Smart Homes and Solar Power: The Perfect Match for Energy Independence
For many homeowners in Portugal, going solar is the first big step toward energy independence. But there’s a second step that can take your savings, and your control, even further: integrating smart home technology.
Smart systems can automatically adjust how and when your home uses electricity, ensuring that every ray of sunlight is put to good use rather than exported back to the grid for a few cents.
Let’s look at how smart home tools can transform the way you live with solar power.
How Smart Home Systems Work with Solar
When your solar panels produce more energy than your home is using, the surplus typically flows back into the grid. While that’s fine in principle, the export tariff in Portugal is quite low, often around €0.04–€0.07 per kWh, compared to €0.25–€0.30 per kWh when you buy energy from the grid.
A smart Home Energy Management System (HEMS) changes that equation. It detects when your solar panels are generating excess electricity and redirects that power to useful loads in your home, things like:
- Heating your water cylinder or pool,
- Charging your electric vehicle,
- Running your washing machine or dishwasher, or
- Powering your air conditioning or dehumidifier.
Instead of exporting power, you use it thereby increasing your self-consumption and reducing your bills.
The Technology Behind It
Modern inverters, batteries, and home automation systems can now talk to each other. Here are some examples of how it works in practice:
- Smart Meters and Sensors: Devices like the Fronius Smart Meter, Shelly EM, or SolarEdge Home Meter monitor import/export power in real time.
- Automated Relays and Switches: Systems such as myenergi eddi or Shelly Pro relays can automatically switch appliances on when solar production exceeds a set level.
- Integrated Platforms: Smart ecosystems like SolarEdge Home, SMA Sunny Home Manager, or Fox ESS with HEMS coordinate loads, storage, and EV charging under one dashboard.
With the right setup, you can prioritise your loads — for example:
- Charge your water heater first
- Then top up your EV
- Finally, if there’s still excess, send it to the grid
All of this happens automatically, based on your energy production and consumption patterns.
Why Smart Control Makes Solar Even Smarter
| Benefit | What It Means for You |
| Higher self-consumption | Use 80–95% of your solar power instead of 50–60%. |
| Lower bills | Buy less electricity during expensive “Ponta” hours. |
| Automation | Set and forget - your system manages itself. |
| Resilience | Combine with battery storage for near energy independence. |
| Sustainability | Lower carbon footprint and more efficient energy use. |
For many homeowners, a smart control setup adds only €300 to €800 to the cost of a system but improves payback by 6 to 12 months thanks to higher self-consumption and reduced grid imports.
Real Examples of Smart Solar Living
Pool heating: A smart relay detects solar surplus and switches on the pool heat pump, ensuring the pool heats only when energy is free.
EV charging: An intelligent charger like myenergi zappi uses solar energy for vehicle charging — no export, no waste.
Water heating: An eddi or Fronius Ohmpilot modulates power to a water heater, turning every spare watt into hot water instead of grid export.
Portugal Is Perfect for Smart Solar Homes
With over 300 sunny days per year, Portugal offers excellent conditions for solar self-consumption. Smart automation helps you take full advantage of those long, bright days while avoiding high grid costs during Cheias and Ponta periods.
And for homeowners with batteries, a smart system can even schedule charging from Super Vazio (cheap overnight) electricity, so you start the day with a full battery ready to cover your morning consumption.
The Bottom Line
Smart home technology takes solar from “set-and-forget” to “optimise-and-save.”
By automatically shifting your energy use to match your solar production, you:
- Increase self-consumption,
- Lower your electricity bill,
- Reduce your environmental impact, and
- Enjoy the comfort of a home that intelligently manages itself.
If you already have solar or are thinking about installing it talk to Sol Viva about integrating smart load management into your system design.
Contact Sol Viva to explore how to make your home not just solar-powered, but smart solar-powered.