How to get the most out of your SigEnergy solar set-up

How households use it

Most homeowners turn this on and let the system run itself. Over time, it aims to store solar when it makes sense, release it when demand rises, and reduce grid imports without constant adjustment.

Who it suits best

• Homes that just want to ‘set and forget’ the system
• Households with regular routines
• People who don’t want to manage schedules or settings manually

Maximum Self-Consumption Mode

This mode prioritises using solar energy in your home first. Any surplus solar then charges the battery, and then it exports only what’s left to the grid (subject to your export limits).

How households use it

Because this focuses on making the absolute max of your solar generation, this mode is great for reducing your electricity bills, provided you aren’t on a specialist tariff.

Who it suits best

• Homes without complex tariffs
• Households out during the day and home in the evenings
• Anyone focused on reducing grid imports rather than earning export payments

Time-Based Control Mode

Time-Based Control Mode lets you manually define when the battery can charge, discharge or hold energy. You create schedules that either align with your provider’s peak and off-peak electricity prices or how you use your electrical appliances throughout the day. You can also set charge and discharge limits.

How households use it

This mode is often used to charge the solar battery overnight on a cheaper tariff, then discharge during expensive evening periods. People also use it to restrict how much electricity they export during certain times.

Who it suits best

• Homes on time-of-use or smart tariffs
• Households with predictable routines
• Users who want more hands-on control

Fully Feed-In to Grid Mode

In this mode, your SigEnergy solar setup prioritises exporting all your solar to the grid rather than charging the battery. All, that is, apart from any electricity your home needs in that instant.

How households use it

This mode is appropriate only for when export payments are particularly attractive, or when you’re intentionally keeping your battery as a power reserve rather than using it daily.

Who it suits best

• Homes on generous export tariffs
• Properties with low on-site electricity use
• Remote houses/those with frequent power cuts

Take advantage of mySigen’s AI

Inside the mySigen app, you’ll find built-in AI tools designed to help optimise how your SigEnergy system runs day to day.

As well as automatically learning from your usage, you can ask the AI guided questions or receive explanations and suggestions in the app, helping you understand why the system behaves a certain way or whether your settings could be improved. The AI looks at solar generation, battery activity and household demand together, then suggests adjustments over time.

While AI features are becoming more common, having one built directly into a home solar and battery platform, with the ability to interact and ask questions, is still relatively unusual. Take advantage of it to see what help and recommendations it can give you.

And, in a similar way, check out the self-diagnosis tools. It’s worth running one of these checks every now and then, just to keep on top of things, and especially if you think something’s not quite right.

Are you using solar and battery at the right times of day?

Alongside adjusting the settings in your app, you can make a few practical changes in your daily life that can help you get the most out of your SigEnergy solar setup.

• Run your heavy appliances (dishwashers, washing machines, and dryers) earlier in the day so you use solar as it’s generated.
• Carefully plan your EV charging. Most chargers allow you to schedule when you charge. If you charge during the day, let the solar do a chunk of the work. If you charge at night, check whether a smart tariff makes more sense.
• In summer, cook earlier if at all possible. Even shifting one meal earlier – into daylight – reduces the evening battery drain.
• Change your app settings twice per year (in summer and winter). In summer, the battery may fill earlier in the day, whereas it might never fully fill in winter, so preserving energy for the evening becomes more important.

Don’t forget about your export limits

Your DNO export limits are set by default and based on your existing hardware and infrastructure. These cap how much power your system can send to the grid at once. Even a powerful solar battery can’t bypass those limits.

(If, however, you want to make some upgrades, your installer may be able to help you apply for changes or set export limiting, but some limits will still apply.)

So, when you’re limited by these, focus on the following:

• Using stored battery energy for yourself (instead of importing it from the grid) is usually more valuable than exporting it.
• Avoid unnecessarily exporting your electricity. If you notice your battery emptying too early, check your export settings.
• On some tariffs, you may be able to charge your battery at cheap overnight rates, then use that electricity the next day.

Are you monitoring the right things in the app?

The most exciting part of the mySigen app is the daily generation totals. However, these only tell part of the story. Alongside these totals, keep an eye on time-based demand and exports. You’re looking for patterns like the battery reaching full too early, then exporting earlier than you’d like. And if you notice the battery exporting well before bedtime, or large grid imports during cooking or EV charging, those are problems that can be addressed.

They’re usually a setting or timing issue, not a hardware problem. You only need to review a few days’ worth of data to reveal where your system can improve. Adjust the settings, and see how things change. In some cases, you might consider a hardware upgrade, such as stacking an extra module to increase your battery’s capacity.