• What does the Smart Grid Controller actually do?
A. Operating heatpumps
The SGC can operate heatpumps to keep heating costs as low as possible, by benefitting from fluctuations in energy prices.
Every day, the SGC creates a planning with “moments to switch” and takes the following into account:
• Your location (where outside temperature and prices depend on)
• The efficiency of your heat pump at certain outside temperatures
• The electricity prices during 24 hours of a day
• The efficiency of your gas boiler (if present)
• The current gas price
• Your preferences specify.
B. Switching relays
The SGC has a number of relais, a.o. to operate heatpumps. Via the web interface, it is possible to set up a relay as a switch, for which a separate energy saving plan will be created. Then an electrical device can be connected to this relay. For 230 V devices, a contactor should be connected in between.
• What are the differences between the SGC 1 and SGC 2?
• The SGC 1 has WiFi.
• The SGC 2 has WiFi and an ethernet connector.
• One of the SGC 1 versions operates at 230 V AC.
• The other SGC models operates at 9V – 12V DC via an adapter.
• What do you need to use the SGC?
• For the SGC 1, a WiFi connection is necessary. When the SGC 1 is in the same room as the heatpump, WiFi coverage has to be available there.
• You need a Time of Use contract to save costs using the SGC.
• The SGC can operate heatpump which support SG-ready or EVU. See the manual of your heatpump or contact your supplier.
• Does the SGC take gas prices into account?
• This plays a role for hybrid heatpumps. Then it is possible to switch between electrical heating and gas heating to save costs, using the SGC.
• Is the SGC able to switch off the electrical power that feeds a device, like the EcoSwitch does?
Yes, via a contactor. This works for 1 phase and 3 phase electrical installations.
To switch a device (off) by interrupting the current, a magnetic contactor must be connected between the SGC and the device. The magnetic contactor is connected to a relay of the SGC, which is set to switch favorably. In addition, the device must be able to handle being switched abruptly in this way. A professional installer is required to connect this.
• How many amps can the SGC switch?
No high currents may flow through the relays of the SGC. Therefore, use an external magnetic switch if large currents need to be switched. The maximum current then depends on the magnetic switch used.
• Can the SGC integrate with Home Assistant?
Yes. See Setting up integration with Home Assistant. You can then have a device (that is not physically connected to the SGC but is integrated with Home Assistant) switch when a specific relay of the SGC switches. However, SG-ready settings (for switching heat pumps) cannot be made via Home Assistant.
• Can you measure power consumption with the SGC?
No, that is not possible. Alternatives are the EcoSwitch Plus and the EcoSwitch Pi (which measure consumption of the devices connected to them) and the Ecosoft P1 meter (which receives consumption data from the smart meter).
Useful to know: The SGC can receive measurement data from the P1 meter and use it in its “switching plan”. For example, to switch a heat pump to a higher setting when the P1 meter measures the return of electricity, in order to make better use of the electricity generated by solar panels. Reading out Shelly EM is also possible, for the same purpose.
In addition, the SGC can receive measurement data from inverters that support the SunSpec ModBus TCP protocol. See inverters for the possibilities.
• What is the Ecosoft Energy app?
With the Ecosoft Energy app you can:
• quickly check the current electricity prices,
• choose the best time to use electricity,
• set up and operate your Ecosoft devices.
Download voor Android.
Download voor iPhone and iPad.
• Is it possible to use the SGC without the Ecosoft Energy app?
Yes. Even without the app, all functions of the SGC can be used. The SGC can be reached from any telephone or PC with a web browser. Visit the SGC at its IP address, or if your telephone supports mDNS at a .local address. For example, if the WiFi hostname is “SGC”, it would be http://sgc.local/.
• How do you install an SGC?
We recommend that you have this done by an installer with expertise in electricity and heat pumps. See the SGC 1 manual or SGC 2 manual for more information.
• How do you reset the WiFi settings and the SGC password?
Press the SET button on the SGC for 40 seconds to reset the WiFi settings and password of the SGC.
• Where do the energy prices that the SGC uses come from?
The Ecosoft SGC uses EPEX market prices for energy, including taxes or other surcharges. This corresponds to the prices that you see in our Energy Planner. We pay for the commercial use of this price data. Therefore, the included service package (which lasts for example one, three or five years) costs a certain amount.
• What happens if the SGC cannot retrieve prices?
If the server cannot be reached, or if for some other reason the price data is not available, average values are used based on historical price data.
• Where can I buy the SGC 2?
In our webshop on the product page of the Smart Grid Controller 2. That is the SGC with Ethernet.