In this guide you will learn how to interpret and manage the Sense in the Zaptec Portal.
Once you have set up the Zaptec Sense, you can manage it and control features such as minimum available current and dynamic power limiter. If you haven't already set up Zaptec Sense, you can read about how to do this in this article. Click here for the installation of Sense HAN.
Find Zaptec Sense
To view details about your Zaptec Sense in Portal, go to the installation, choose Settings, and click on Power management. The reason why it says Zaptec APM and not Zaptec Sense is that we have not updated the Portal with the new product name.
If you have access to more than one installation you can find the Sense by looking up the serial number. Under the Installations tab in Portal, use the search field and enter → apm “code”. Eg. apm "apm002816"
Zaptec Sense details
Here you can see all the settings and data from the Sense.
Sensor ID: The serial number of the module
Main fuse (A): The maximum current allowed on the circuit where the energy sensor is located. This is, as the name indicates, usually equivalent to the location's main fuse rating. It is possible to set this value lower than the physical circuit breaker to further limit the total energy consumed. The current available for charging is the difference between this value and the currents measured by the energy sensor. If the main fuse is over 63A scaling factor will be visible and you will have to fill out the correct value.
Scaling factor: Some AMS sensors require a scaling factor to be applied to measurements to get the correct value. Only visible if the main fuse is over 63A. Please refer to the AMS documentation for the correct scaling factor for the installed hardware.
Available current φ1, φ2, and φ3: Shows available current for EV charging. These values are the last measurements in the evaluation period. If one of the phases has a lower value it means that the building is drawing more power from that phase. It is the lowest of the three values that decide the charging current.
- For an IT 3phase network you have to have enough available power on two phases to be able to charge.
- For Go chargers on a 3phase installation, regardless of the grid type, it must be enough power on all phases to be able to charge. Since Go chargers cant phase balance it will not be able to start charging before it is enough power on all phases. This is not a problem for pro chargers.
Interpreting the graph
💡 kWh is a measure of energy, whilst kW is a measure of power. So in this case, when kW is used it shows how much power that is being used right then and there. When referring to the term kWh it shows how much energy has been used over a longer period of time ( the result)
Capacity (kW) : The maximum current allowed on the circuit where the e-meter is located. Controlled by the value set under Main fuse (A).
Total energy (kWh) : The total amount of energy used at the installation. EV charging + other.
Charge energy (kWh) : Hourly values. Shows how much power is used on Ev charging.
Instant power (kW) : The measurements from the HAN-port. The Sense cannot prevent other things from being used. E.g in the picture you can see that the yellow graph goes over the red line ( capacity main fuse), meaning that the power used on the installation is higher than the maximum current allowed for EV charging.
Dynamic power limiter
The Dynamic power limiter (BETA) is a value-added service for Pro installations with Zaptec Sense.
- Note: this is a beta function and is still under development.
The power limiter prevents the charging system from being the cause of power peaks, beyond what the owner chooses as the power budget.
How does this work?
Every hour we send a message with the last hour's energy to the cloud. These values are used to
limit or prevent charging during periods when power consumption is high and postpone charging until power consumption drops. By doing this you can avoid the total energy exceeding defined tariff limits, which can save the installation owner from having to pay a higher power tariff than necessary.
Since we only control the charging system, we cannot guarantee that the building alone does not consume over such a limit, but we can prevent the charging system from contributing to exceeding the limit.
Power budget: Configures the maximum effect the charging system is allowed to add on top of your building power consumption within a calendar month. The default is 0kW where the charging system is limited to the building's maximum power consumption.
Rollover percentage: This shows how much of your building's maximum power is transferred from one month to the next. The default is to start each new period with 75% of last month's maximum.
Dynamic power limit (kW): Shows the power budget that limits the effect of the charging system.
Automatic power limitation (Norway only)
The Automatic power limitation is a value-added service for Norwegian Home installations with Sense. This feature is only available in Norway because the effect tariff does not apply elsewhere.
This feature helps you control the capacity level of the effect tariff (introduced in Norway on July 1, 2022) by ensuring that charging does not contribute to exceeding the limit of your choice.
To find and activate this feature, log into the Zaptec Portal and navigate to the Power management settings in your Zaptec Go Installation. You will also need to ensure that your Zaptec Sense / APM is connected. This will soon be available during installation in the Zaptec app.
Use the drop-down menu to specify the bracket.
Choose between: 2-5 kW , 5-10 kW , 10-15 kW or 15-20 kW.
Keep in mind that the bracket will limit the available charging current for the installation.
E.g. If the main fuse is 63A and you choose the bracket 5-10kW the effective current limit will be set to 25.1 A instead of 63A. Meaning that it will never be more than 25.1A allocated for EV charging at the installation.
When you have chosen a bracket this message will pop under Main Fuse (A) in Portal:
The function will also be visible in the graph like so:
Automatic power limit (kW) : Shows the capacity level bracket. The limit is calculated based on the chosen capacity level bracket.
Checklist for troubleshooting
If you want to read more about troubleshooting tips and tricks. Click here.
When experiencing problems with the Sense start by checking the indicator light on the module. Use the guide in the user manual to find out what it means. If this does not help go through the following steps:
- Is the HAN port open? ( N/A Sense Generic)
- Is it connected to the internet?
- Does the values in the Portal settings match the IRL installation?
- Main fuse over 63A? If so, is the scaling factor correct?
- What type of AMS is this? Maybe it needs an external power supply ( N/A Sense Generic).
- Is this an IT installation? If so, check if there is enough power on two phases.
- Is the charger wired correctly?