Hi!
I have AC200PL with B300K working in customized UPS mode, connected to the grid all the time.
During peak hours, it draws 19-33 watts constantly, depending on the load.
While I know that some power draw in standby mode is inevitable, I still struggle to understand why it is so high, dynamic, and non-linear.
As you can see in the pics below, under small loads (~50W) it draws ~30W, under medium (700-800W) - 20W, under heavy (~1900W) - 30+W again. This makes no sense to me.
I have already decided to mitigate all of this by purchasing a smart plug, because an extra 15kWh per month during peak hours is not smth I’m comfortable with, but I still want to know if this is normal and if it could be fixed by software updates.
Thanks!
I think what you are measuring on the utility-side is reactive power (my split-phase AC300s do the same).
Customers on standard, household-type contracts are typically not billed for it*. Are you?
*(To be precise, in case of household contracts it is “built” into the base fee, i.e. people pay an average and not based on any measured amount).
The AC300/AC500/etc. use the utility - when connected - to (1) regulate voltage and (2) modulate frequency even if they supply load internally from battery (ac_output_mode=“LOAD_MATCHING”).
Check out: AC200L: What's going on?
.
19W certainly sounds possible. With my AC200l I see 7W of ‘Actual Power’ - as charged by my utility company - when using UPS mode. FYI for me PV mode is much worse.
.
I have a very similar-looking power meter; it measures PF (Power Factor), and the displayed power usage takes PF into account. ie Actual power = apparent power * PF, eg the meter shows 20W with a power factor of 0.5, the apparent power would be 40W - which is the value I measure with a smart plug.
Hello, we need to confirm whether the 30W and 19W in the middle are active power.
Hello!
My primitive 10$ watt meter measures active power only in W; it cannot measure reactive power (VAR) or apparent power (VA) @gbk @ecat
I totally missed existing threads that have already brought attention to this matter, so I apologize.
But I totally agree with the suggestion made by luigi_tomaselli.
Anyway, whatever the parasitic drain from the grid is, the power station should disengage the grid completely during peak hours by switching the grid relay and engage it only if the SOC Low is reached.
Whatever the power station regulates or measures from the grid with the current hardware/software design, it’s not necessary during peak hours and benefits no one except power companies.
Our technicians recommend that you replace the meter for testing, as the current reading seems very unreasonable. Thank you!
If your technicians are right, then my Bluetti is the only device that triggers abnormal readings from my meter, cause everything else seems fine.
However, even if it should always be ~20W or so, it’s still irrelevant, because the grid should be disengaged by the relay, and the grid usage during peak hours should be zero for the reasons I mentioned in the post above.
I suggest making a “Disengage GRID during Peak” Customized UPS option with SOC Low trigger, which re-engages it.
VSM, I had my Bluetti AC300 setup for some time before I learned about PV mode, so the way I have been avoiding peak time charges from my electric company is by using a Kasa smart plug. The smart plugs have scheduling capabilities, and you can turn them on and off remotely (as you already likely know). I’m now using PV mode, and, like you said, it still shows a power draw on AC In, but at zero (at least on the Bluetti app and screen) unless I get to 10% charge or less per my settings. I also set the Kasa plug to turn off during peak hours, so even if Bluetti had a draw, it’s not getting any power with the Kasa plug off.
$10 solution to your problem. Might be worth a consideration.
1 Like
Yeah, as I said in the original post, I’m getting a smart plug next week anyway, because usually it takes them a lot of fortnights to come up with a solution.
However, using a smart plug has a downside: if you hit SOC Low during peak hours when a smart plug keeps the grid off, you will drain your SOC to zero. Not my case, but it’s smth everyone should keep in mind, thus making this option not optimal for everyone.
I charged my AC60 to 100% a couple of months ago when I fist got it. I decided not to have it plugged in UPS mode due the the cost. It has not gone down at all. I will use it if the power goes out, as UPS mode is too wasteful for me. :) Oh, I also bought a smart swith, thinking that was the solution, but since it never goes down, the only reason to use it is to see if it is still at 100%
I’m unable to determine how much AC60 drains from the grid in standby mode, as I don’t own one, but you should consider idle consumption. Bluetti claims it’s 5.45W in AC, which means in reality it’s closer to 8W.
That means the AC60 inverter consumes ~180Wh per day. Almost half of the capacity goes into self-consumption.
I’m afraid you need a unit with a larger battery to notice a difference.
I got the Ac60 with a 100% rebate from pg&e. I have a natural gas generator, which kicks in with a power outage. I only got the AC60 becuase it was free. So, I see no reason to spend money on a upgrade. I was just pointing out that the power when off does not drain the battery, and it would only take a second to turn it on, rather then waste any money in the UPS mode.
1 Like
Totally misunderstood the context, my bad
:) No worries - :) ______________________________