Predictive charging — Time Slot mode

Charges from the grid during a fixed time window (typically cheap overnight tariff).

Configuration

Field	Description
Time window	Start and end of the charging slot (e.g. 02:00 – 05:00)
Solar forecast sensor	Current-day production sensor in kWh (optional)
Solar forecast safety margin (kWh)	(Optional) Extra energy buffer added to consumption forecast before deciding whether to charge (default 0 kWh)
Predictive grid charge margin (%)	(Optional) Tops up the grid-charge amount to hedge optimistic solar forecasts — e.g. a 2 kWh grid need at 50 % charges 3 kWh. Capped at the gap to max SOC (default 0 %)

Breaking change in v1.6.0

The solar forecast sensor field must now point to the today sensor (e.g. sensor.solcast_pv_forecast_forecast_today), not the tomorrow sensor.

No solar sensor

If you have no solar panels, leave the forecast sensor empty. The system will charge whenever battery energy is insufficient to cover expected consumption.

Evaluation flow

1. On slot entry: batteries are held idle for 5 minutes to allow the solar forecast sensor time to update (particularly relevant when the slot starts at 00:00).
2. 5 minutes in: the system evaluates the energy balance (usable energy + solar forecast vs. estimated daily consumption) and decides whether to charge.
3. A notification is sent with the decision.
4. Charging continues until the battery reaches the calculated level or the window ends.

SOC-drop re-evaluation

If the SOC drops 30 % or more from the last evaluation point during the slot (e.g. due to high consumption), the system automatically re-evaluates the energy balance. No additional notification is sent for these mid-slot re-evaluations.