The Hub:One is a physical product that connects directly to a customer’s inverter via a Modbus cable.
It is designed to (1) read the registers of the inverter, which contain data such as home battery percentage, solar energy totals for the day, and various power readings; and (2) command the inverter to charge and discharge the connected home battery.
Why is this important?
The Hub:One reads all of the register data to deduce information about the customer’s home setup and the home’s capacity to generate solar energy. From this data, we can also gather details about the customer’s energy behaviour, allowing us to forecast their time-based demands.
Combining these insights with solar forecast data and information about the customer’s energy tariff (i.e., their import and export rates), we are able to create a daily personalised energy schedule for the customer. This schedule dictates when and how we will source energy and store it in their battery to meet daily demands.
At the same time, Hub:One allows users to export excess solar energy back to the grid when it is not needed to meet their own demand, particularly when export prices are favourable. In some cases, it may also enable arbitrage, which involves purchasing grid energy at a low price, storing it, and then selling it back at a higher price.
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How does Hub:One save me money?
Hub:One calculates your savings by comparing what you would have paid for your energy without our Automated Energy Manager (AEM), to your actual spend. To do this, Hub:One first calculates how much you would have paid for grid energy when your solar ...
What tariffs does the Hub:One support?
Hub:One requires details of your tariff so we best configure your Automated Energy Manager (AEM) schedule. Most importantly, we need to understand the variances in your tariff, and when they occur, so we can forecast the best times to source grid ...
What happens if I change my tariff, after I have purchased and installed a Hub:One?
If you are an Octopus customer Hub:One consumes details of your Octopus tariff through the Octopus API. When onboarding to the Hub:One application you will be prompted to provide your API key so that we can automatically pull your tariff details. If ...
What happens if I sign up without an export tariff, and then I am provisioned with one?
We appreciate that an export tariff (and MPAN) for solar installs can take some time to be configured. If your export tariff is still being set up then, though AEM can still function to intelligently forecast and satisfy your demand, you will not be ...
How do I install Hub:One?
If you are a homeowner: currently, you’ll need to contact a registered Swarm installer to set up your Hub:One. You can find your nearest installer on our Get Hub:One page. If you are an Installer: you can find all our setup guides and documentation ...