Reading the battery app screens

Apps often show the battery as charging, discharging or standby. Wording varies by maker, so the labels below come from the makers named, not from every product.

The three states

Another maker's app guide words it differently. Its power screen shows whether the battery is charging, discharging or idle.² So "idle" and "standby" may describe the same state in different apps. Check your own manual.

Standby isn't a fault

Standby means no power is moving into or out of the battery. It doesn't say the battery is broken. In one maker's control mode, the system switches to standby by itself once the battery reaches the target level you set.¹

Why the battery discharges

When solar panels can't cover the home, the battery helps. That maker's docs say the battery gives supplemental discharge when solar energy is short.¹ PV means photovoltaic, or solar panels.

In an outage, the reserve joins in. One maker says the backup reserve becomes available during an outage.³

The percentage and the power figure are different

An app shows two kinds of number. The percentage is the state of charge, which helps owners see how much stored energy is available.² The power figure, in watts or kilowatts, shows how fast energy is moving right now. The label tells you which way it's going.

When the screen looks wrong

One maker notes that correct BMS communication is needed for charge level, limits, alarms and battery status to display properly.² BMS means battery management system. If a screen looks wrong, follow your manual and contact the maker or installer.

Finding the reserve control

In one maker's steps, the reserve is set with a slider at the top of a mode screen.³ Your app may differ. For what that slider does, read how a reserve works.

Reading a normal evening

Say the sun has set and the home is drawing power. With solar gone, the label may move from standby to discharging, and the percentage starts to fall. That's the sequence the maker's docs describe: solar first, battery when solar is short.¹

Next morning the label may flip to charging as the panels pick up. The percentage then rises. These are typical patterns, so your app may order things differently.

A simple routine

1. Open the app's main screen and read the state label.
2. Read the percentage, then the power figure.
3. If the state is standby, check whether a target level or reserve has been reached.
4. If something looks off, check your manual before changing settings.

If the percentage itself looks odd, drift and jumps in the reading lists the usual reasons.