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Multi-Level Priority Strategies

Place the same device at multiple priority positions with different thresholds and surplus requirements to implement sophisticated energy management strategies.

The Concept

Hanergy allows the same device to appear multiple times in the priority list. Each entry has its own threshold, setpoint, and minimum surplus requirement. The engine evaluates them independently as it walks through the list from top to bottom.

This pattern enables strategies like:

  • Charge the EV to 60% at modest amps (high priority), then top up to 80% at full power (low priority)
  • Fill the battery to 80% early in the day, then finish to 100% only if surplus remains after all other loads are served
  • Heat the house to 20 degrees at priority 2, then push to 22 degrees at priority 6

Example Configuration

A household with four devices: EV charger, home battery, heat pump, and pool pump.

Priority Device Threshold Min Surplus Purpose
1 EV Charger 60% SOC 1400 W Baseline EV charge for daily commute
2 Home Battery 80% SOC 500 W Battery to 80% for evening coverage
3 Heat Pump 22 C 1000 W Comfortable room temperature
4 EV Charger 80% SOC 3000 W Top up EV if surplus is abundant
5 Pool Pump -- 800 W Circulation whenever surplus permits
6 Home Battery 100% SOC 500 W Fill battery completely on high-production days

A Full Solar Day Walkthrough

Early morning -- surplus: 200 W

Surplus is below every entry's minimum threshold. No loads activate. The household runs entirely from solar production with a small grid import for the remainder.

Mid-morning -- surplus: 1600 W

  • Priority 1 (EV to 60%): surplus exceeds 1400 W and the EV is at 35% SOC. Hanergy activates the charger at moderate amps. Approximately 1380 W allocated. Remaining surplus: approximately 220 W.
  • Priority 2 (Battery to 80%): needs 500 W. Only 220 W remains. Skipped.

The EV charger is the only active load.

Late morning -- surplus: 3500 W

  • Priority 1 (EV to 60%): still active, EV at 48% SOC. Approximately 1380 W allocated. Remaining: approximately 2120 W.
  • Priority 2 (Battery to 80%): 500 W threshold met. Battery charging starts at a moderate rate, approximately 800 W. Remaining: approximately 1320 W.
  • Priority 3 (Heat Pump): needs 1000 W. 1320 W available. Heat pump activates. Approximately 1000 W allocated. Remaining: approximately 320 W.
  • Priority 4 (EV to 80%): needs 3000 W. Only 320 W remains. Skipped.

Three loads running simultaneously.

Solar peak -- surplus: 6500 W

  • Priority 1 (EV to 60%): EV has reached 62% SOC. Entry is satisfied -- no power allocated.
  • Priority 2 (Battery to 80%): battery at 78% SOC. Still charging. Approximately 800 W allocated. Remaining: approximately 5700 W.
  • Priority 3 (Heat Pump): room temperature is 22.5 C. Entry is satisfied.
  • Priority 4 (EV to 80%): EV is at 62%, below 80% threshold. 5700 W available, exceeds 3000 W requirement. Charger activates at maximum amps. Approximately 5000 W allocated. Remaining: approximately 700 W.
  • Priority 5 (Pool Pump): needs 800 W. Only 700 W remains. Skipped for now.
  • Priority 6 (Battery to 100%): needs 500 W. Insufficient remaining. Skipped.

Note

Shortly after, as the battery reaches 80%, priority 2 is satisfied and its 800 W is freed. Now priority 5 (pool pump, 800 W) and priority 6 (battery to 100%) can both activate.

Afternoon decline -- surplus: 1200 W

Shedding begins in reverse priority order:

  1. Priority 6 (Battery to 100%) -- shed first (lowest priority active load)
  2. Priority 5 (Pool Pump) -- shed next
  3. Priority 4 (EV to 80%) -- shed (the EV charger turns off)

Higher-priority loads that are still unsatisfied remain active as long as surplus permits. The engine preserves the most important loads for as long as possible.

Evening -- surplus: 0 W

All managed loads are off. The household draws from the battery (charged to approximately 85% during the day) and the grid.

Seasonal Adjustments

Not all priority entries make sense year-round.

  • Winter: disable heat pump cooling entries, disable pool pump entries, lower EV top-up thresholds (less surplus available)
  • Summer: disable heating entries, enable pool pump, raise EV top-up thresholds (more surplus available)
  • Shoulder seasons: enable both heating and pool entries at lower priorities

To disable an entry without removing it, set Enabled to No in Settings > Priorities. The entry is preserved in the configuration and can be re-enabled at any time.

Keep it manageable

Aim for 5-10 priority entries total. More entries increase complexity and make it harder to predict what the engine will do in any given situation. If you find yourself creating 15+ entries, consider whether some goals can be combined.

Key Principles

  1. High-priority entries get surplus first. Place daily essentials (EV commute charge, battery baseline) at the top.
  2. Lower entries only activate when higher ones are satisfied or when surplus is large enough for both. This is the waterfall model.
  3. Shedding happens in reverse. When surplus drops, the lowest-priority active load is shed first. Higher-priority loads are preserved.
  4. Different thresholds for the same device create tiers. The first entry handles the "must have" charge level, the second handles the "nice to have" top-up.
  5. The minimum surplus value controls when each tier activates. A low min_surplus_w means the entry activates easily. A high value means it only activates on high-production days.