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Electricity Providers
| Provider | Country | Pricing Type | API Auth Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amber Electric | Australia | Dynamic 5-min & 30-min | API Token |
| Localvolts | Australia | Dynamic 5-min (real-time wholesale) | API Key + Partner ID |
| Flow Power | Australia | AEMO Wholesale | No |
| Globird / AEMO VPP | Australia | Static + Spike Detection | No |
| Octopus Energy | UK | Dynamic 30-min | No for public price API; optional API key/account for Saving Sessions |
| EPEX Day-Ahead | EU (DE, AT, BE, NL, DK, SE) | Hourly day-ahead | No (free API) |
| NZ TOU | New Zealand | Static TOU (3-tier) | No |
| Other / Custom TOU | Any | Manual import/export periods | No |
Electricity provider setup supplies import/export prices. Smart Optimization also needs solar forecast data to avoid price-only decisions that can import from grid shortly before solar is available.
Configure weather and solar forecasting under Settings > Devices & Services > PowerSync > Configure > Weather & solar forecast:
| Option | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Home Assistant weather entity | Optional temperature input for load forecasting |
| OpenWeatherMap API key | Optional weather conditions for weather-based automations |
| Solcast HA integration | Supported solar forecast source; PowerSync auto-detects it |
| Open-Meteo Solar Forecast HA integration | Supported solar forecast source; PowerSync auto-detects it and combines multiple configured arrays |
| Solcast API key and resource IDs | Direct fallback when a supported HA solar forecast integration is not installed |
| Solcast estimate type | Selects which Solcast estimate PowerSync uses for forecast sensors and optimization |
These settings do not replace provider pricing. They improve the load and solar side of the optimizer model.
Dynamic pricing with 5-minute and 30-minute resolution. Current prices update every 5 minutes; forecasts are available at 30-minute resolution.
Setup:
- Get an API token from app.amber.com.au/developers
- Select Amber Electric during PowerSync setup
- Enter your API token
- Select your Amber site
Amber provides three price forecasts for each interval. PowerSync uses these to build the time-of-use schedule that gets sent to your battery and to plan the optimization schedule.
| Setting | Description | Effect on Optimizer |
|---|---|---|
| Predicted (Default) | Amber's best estimate of the actual price | Balanced — charges and exports based on most likely prices |
| Low | Lower bound estimate — prices expected to be low | Optimizer sees cheaper future prices. This can reduce the value of later export windows, so it is not a general "export now" switch |
| High | Upper bound estimate — prices expected to be high | Optimizer sees more expensive future prices and is more likely to hold charge for possible later value |
When to change it:
- If you use Profit Maximisation Mode, normally leave this on Predicted. Profit Max already makes the LP more willing to use stored energy for high-value export by reducing the terminal SOC value.
- Try Low only when you intentionally want the optimizer to assume cheaper prices. This can reduce charging urgency, but it can also make future export windows look less valuable.
- Try High when you intentionally want the optimizer to assume more expensive prices and hold charge for possible later value.
- If you're happy with how the optimizer behaves, leave it on Predicted.
Configure in: Settings > Electricity Provider > Amber > Amber Forecast Type
PowerSync can also track actual metered Amber usage costs when usage tracking is enabled. This creates sensors for yesterday's billed cost, yesterday's estimated battery savings, month-to-date billed cost, and month-to-date battery savings. These values come from Amber usage data rather than the live price forecast, so they are useful for reconciling the daily cost estimate against your bill.
You can use PowerSync automations to switch the Amber forecast type automatically based on time of day, but this is optional advanced tuning rather than a requirement for Profit Maximisation Mode.
Be careful with time-based switches. The selected forecast type is used when PowerSync builds the Amber price schedule and optimization plan. For example, switching to Low before the evening peak can make the upcoming export prices look lower, which may remove the incentive to discharge into that window.
Use forecast-type automations only when you intentionally want PowerSync to plan from a different Amber forecast band at a specific time. If you are unsure, use Predicted and let Profit Max handle the export bias.
The forecast type change takes effect immediately. PowerSync triggers a schedule sync after updating the setting, so your battery receives the new pricing within seconds.
Action: Automations > Add Action > Amber Forecast Type → select Predicted, Low, or High
Real-time wholesale pricing with native 5-minute resolution. Localvolts provides marginal import and export prices with up to 24 hours of forward forecast data.
Setup:
- Obtain your API Key and Partner ID from Localvolts
- Select Localvolts during PowerSync setup
- Enter your API Key, Partner ID, and NMI (National Meter Identifier)
- Configure export boost and chip mode settings (optional)
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| API Key | Your Localvolts API key (keep this secret) |
| Partner ID | Your Localvolts Partner ID |
| NMI | Your 10-digit National Meter Identifier. Use * for all authorized NMIs. |
- Prices are fetched every 5 minutes from the Localvolts API
- All features work seamlessly: Smart Optimization, TOU schedule sync (where supported by your battery system), curtailment at negative prices, export boost, and chip mode
- Forward forecast is limited to ~24 hours (the optimizer pads beyond this with the last known price)
- AEMO spike detection can be configured independently for price spike exports
- Localvolts does not include Amber's spike status field. To get automatic battery discharge during NEM price spikes, enable AEMO Spike Detection separately.
- If no import or export activity occurred in a forecast period, the price is treated as 0.0 c/kWh.
- Localvolts is a NEM provider, so PowerSync can still use AEMO dispatch events as the settlement trigger for schedule refreshes.
Uses AEMO wholesale pricing directly — no API token required. Prices update every 5 minutes from the AEMO dispatch feed. You can optionally provide an Amber API token as an alternative price source.
| Source | Description |
|---|---|
| AEMO Direct (default) | Fetches wholesale prices directly from AEMO. No API key needed. |
| Amber API | Uses your Amber Electric API token for pricing data. |
| Region | Export Rate (Happy Hour) |
|---|---|
| NSW1 — New South Wales | 45 c/kWh |
| QLD1 — Queensland | 45 c/kWh |
| SA1 — South Australia | 45 c/kWh |
| VIC1 — Victoria | 35 c/kWh |
| TAS1 — Tasmania | No Happy Hour |
Flow Power bills using: Final Rate = Base Rate + PEA
PEA adjusts your rate based on when you consume relative to wholesale prices:
- Cheap wholesale (e.g. midday solar) → negative PEA → you pay less than the base rate
- Average wholesale → PEA near zero → you pay roughly the base rate
- Expensive wholesale (e.g. evening peak) → positive PEA → you pay more than the base rate
When a network tariff is configured, PowerSync calculates PEA accurately using the current wholesale price, your network's time-of-use charge, the 30-day wholesale average (TWAP), and the 1.7 c/kWh benchmark adjustment (BPEA) — all including GST. This matches how Flow Power calculates your actual bill.
If no network tariff is configured, PowerSync uses a simplified version based only on the wholesale price, TWAP, and BPEA. Less accurate but still gives the optimizer a useful price signal.
PowerSync tracks the 30-day time-weighted average wholesale price automatically. On a fresh install it uses 8.0 c/kWh as a starting estimate until enough data is collected (about an hour). If you know your current TWAP from your Flow Power bill, you can set it manually in the options flow to skip the warmup period.
Flow Power pays a fixed export rate during Happy Hour (5:30pm - 7:30pm daily). Outside Happy Hour, export is valued at 0 c/kWh. The optimizer uses these rates automatically.
The Happy Hour export rate can be overridden in PowerSync options when your plan or contract differs from the default state rate. Set Flow Power Happy Hour export rate to the total export value in c/kWh. The override is used by price sensors, the tariff schedule, and Smart Optimization. If the value is 0, Happy Hour export is effectively disabled for optimizer planning.
PowerSync can look up your network tariff rates automatically. This is used for:
- The v2 PEA formula (more accurate pricing)
- The Network Tariff sensor (shows current time-of-use network charge)
- The Amber Comparison sensor
During setup, select your DNSP (Distribution Network Service Provider) and tariff code:
| Region | Available DNSPs |
|---|---|
| NSW1 | Ausgrid, Endeavour, Essential |
| QLD1 | Energex, Ergon |
| SA1 | SAPN |
| VIC1 | Powercor, CitiPower, AusNet, Jemena, United |
| TAS1 | TasNetworks |
If your tariff isn't available, you can enter manual rates (flat or time-of-use) with peak/shoulder/off-peak periods and other fees.
Connect your Flow Power kWatch portal account to get actual billing metrics directly from Flow Power. This requires your portal email, password, and SMS MFA verification.
Once connected, PowerSync creates sensors for your actual account PEA, LWAP, TWAP, demand, and DLF — updated every 30 minutes.
Setup:
- In PowerSync options, select Connect Flow Power Portal
- Enter your Flow Power portal email and password
- Enter the SMS MFA code sent to your phone
- Portal data will appear as sensors within a few minutes
Portal sessions persist across HA restarts. If the session expires, re-authenticate via the options flow.
When network tariff is configured, PowerSync creates an Amber Comparison sensor showing what you would pay on Amber Electric for the same wholesale price. The default markup varies by region (NSW: 4.2c, QLD: 4.0c, SA: 4.2c, VIC: 4.0c) and can be customised in the options flow.
| Option | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
| NEM Region | Your grid region (NSW1, QLD1, VIC1, SA1) | NSW1 |
| Price Source | AEMO Direct or Amber API | AEMO |
| Network Tariff | Your DNSP and tariff code | — |
| Base Rate | Your Flow Power base rate in c/kWh (from your plan) | 34.0 |
| PEA Enabled | Enable dynamic PEA pricing adjustment | Yes |
| Custom PEA | Override the calculated PEA with a fixed value from your bill | Auto |
| TWAP Override | Manually set TWAP instead of dynamic tracking (c/kWh) | Auto |
| Amber Markup | Markup used in Amber Comparison sensor (c/kWh) | Region default |
| Manual Network Rates | Enter flat or TOU rates manually instead of using the tariff library | Off |
| Sensor | Unit | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Flow Power Import Price | $/kWh | Current import rate (Base Rate + PEA) |
| Flow Power Export Price | $/kWh | Export rate — Happy Hour rate or 0 |
| Flow Power TWAP 30-Day Average | c/kWh | Rolling 30-day wholesale average |
| Flow Power Network Tariff | c/kWh | Current time-of-use network charge (v2 only) |
| Flow Power Amber Comparison | $/kWh | Equivalent Amber Electric price (v2 only) |
These sensors are only available when the Flow Power portal is connected:
| Sensor | Unit | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Flow Power PEA (Actual) | c/kWh | Your actual PEA from Flow Power billing |
| Flow Power PEA 30-Day | c/kWh | 30-day rolling PEA |
| Flow Power BPEA (Benchmark) | c/kWh | The benchmark PEA target |
| Flow Power CPEA (Customer) | c/kWh | Your customer PEA (LWAP - TWAP) |
| Flow Power PEA Import | c/kWh | Import-only PEA |
| Flow Power LWAP | c/kWh | Load Weighted Average Price |
| Flow Power LWAP (Actual) | c/kWh | Actual LWAP from billing period |
| Flow Power TWAP (Portal) | c/kWh | TWAP from portal (compare with dynamic TWAP) |
| Flow Power Avg Spot Price | c/kWh | Average Regional Reference Price |
| Flow Power DLF (Site Losses) | — | Distribution Loss Factor for your site |
| Flow Power Avg Demand | kW | Your average demand |
| Flow Power Max Demand | kW | Your maximum demand |
Static pricing with AEMO spike detection for VPP participation. No API token required. See Advanced Features for details on automatic discharge during price spikes.
The AEMO VPP provider is the generic version of this path for Australian plans that pay or require dispatch during NEM price spikes, including plans from retailers other than GloBird. Select the correct NEM region and spike threshold. Tesla sites can also use the Tesla tariff as their normal TOU source; non-Tesla sites use the PowerSync tariff schedule and custom TOU periods.
For Sungrow systems on a GloBird-style VPP, PowerSync also exposes a Sungrow-specific AEMO spike option that uses the $3000/MWh dispatch threshold. The spike manager forces discharge during the spike and restores normal operation afterward.
If you are on GloBird ZEROHERO / Super Export, check your current GloBird fact sheet and bill before entering rates. GloBird's public ZEROHERO material currently lists the ZEROHERO Window / Super Export Window as 6pm-9pm local time every day, with credits applying to the first 15kWh exported in that window. GloBird's VPP FAQ says the Super Export credit tops up the normal feed-in rate so the total is 15c/kWh during the Super Export window.
Some older or plan-specific examples used shorter windows or different thresholds, so do not copy these example values blindly if your plan says something different.
The no-import daily credit is separate from the capped Super Export top-up. If grid import during the evening window exceeds the plan threshold, PowerSync marks the daily no-import credit as lost, but it still treats the remaining capped Super Export kWh as export revenue until that export cap is exhausted.
In PowerSync, export rates are also an optimizer signal. They tell the LP when it is worth spending battery energy for export, so configure the export periods intentionally:
- Set your Super Export / ZEROHERO window to the boosted total export value shown on your plan, commonly 15c/kWh for 6pm-9pm.
- Set your export/feed-in rates outside the Super Export window to 0c/kWh unless you want PowerSync to discharge the battery for the ordinary low feed-in rate.
- Keep your import rates accurate, including any free import or charge window such as 11am-2pm if your plan includes one.
This is important because the LP allows intentional battery-to-grid export only in periods with a positive export value. If you leave a normal 2c-5c feed-in rate outside the Super Export window, PowerSync may decide that low-rate battery export is still worthwhile, especially with Profit Max enabled. Setting those periods to 0c discourages battery export outside ZEROHERO while still allowing normal solar surplus export.
If you use Tesla Powerwall, put this same export-rate shape into the Tesla tariff before reloading PowerSync. If you use a non-Tesla battery or PowerSync custom tariff, create a dedicated Super Export period and set the default/off-peak export rate to 0c.
If you use Tesla Powerwall, configure the Globird time-of-use tariff in Tesla before PowerSync can use it.
- In the Tesla app, upload or select the correct Globird/TOU tariff for the Powerwall site.
- Restart Home Assistant or reload the PowerSync integration so PowerSync fetches the Tesla tariff and caches it as the normal baseline.
- Add or reconfigure PowerSync and choose Globird as the electricity provider and Tesla Powerwall as the battery system.
- Check
sensor.power_sync_tariff_scheduleafter startup. It should show the period and price that match the Tesla tariff for the current time. Also check the export prices in the LP export forecast: only the Super Export window should be positive if you want to avoid low-rate battery export.
PowerSync does not upload a fresh Globird tariff to Tesla every 5 minutes. For Tesla + Globird, the Tesla tariff is the source of truth for normal TOU prices; PowerSync uses it for the tariff schedule sensor, Smart Optimization price inputs, EV planning, and restore-after-force-mode behaviour. If you change the tariff in Tesla later, restart Home Assistant or reload PowerSync again before trusting the optimizer.
If you previously configured a PowerSync custom tariff while testing, remove or update that stale tariff. It can be used only as a fallback when the Tesla tariff cannot be fetched, which makes troubleshooting harder.
Use Other / Custom TOU when your retailer is not listed or when you need to model a plan manually. PowerSync stores the custom tariff internally and uses it for price sensors, the TOU schedule sensor, EV planning, and Smart Optimization.
For Tesla Powerwall systems, Tesla's tariff remains the hardware source of truth when PowerSync can fetch it. A PowerSync custom tariff is mainly a fallback or a non-Tesla pricing source. For Modbus/entity-based batteries, custom TOU does not upload a tariff to the battery; PowerSync uses it internally and sends live control commands when features such as Smart Optimization or force modes run.
- Select Other / Custom TOU as the electricity provider.
- Enter your custom tariff during setup, or skip it and add rates later from the integration options.
- Add one or more tariff periods with import rate, export rate, start time, end time, and applicable days.
- Add daily or monthly supply charges if you want cost sensors to include fixed charges.
- Set export rates to 0c outside periods where you want PowerSync to intentionally spend battery energy for export.
- For special export windows such as GloBird ZEROHERO, make the boosted window positive and keep ordinary low FiT windows at 0c unless you deliberately want low-rate battery export.
- For free import windows, enter 0c import rates. Smart Optimization will prefer those windows, and Spread import across window can smooth the planned charge if your battery supports target charge power.
Static time-of-use pricing for NZ electricity retailers. No API token required — rates are entered during setup from your plan details. All rates in NZD cents per kWh.
| Retailer | Plan | Key Feature |
|---|---|---|
| Octopus Energy NZ | Standard TOU | 3-tier peak/shoulder/off-peak with TOU export rates |
| Electric Kiwi | Standard TOU | 3-tier pricing (Hour of Power selected via Electric Kiwi app) |
| Contact Energy | Good Weekends | Free electricity on weekends |
| Contact Energy | Good Nights | Free electricity 9pm-midnight every night |
| Contact Energy | Good Charge | EV-focused with cheap overnight rate |
| Custom NZ TOU | Any plan | Enter your own rates for any NZ retailer |
Standard NZ TOU periods (used by most retailers):
| Period | Weekdays | Weekends |
|---|---|---|
| Peak | 7-9am, 5-9pm | — |
| Shoulder | 9am-5pm | 7am-9pm |
| Off-Peak | 9pm-7am | 9pm-7am |
- Select New Zealand TOU as your electricity provider
- Choose your retailer (or Custom for any NZ plan)
- Select your distribution zone (Vector, Wellington, Orion, Powerco, Unison, Aurora, or Other)
- Review and adjust the pre-filled rates for your plan (or enter rates manually for Custom)
- Peak, Shoulder, Off-Peak import rates (NZD c/kWh)
- Peak and Off-Peak export rates (NZD c/kWh)
- Daily supply charge (NZD c/day)
| Zone | Region |
|---|---|
| Vector | Auckland |
| Wellington Electricity | Wellington |
| Orion | Canterbury |
| Powerco | Waikato / Taranaki / Manawatu |
| Unison | Hawke's Bay / Rotorua / Taupo |
| Aurora | Otago / Southland |
| Other | Any other network area |
- Rates are stored as a time-of-use tariff schedule
- The Smart Optimizer uses your TOU rates to calculate optimal charge/discharge schedules, with weekday-only peaks handled automatically
- If you have a Tesla Powerwall, the TOU schedule is synced to the Powerwall for native tariff-aware behaviour
- Rates can be updated anytime via the integration options flow (Settings > Devices & Services > PowerSync > Configure)
- Electric Kiwi Hour of Power is not modelled in the TOU schedule — select your free hour via the Electric Kiwi app as usual
- Contact Good Weekends uses a 0 c/kWh rate for all weekend hours — the optimizer will prefer weekend consumption
- Contact Good Nights uses a 0 c/kWh rate for 9pm-midnight — the optimizer may shift load to this window
- Template rates are approximate starting points — always verify against your actual plan rates
Hourly day-ahead electricity pricing for European markets. Uses the free EPEX Predictor API which sources data from ENTSO-E and Energy-charts.info. No API key or account required.
| Code | Region |
|---|---|
| DE | Germany |
| AT | Austria |
| BE | Belgium |
| NL | Netherlands |
| SE1 | Sweden (Zone 1) |
| SE2 | Sweden (Zone 2) |
| SE3 | Sweden (Zone 3) |
| SE4 | Sweden (Zone 4) |
| DK1 | Denmark (Zone 1) |
| DK2 | Denmark (Zone 2) |
- Select EPEX Day-Ahead (EU) as your electricity provider
- Choose your bidding zone (e.g. BE for Belgium, DE for Germany)
- Enter your surcharge — fixed network fees, levies, and other per-kWh charges (ct/kWh)
- Enter your tax percentage — VAT applied on top of the total price (e.g. 21 for Belgium, 19 for Germany)
- Optionally set a fixed export rate — your feed-in tariff in ct/kWh. Leave at 0 to use the wholesale price for export valuation.
| Option | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Bidding Zone | Your EPEX electricity market region | DE |
| Surcharge | Fixed additional charges per kWh (network fees, levies, etc.) | 0 ct/kWh |
| Tax % | VAT percentage applied to the total price | 0% |
| Fixed Export Rate | Feed-in tariff in ct/kWh (0 = use wholesale) | 0 ct/kWh |
- Prices are fetched every 30 minutes from the EPEX Predictor API
- Surcharges and tax are included in the returned prices — no manual calculation needed
- Hourly intervals are automatically expanded to 5-minute resolution for the optimizer
- All features work seamlessly: Smart Optimization, TOU sync, curtailment at negative prices, export boost, chip mode
- Day-ahead prices are typically published around 12:00-13:00 CET for the following day
- The API includes both published and predicted prices — predictions update as new data becomes available
- If you have a fixed feed-in tariff from your energy supplier, enter it as the Fixed Export Rate so the optimizer accurately values exports
- All prices are in euro cents per kWh (ct/kWh)
- This provider does not include AEMO spike detection (that is an Australian NEM feature)
Full support for UK users with Octopus Energy dynamic tariffs.
| Product | Description |
|---|---|
| Agile Octopus | Dynamic half-hourly pricing based on wholesale rates |
| Octopus Go | EV tariff with cheap overnight rates (00:30-05:30) |
| Intelligent Octopus Go | Smart EV/battery tariff with dispatch-aware off-peak |
| Octopus Flux | Solar/battery optimized import/export tariff |
| Intelligent Octopus Flux | Smart battery optimized tariff |
| Octopus Tracker | Daily wholesale price tracking |
- Half-hourly pricing
- Automatic tariff refresh for PowerSync display and optimization. Tesla sites can upload the TOU schedule to the Powerwall; Modbus systems use the tariff data inside PowerSync
- Regional pricing via GSP (Grid Supply Point) selection
- Negative price handling
- Export rates: auto-discovered from your Octopus account, or uses Outgoing Octopus as default
- BottlecapDave integration bridge (v2.4.1+): When HomeAssistant-OctopusEnergy is installed, PowerSync reads rates directly from it — avoiding double API calls and getting your actual export tariff automatically
- Saving Sessions auto-join (v2.4.6+): Works with both Direct API mode and BottlecapDave's integration
- Saving Session sensors expose whether an event is active, the next known session, and the converted reward rate.
- Select Octopus Energy (UK) as your electricity provider
- Choose your product (Agile, Go, Intelligent Go, Flux, Tracker)
- Select your GSP region (A-P) — find this on your Octopus bill
- (Optional) Configure Saving Sessions — choose Direct or Entity (Dave's integration) as source
Saving Sessions can be configured after the main Octopus tariff under Configure > Electricity pricing & provider > Octopus Saving Sessions.
| Source | Required Details | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Direct API | Octopus API key and account number | Lets PowerSync read sessions directly and auto-join when enabled |
| Entity source | BottlecapDave/HomeAssistant-OctopusEnergy saving-session entity | Use this when that integration already tracks your sessions |
When enabled, PowerSync creates Saving Session sensors and treats joined saving-session windows as allowed export opportunities for Smart Optimization. Auto-join is optional. Reward rates are converted from Octopoints using the configured Octopoints-per-penny value.
| Code | Region |
|---|---|
| A | Eastern England |
| B | East Midlands |
| C | London |
| D | Merseyside and North Wales |
| E | Midlands |
| F | North Eastern |
| G | North Western |
| H | Southern |
| J | South Eastern |
| K | South Wales |
| L | South Western |
| M | Yorkshire |
| N | South Scotland |
| P | North Scotland |