Solar + battery + car
Charging can form part of overall energy management. Available capacity, measurements and local limits provide the basis for control.
News · Energy control developed in-house
EV charging that works with your home.
We have developed a Home Assistant solution to coordinate EV charging with solar generation, home batteries and household consumption. It can also operate separately, without solar panels or a home battery.
Shared requirement: Home Assistant in your home
These solutions require Home Assistant to be installed and running locally in the home. Home Assistant is open-source software. We do not sell Home Assistant; the customer obtains suitable hardware and the software. Alfa Omega can provide service and help with installation, setup, configuration and integration to get the solution in place.
The MikroTik device is also a mandatory part of this package. It establishes the service connection we use for remote setup and service. Without the device, we cannot provide our remote service or implement the solution offered here. Device rental is included in the subscription.
Initially Easee and Tesla
Our current work covers Easee chargers and Tesla integration. Support and features depend on the charger, vehicle and available integrations. Each installation is assessed and configured individually.
A strong standalone starting point
You do not need solar panels or a home battery to get started. Smart EV charging can work independently, with Home Assistant, Tibber Pulse and MikroTik as the starting point. Further functions can be added later, such as coordination with solar generation, battery storage and other energy controls. Extensions require assessment and configuration and may involve additional equipment and some alterations to the installation. Possible extensions include load control for hot-water cylinders, electric underfloor heating and heat pumps. Control is adapted to the equipment and may require relays, contactors or a compatible control integration. Temperature requirements, frost protection, comfort and the equipment’s own safety functions must be maintained.
Simple controls
A dedicated view for each charger, manual vehicle-profile selection and prioritised charging within installation limits. Available capacity is shared when several cars charge.
Away mode – build on what your home already has
We can also create an away mode that adjusts selected heating and other consumption while the home is empty. Many homes already have thermostats, smart relays or other controls that may be suitable for integration. With compatible equipment, this can often be achieved with little additional hardware. We assess what can be reused and configure frost protection, temperature requirements and the comfort you want when you return.
The installation includes
- Home Assistant for control and operation
- Tibber Pulse for measurement through the electricity meter’s HAN port
- A MikroTik device for tailored networking and remote follow-up
Continued development and trials
We already have experience from several installations and use a well-established method for assessment, configuration, staged commissioning and follow-up. The software is in use at reference sites and continues to evolve. New functions and actual charging behaviour are verified for each installation. Savings and charging time depend on the installation and its use.
Setup and pricing
The setup prices below exclude VAT. The subscription and non-return charge include VAT. All amounts are in NOK.
- Home Assistant installation: an estimated 1–2 hours of work. The hourly rate is agreed before work starts.
- Dispatch of the MikroTik device: NOK 150 excluding VAT. The device remains Alfa Omega’s property; rental is included in the charging subscription.
- Implementation of system devices: NOK 1,500 upon successful implementation, under our “No cure, no pay” principle. Scope and acceptance criteria are agreed before work starts.
- Charging subscription with service: NOK 490 per year including VAT. Rental of the MikroTik device is included. Any Tesla API or third-party subscriptions are additional as agreed.
- Commitment: one year from the customer’s confirmation that the solution works and they are satisfied. The agreement renews automatically for one year at a time unless cancelled at least one month before the current contract period expires.
- On cancellation, the MikroTik device must be returned to Alfa Omega when the agreement ends. If it is not returned, a charge of NOK 1,000 including VAT applies.
Assessment, electrical installation and equipment
Assessment of other services is billed for time spent, at an hourly rate agreed in advance. The NOK 1,500 price and “No cure, no pay” apply to the agreed charging implementation. Physical fitting and electrical installation of devices that disconnect or limit loads have separate prices and are agreed separately.
Alfa Omega can carry out the electrical installation as a registered electrical contractor. The customer may also choose another registered electrical contractor for the work. Equipment can be purchased from any supplier, but must meet the installation’s technical requirements and be compatible with the controls. Suitability is checked before setup.
We have experience with working Zigbee and Wi-Fi solutions. This does not mean every product using these technologies is compatible; the specific model and integration must be checked. Plejd has not yet been tested with our solution.
One free pilot place: Do you have Zaptec Go?
The pilot customer must be located in the Oslo area. Our current integrations cover Tesla API and Easee. We are looking for the first Zaptec Go customer willing to let us try adapting the solution at their installation. One customer receives the pilot integration and configuration work free of charge. The place goes to the first customer with a suitable installation who agrees participation with us.
Zaptec Go has not yet been tested with our solution, and success is not guaranteed. Free pilot work covers integration and configuration; equipment, dispatch, physical electrical installation and the subscription have separate agreed terms. Contact us to confirm that the pilot place is still available before starting.
Register interestBefore we start – customer preparations
Tibber Pulse can be purchased separately, for example from Clas Ohlson, or the customer can look for a used device on FINN.no. The correct model for the electricity meter must be confirmed before purchase. Our solution requires Tibber Pulse to be adapted and configured for local data traffic to Home Assistant.
Remote implementation requires someone at the customer’s site to be available at a PC and carry out practical steps following our instructions. Before installation, the customer must assess their installation and gather the necessary information so they can enter it themselves during setup with our guidance.
Passwords, login codes, API keys and other secret security information must be handled only by the customer. The customer enters these directly following our instructions, without sending them to Alfa Omega. Secrets must not be shown during screen sharing or included in screenshots and logs shared with us.
Tibber Pulse HAN – Clas Ohlson ↗ · Tibber Pulse – FINN.no ↗
No cure, no pay
We have the electrical and automation expertise to assess, configure and commission compatible systems. Our principle is “No cure, no pay”: if we cannot make the agreed solution work, we do not charge for that work. Scope, acceptance criteria and terms are agreed before work starts. Any equipment and third-party costs are clarified separately.
Reuse a computer you already own
A suitable older PC or laptop, for example a Lenovo, can be reused with Home Assistant OS. A virtual machine on an always-on local host or a Raspberry Pi 4/5 are also options. Supported 64-bit architecture is required: amd64/x86-64 or aarch64/ARM64. Our Home Assistant add-ons require Home Assistant OS with add-on support, installed directly or in a virtual machine. A standard Home Assistant Container does not include this facility. Suitability, storage and capacity are assessed before installation; older PCs must support the required UEFI boot.
Tesla: API access and possible ongoing costs
Direct control of the Tesla vehicle through our API-based solution requires approved Tesla API access and the owner’s authorisation. Tesla Fleet API uses usage-based pricing. The chosen integration provider may also charge a monthly subscription or other fees. Access and current terms are clarified before setup. This applies to this control method, not to ordinary Tesla charging.