We tested Amber + Battery for 18 months, so you do not have to
Below you can find detailed review of Amber Electric, Battery and PV array operated for over two years. The purpose of this test is to enable homeowner to manage power flow between Grid, Photovoltaics Array, Battery and loads. Whatever your goal is, been green, power independence or tariff arbitrage this system can tailor your individual needs.
When properly setup and optimised, our system not just reduced power bill to ZERRO but when tasked to generate profit via Tariff Arbitrage, generated credit with Amber. Below you can find the details of test configuration and results.
What is Home Assistant (HA)
HA is open source home automation, it prioritizes local control and privacy. It’s driven by a global community of DIY enthusiasts and hobbyists. Ideal for running on a Raspberry Pi and HA own Green or Yellow device or your own local server.
Depending on your skill level and workload HA have to perform, there are two main stand-alone options as shown below. In this tutorial, we focus on simplest and newer model Home Assistant Green. It is as powerful as older HA Yellow but not as flexible from upgrades perspective.
There are numerous online retailers that sell this product, you have options. HA Green come in only one configuration, so ordering is easy.
Source: Home Assistant.
Amber Electric: Revolutionizing Energy Access in Australia
Discover Amber Electric, a game-changer in the Australian energy market. With Amber, you’re not just a consumer – you’re a savvy participant in the energy marketplace. This innovative platform unlocks the doors to the wholesale energy prices, directly connecting you to the Australian grid.
But that’s not all. Amber Electric takes it a step further with its cutting-edge optional battery control module, enhancing your energy management experience. And for the tech enthusiasts out there, Amber’s API is a dream come true. This feature empowers developers to seamlessly integrate Amber into a diverse array of applications, elevating its functionality and accessibility.
EMHASS: The Future of Household Energy Management
Meet EMHASS, the ultimate energy management and optimization software designed for the modern household. Integrated seamlessly with Home Assistant, EMHASS is not just software, it’s your energy command centre.
At the heart of EMHASS lies its robust home energy management system. This powerful tool harmoniously balances various elements of your home’s energy ecosystem – from the mains/grid connection, your solar system setup, to the Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS). EMHASS also deftly manages other controllable loads, ensuring that everything from your electric car charger to your pool pump, electric hot water system, and heating operates at peak energy/cost efficiency.
Best of all, EMHASS is more than just a product – it’s a passion project, free to use and diligently maintained by a dedicated community of enthusiasts. With EMHASS, you’re not only optimizing your home energy usage, you’re joining a movement towards smarter, more sustainable living.
Minimal system requirement
In order to achieve high system performance following components required:
– Property that is connected to Grid
– Electricity account transferred to Amber Electric
– Solar PV system, preferably with Hybrid Inverter (off-grid capable)
– BESS (Battery Energy Storage System)
– Raspberry Pi, Home Assistant Green is a good choice
– Installed Home Assistant
– Installed EMHASS
– Inverter compatible with with Home Assistant communication protocols
EMHASS vs Amber for Batteries
While below EMHASS dashboard can be overwhelming, this is mainly used to monitor system parameters, customisations and testing, used by tech savvy enthusiasts. Amber Electric offer it’s own proprietary and fully automated remote battery control system called Amber for batteries: https://www.amber.com.au/solar-and-battery
It allow Amber to remotely control household’s battery’s and optimise it’s use to generate income, offsetting power bills.
In our case, we utilised fully automated EMHASS, configured to draw price data from Amber, control inverters for charge/discharge cycles and manage various home loads such as EV’s.
After operating our custom system for 18 months, we have found that:
– Household consume around 100kwh per day
– PV array installed, generates about 40kwh per day
– Household import the balance of 60kwh from Grid
– After 18 months electricity account was in credit $600
Conclusion: Amber +Home Battery
It is clear that way forward is for households to have “Home Battery” to supplement PV system. You can just add battery and stick with conventional power retailer or have your account transferred to Amber if you want to financially benefit from live electricity prices. It may or may not suite you, but if done right, major financial benefits are there.
Our impressions:
| Pros | Cons |
| – You can make money | – Not all batteries compatible with Amber |
| – Your house have power backup | – Cost of large battery system is high |
| – You will help to stabilize local electrical grid | – Return on investment range 3-10 years |
| – You do not need PV array | – Bigger battery needed if chasing profit |