-71465d4ab3e8

image
image1920×1334 205 KB

64

Hello,

Could you please confirm which charging mode your EV charger is currently using? Is it set to Smart mode?

Could you also enable all diagnostic options in HomeFlux EMS and send me a new diagnostics report after reproducing the issue?

This will help me investigate what is causing the unexpected behavior.

I apologize for the inconvenience, and thank you for your patience and help in troubleshooting this issue.
Regards Davy

65

Thank you for the screenshot — it helps narrow down the issue.

The grid reading is close to zero, but the two widgets show different battery directions: HomeFlux EMS reports discharging, while the energy widget shows charging at 676 W. That could be a delayed battery reading, although we still need to check whether the EMS command is being applied correctly.

Could you please check:

  • In the battery’s own app, is it actually charging or discharging at that moment, and at what power?

  • Does the difference between the widgets persist for several minutes, or do they eventually agree?

  • Is another app, Flow or the inverter’s own automatic control also controlling the battery?

The EMS widget shows the command HomeFlux published; it does not confirm that the battery physically followed it. A near-zero grid reading alone cannot tell us which controller achieved that balance.

Please also enable all HomeFlux diagnostics and send an export captured while the issue occurs. If possible, include your battery control Flow and a screenshot of the EV section.

Sorry for the inconvenience, and thank you for helping investigate this.

66

Hi Davy Bert,

The battery is charging, confirmed via it’s own app.

the difference persists, the screenshot is from this morning, first remark from yesterday night.

Inverter is not controlling, nor another app.

I’ll send you the report.

67

Herby the token to the report.

72986270-3ea0-494e-afe6-eb1462201ff5

68

Hello, can you send the export from homeflux ems under diagnostics in a pm?

Thanks

69

Thanks for the private update. Good to hear that everything appears to be working normally again after re-enabling the EV control.

I’ve also reviewed the diagnostics again. At this point I don’t see evidence of a general stability issue in HomeFlux EMS 1.0.7.

Please keep monitoring it with your current configuration. If the behaviour returns, send me a diagnostics report while the issue is actually occurring. That should make it much easier to determine exactly what triggered it.

For now, I would consider the issue resolved unless it can be reproduced again.

70

Hi Davy_Bert,

“The main thing HomeFlux still needs for this to work properly is the option to subtract the EV’s measured charging power from the grid measurement used by the EMS”.

How is EV power substracted from the grid measurement? I can’t get my EV to charge, without draining my home battery? Or do I need to do that upfront with a flow?

71

Hello,

You don’t need to subtract EV charging power yourself in a Flow. Keep sending the original P1 measurement to HomeFlux, because Peak Guard needs the actual total grid import.

When EV grid charging is permitted and confirmed, HomeFlux applies an internal EV grid allowance to the battery controller. This prevents the battery from compensating for that permitted EV grid consumption.

For example: with 4,500 W grid import and a confirmed, permitted EV allowance of 4,000 W, normal battery control responds to the remaining 500 W. The battery may still supply household consumption.

Settings for grid charging without intentional home-battery support:

• HomeFlux control: ON.

• EV count and EV control: configure the EV and enable its control.

• EV operating mode: Smart for tariff-based charging. Use the SoC-target mode if you need deadline planning.

• EV charging permission for the applicable tariff or charging window: ON.

• EV grid-import limit for that tariff/category: greater than 0 W, with enough room for the intended charging power.

• Avoid grid import for that tariff: OFF when you want EV grid charging.

• “Use home battery to provide extra EV charging power”: OFF.

• “Also use home battery to provide extra EV charging power during Emergency charge”: OFF.

• “Charge EV with energy above the night target SoC”: OFF.

• “Do not verify whether the EV follows the setpoint”: normally OFF, so measured feedback confirms the command.

• “During simultaneous planned grid charging”: choose EV first if the EV should take priority over planned battery charging.

For a fixed contract, enable EV charging in the fixed charging window. For time-of-use or dynamic contracts, enable the appropriate tariffs/categories and their EV grid-import budgets.

If you also want grid top-up during solar charging:

Under “Grid top-up during PV charging”, select “Only up to minimum charging current” or “Up to the full requested EV setpoint”. The applicable tariff must also permit that top-up. This option is not required for ordinary permitted tariff charging.

Also check the following:

• The “Set EV status” Flow card receives the connected status and actual measured charging current in amperes, rather than the requested current.

• The configured phase count, voltage and charging-current limits match the charger and car.

• For mode-only control, the configured Smart/Standard current estimates match the actual charging behaviour.

• Peak Guard leaves enough available grid capacity to reach the charger’s minimum charging current.

• The EV and battery output Flows are connected, and another controller is not overriding HomeFlux’s battery commands.

What happens at startup?

The battery may temporarily continue supplying the load while HomeFlux waits for the charging command and actual charging response to be confirmed. Once confirmed, HomeFlux permits the corresponding grid import, but only within the options and limits you selected.

This is not a fixed one-minute battery-first period. The timing depends on the control type, feedback and configured intervals. If grid charging is disabled or its limit is 0 W, waiting longer will not enable it.

If the battery still drains after charging is confirmed, please send a diagnostics report while the issue is occurring.

Allso confirm if your charger is realy 3 phase 230v. Set ems to 400v to test.(This is only for calculations and will not change hardeware voltzges)
It could cause the calculated wattzge way to low causing your battery to drain.

Regards,
Davy

72

(post deleted by author)

73

Released test version 1.0.11
This version improves the flexibility of EV charging control in Amps/Hybrid mode, allowing HomeFlux to better adapt to the actual charging current reported by the charger.

I’ve also added important notes and warnings to help prevent unwanted home battery drain when using this mode.