What's 'smart charging' and what’s in it for me?

What’s smart charging?

Smart charging refers to a charging system that optimises charging through data connections. Our smart chargers communicate with your car, our servers, and the National Grid. Through this communication, smart chargers can optimise your charging and maximise your savings. Our smart chargers can stop and start charging to align with periods of low demand on the grid, when prices are generally lower. This not only saves you money but also helps balance the grid. 

What’s in it for me?

• Save money: If you have a time-of-use tariff or a variable tariff, you’ll pay less for your electricity at certain times of the day. The Ohme app uses your tariff information to charge as much as possible when the price is low to maximise your savings. 

• Greener: The Ohme server communicates with the grid which allows you to charge when carbon intensity is at its lowest. Just make sure you enable the ‘favour greener energy’ feature in ‘settings’. 

• Remote management: With the Ohme app, you can control your charging at the click of a button. You can schedule charge sessions, apply a price cap to limit your charging to a certain price/kWh, and keep an eye on your energy costs & consumption. 

• Grid balancing: The Ohme charger can adjust energy intake according to peaks and lows in electricity demand which allows for load balancing and peak shaving.  Put simply, peak shaving refers to managing consumer demand to eliminate demand spikes (high peaks) which in turn puts less pressure on the grid. This is often done through energy suppliers offering cheaper electricity during off-peak hours.