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We're passionate about helping customers make the most of renewable energy in everyday life. For Natural Generation customer (and team member!) Kris, that meant going beyond just generating solar power - it was about using that energy intelligently to power their home, heat their water, and charge their EV in the most cost-effective way possible.
We recently installed a Zappi EV charger to complement the Eddi solar diverter we’d fitted the year before, allowing Kris to unlock the full potential of his solar system and take advantage of smart energy tariffs.
Here’s how it’s going...
Kris' Solar Setup
"Last year, we had a solar diverter (the Eddi) installed by Natural Generation to maximise our self-consumption of solar energy", say Kris. "Recently, they came back to fit a Zappi EV charger to complement our system, and I’ve been genuinely impressed with how seamlessly it all works together."
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The Zappi with EV cable plugged in EV charging under Intelligent Octopus control
A solar diverter is a device that helps homeowners make the most of their solar energy by redirecting surplus electricity (that would otherwise be exported to the grid) to power appliances in the home - typically, a hot water immersion heater.
This means you’re storing your solar energy as hot water instead of giving it away, which reduces the amount of energy you need to buy from your supplier later.
Kris uses an Eddi by MyEnergi as his solar diverter. The Eddi allows for smart control, and integration with EV chargers too - perfect for Kris' new electric car!
Using Smart Tarrifs
A smart tariff for solar is an electricity pricing plan that uses real-time data from your smart meter, and sometimes your energy usage habits, to offer variable rates. These rates are designed to reward you for using energy at off-peak times, as well as for exporting solar power back to the grid.
Kris found setting up a smart tarrif surprisingly easy;
"The integration with Octopus Energy’s Intelligent Go tariff has been brilliant. Switching to the new tariff was as easy as plugging in the car and selecting the option through the Octopus app. From there, everything just works in the background."
How the Zappi Works
The Zappi is a smart electric vehicle charger that works especially well with solar panel systems. It's designed to help you charge your car using free solar energy, or cheap electricity from the grid when solar isn’t available.
"We typically leave the Zappi in Eco+ mode, so it uses any excess solar generation to charge the car whenever it’s plugged in," explains Kris. "When we do need a full charge, we simply plug in and tell Octopus via the app how much charge we want and when we need the car ready by. The app then creates a smart charging schedule, breaking it into slots when demand on the grid is low - meaning we benefit from the super low 7p per kWh rate. It’s all automated and reliable, and the car has always been fully charged on time."
Octopus Energy app charge schedule MyEnergi app with Zappi under Intelligent Go control
Kris has found his smart tarriff great for making the most cheap energy rates for household appliances, too:
"The 7p/kWh rate also applies to our household electricity usage between 11:30pm and 5:30am. We’ve now set our dishwasher and washing machine to run overnight and configured the Eddi to power the hot water immersion heater during those hours. That means hot showers in the morning and a noticeable drop in our energy bills.
The MyEnergi app brings everything together. It makes it easy to control both the Eddi and Zappi, whether I want to prioritise hot water or EV charging. It even lets me boost the hot water or start a charge from anywhere using my phone."
The app screenshots from Kris below show the cost saving made using Intelligent Go. These were taken during a day when he charged his car with around 18kWh (enough for 70 miles of driving); this works out as less than 2p per mile when charging at the 7p/kWh rate:
The day's energy use, peaking with EV charging The cost of energy over the same day
Working with Natural Generation
It’s always rewarding to see our customers get real value from the systems we install - especially when it leads to smarter energy use, lower bills and reduced reliance on the grid.
Kris’ setup is a great example of how solar PV, battery-ready EV chargers and flexible tariffs can work together to deliver both convenience and sustainability.
"Thanks to Natural Generation, we now have an easy-to-use solar energy system that’s saving us money and helping us live more sustainably.’"
If you're interested in optimising your solar system or exploring EV charging at home, we’re here to help you make it happen. Discover more here, or get a free quote to get the ball rolling.
