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Homeowner - Green CATCH
How Does Green CATCH work?
Green CATCH is a hot water diverter, it is installed in your meter box by a licensed electrician. The device includes a current transformer that detects when energy is leaving your property and with it's sophisticated algorithms can deliver precise amounts of energy to the hot water tank.
Why Do I need Green CATCH? What is the difference between a Timer and a Green CATCH?
Without intervention your electric hot water system will stay on a Control Load or Off Peak tariff. This is traditionally heated from 11pm-3am. It is a common misconception that your hot water system will automatically be covered with your solar but this is not the case.
The traditional way to change this was to installer a timer. Timers just shift the time your hot water tank heats and will turn on at full capacity between say 11am -2pm. They do not have the ability to detect how much available solar you have at the time. This means that if your system only has 1 kW of surplus solar and your hot water systems turns on with a 3.6 kW element you will be importing the remaining 2.6kW's from the grid at peak electricity prices. This can end up costing you more than if you left your tank on a standard control load/ off peak tariff.
With Green CATCH, if your solar system has 500w's of surplus solar, then it will send just 500w's of energy to the hot water system. This makes it our most efficient method of heating hot water. Green CATCH also has the ability to hard wire the Control Load/Off Peak circuit directly into the device it allows for any boosting to be done on the cheaper tariff. *Some state exclusions do apply*
What happens if there is not enough solar to heat my hot water?
Under our Learning Solar Only * Light Solid* Green CATCH is constantly looking for thermostatic cut off, If cut off temperature has not been met, then Green CATCH will allow for Off Peak to come in that night and take your tank to cut off temperature that night. If there is no Off Peak available this heating will occur between 11pm-3am.
What if my Off Peak comes on during the day?
Green CATCH is smart enough to know that it can do the job throughout the day, then it will block out the Off Peak signal and continue to divert throughout sunlight hours.
Does Green CATCH work with Amber Electric?
If a signal is sent to discharge your batteries, Green CATCH will see this as export and use this energy to heat your hot water. This will affect the financial returns of discharging your batteries.
How do I turn Green CATCH off?
Green CATCH is hardwired into your hot water circuit, so turning it off will result in no hot water. This is fine if you are going on an extended holiday but if your experimenting with wholesale energy rates a longer term solution maybe needed. Please contact your installer to have them bypass the device.
Can I use an EV smart charger with my existing Green CATCH Power for solar-only charging?
Yes, but there are a few key points to consider:
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Power Activation: The Green CATCH diverts energy with 500W, but the EV charger needs around 1400W in solar mode for stable charging.
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CT Placement: Prioritising the EV CT will allow it to start charging once 1400W is reached.
Placing Green’s CT first will delay EV charging until the hot water reaches cut off temperature.
What is the difference between Green CATCH and the CATCH Solar Relay
Green CATCH is a hot water diverter, it can send precise amounts of energy to the hot water system. It is limited to resistive loads (Underfloor Heating, some heat banks and Standard Electric Hot) Green CATCH has a dual input which means that you can hard wire Off Peak/Control Load into the unit for any boosting that may be needed.
CATCH Solar Relay is a smart switch. It has the ability to control both conductive and resistive loads (some exclusions still apply) We do not divert but turn on and off, at the fully rated output. i.e. a 3.6 kW Element will run at 3.6 kW's. The CATCH Solar Relay also works as the energy meter for a range of inverter brands making it an easy addition to any solar system. The CATCH Solar Relay is connected to the internet and has a monitoring platform. You can find out more about the CATCH Solar Relay here
Can I keep my off Peak?
Yes, Green CATCH has a dedicated terminal so your Off Peak can be hard wired into the device, this allows any boosting to happen from Off Peak. Exclusions apply for QLD.
Does Green work with batteries?
Yes, Green CATCH works with hybrid sites, however to avoid the battery seeing Green CATCH as a load, there is a different installation. This can be found here. Please note we do not recommend Green for use on 3phase Hybrid sites.
What is I don't have Off - Peak? How does Green boosting work without Off- Peak?
If Off-Peak is not physically connected to your Green CATCH Power any boosting will happen between 11pm-3am when cheaper energy rates are often available.
What happens if I use more than a tank of hot water per day?
With Green CATCH you can have up to two heating cycles, by pressing the boost button twice, so the light flashes. This will lock in a secondary heating cycle. One from the Solar and another from mains overnight.
I ran out of Hot Water what do I do?
If you have extra guests at your property and you run out of hot water, you press the 'Heat Now' button. This will take your tank to cut off temperature from what ever power source is available at the time, this could be a mix of Solar and Mains. Once the tank reaches cut off temperature the device will revert back, to the previous selected settings.
How Does Green CATCH work?
Green CATCH is a hot water diverter, it is installed in your meter box by a licensed electrician. The device includes a current transformer that detects when energy is leaving your property and with it's sophisticated algorithms can deliver precise amounts of energy to the hot water tank.
What happens if I have extra visitors and we use more hot water than usual?
Green CATCH has the ability to heat your hot water at any time of day with the 'Heat Now' button. This will pull from what ever energy source is available at the time, this could be a mixture of solar and mains power.
CATCH Control
Can I have more than one device at my property?
Yes, you can have multiple devices at your property, priority is given by the load size and CT placement.
Each CATCH Control has the ability to control your inverter, batteries, one load via a contactor, an integrated EV Charger. Our 6- Channel device also has an inbuilt DRM control.
How many loads can I control with one device
What if I don't have Wi-Fi
Dynamic and Flexible sites require a stable Wi-Fi connection.
Wholesale energy markets require a stable Wi-Fi connection.
Wi-Fi is required for monitoring.
Under normal operations Wi-Fi is not required for load control (like Hot Water) is done from a CT measurement and a lack of Wi-Fi will not affect this operation.
What type of loads can I control with CATCH Power
CATCH Control can control any dedicated circuit
Green CATCH ONLY works with resistive loads; Electric Hot Water and Under Floor Heating
This depends on what you are hoping to achieve and your system size. Typically, if your solar system is 6.6 kW's and below, we recommend Green CATCH for hot water heating.
If you would like a system that is smart and has the ability to grow with your needs than CATCH Control is the product you
Which product suits me best?
What if I don't have Wi-Fi
Dynamic and Flexible sites require a stable Wi-Fi connection.
Wholesale energy markets require a stable Wi-Fi connection.
Wi-Fi is required for monitoring.
Under normal operations Wi-Fi is not required for load control (like Hot Water) is done from a CT measurement and a lack of Wi-Fi will not affect this operation.
CATCH Control - Amber
How does CATCH Control integrate with Amber Electric?
Amber Electric is the Energy Retailer and CATCH Control integrates with via Amber's API to manage your energy usage based on real-time 5-Minute wholesale prices set by AEMO, allowing you to optimise your energy consumption and save money by taking advantage of volatile periods.
With CATCH Control, you can access wholesale energy markets with a larger range of Consumer Energy Resource's (CER) CATCH Control has 18 inverter partners and with our hardware in place all of these inverters can use Amber. If your site has multiple inverters on site, or even different brand inverters it can still work. You can also control household loads, like your hot water system or your EV based on the wholesale market, when connected with our CATCH Control device.
What is the benefit of using CATCH Control with Amber Electric?
What Inverters integrate with CATCH Control and Amber?
For a full list of integrated inverter brands please visit our TECH Doc's page for the latest lists.
By monitoring live pricing, CATCH Control allows you to manage heavy loads like hot water systems and EV chargers when energy prices are low, ensuring significant savings on your energy bill.
How does CATCH Control help with energy savings in wholesale markets?
Yes, while Amber’s Smart Shift uses 30-minute intervals for price predictions, CATCH Control works in 5-minute blocks, making decisions in real-time to optimise energy use based on live data. Due to CATCH Control physically being connected to inverters and loads on site, it can act swifty from pricing signals.
Does CATCH Control work independently of Amber’s Smart Shift?
If the wholesale prices do not meet your 'Emergency' pricing threshold, CATCH Control continues operating in self-consumption mode, ensuring you maximise the use of your own solar energy instead of relying on the grid.
What happens if the wholesale energy prices don’t drop as expected?
Absolutely! CATCH Control ensures that your solar, batteries, and loads (such as EVs or hot water systems) are managed dynamically, using both your solar energy and the best wholesale energy rates provided by Amber Electric.
Is CATCH Control compatible with Amber for households with solar and batteries?
Yes, with CATCH Control you can set the price you want loads to charge or discharge. You can set individual pricing thresholds for each connected energy resource e.g. Inverters, Batteries, Loads, EV Charger.
Can I decide the threshold on which my batteries dishcharge?
CATCH Control - EVSE
What is CATCH Control EVSE?
CATCH Control EVSE is an integrated solution for managing electric vehicle (EV) charging, giving you full control over charging times and energy sources.
Yes, CATCH Control EV integration allows your EV Charger to act on signals from your solar. This allows you to charge your EV using surplus solar energy, maximising your self-consumption and reducing reliance on mains power. You can set additional schedules to take advantage of cheaper energy prices.
Can I charge my EV using solar power with CATCH Control?
Can I prioritise solar charging for my EV with CATCH Control?
Yes, With CATCH Control there are a number of ways you can control your EV Charging. This can be done from just surplus solar, a percentage of solar production, timing schedules or even pricing signals in a wholesale market.
Can I control multiple loads and EV charging at the same time?
Yes, the CATCH Control 6-Channel device allows for managing multiple loads like hot water systems and EV chargers simultaneously.
Yes, CATCH Control provides real-time monitoring of your energy usage, including EV charging, helping you manage your energy consumption more efficiently.
Can I monitor my EV charging usage?
Yes, When you are using CATCH Control and an integrated EV Charger, you automatically comply with Dynamic Import regulations and can charge at the full 7 kW load.
Does CATCH Control EVSE work with dynamic Imports?
What are Dynamic Imports?
Dynamic Charging adjusts the power supplied to your EV charger based on real-time conditions, such as grid demand or renewable energy availability, to manage energy consumption efficiently.
What is Dynamic Charging for EVs?
How does Dynamic Charging benefit the electricity grid?
It helps reduce peak demand and strain on the grid by adjusting the charging rate during high-demand periods, protecting infrastructure and reducing the need for grid upgrades.
What is the minimum power limit for Dynamic Charging?
The minimum limit is set based on grid conditions, but typically it will not drop below 1.5 kW's.
What happens if I don't comply?
If you your system does not comply with Dynamic Imports, you can not charge above 20amps. If the system is above 20amps a ripple control device must be installed, and your charging could be shut down without notice. Ripple control is used by energy providers to manage demand on the grid, and can remotely control your charger, turning it off during peak periods to avoid strain. Failure to follow these requirements might lead to disconnection from the program or penalties,
Questions on Sunspec
SunSpec is a communication standard used in the solar industry to enable interoperability between devices like inverters, batteries, and monitoring systems. It allows various solar equipment from different manufacturers to communicate effectively over a shared protocol, simplifying the integration and control of these systems. By using SunSpec, installers can easily monitor, manage, and control multiple devices, often without the need for additional hardware like current transformers (CTs), as data is directly sourced from the inverters over the same network.
What is Sunspec?
Can multiple inverters be linked via SunSpec for monitoring?
Yes, multiple inverters like Fronius and SMA can be linked through SunSpec, and no CT is required for solar monitoring as data is retrieved directly from the inverters.
How does SunSpec enable export control over distances?
SunSpec allows for export control even over long distances, such as solar on a shed and the meter on a pole.
What is required for SunSpec communication across networks?
Inverters must be on the same network. If they aren’t, additional devices will be required.
Yes, with SunSpec, a 6-Channel device can control both a 3-phase Fronius and a single-phase SMA on a 3-phase property.
Can a single 6-Channel device control a mix of 3-phase and single-phase inverters?
If you have changed your Wi-Fi details please follow these steps to reconnect your device.
or copy and paste this URL into your search bar.
https://youtu.be/Z74J9YjnclI?si=BIy_U4X-vTvg6Dm0
How to reconnect my Wi-Fi? I have changed internet providers how do I reconnect?
If you have forgotten your password please follow these steps to reset your password.
or copy and paste the URL into your search bar.
https://youtube.com/shorts/9M7QyA_xUWs?si=2qLorF4SJK8ICOBI
I forgot my password. How do I change my password?
New to CATCH Power? Follow these steps to register your account
or copy and paste this URL into your search bar.
https://youtu.be/_WAmK0lIf1M?si=lWBSaYzfgZyqUHS8
How do I register my account? I never received my activation codes?
New to CATCH Power? Follow these steps to register your account
or copy and paste this URL into your search bar
https://youtu.be/_WAmK0lIf1M?si=lWBSaYzfgZyqUHS8
How do I register my account? I never received my activation codes?
You can find all the installation manuals on our website under the Tech Docs page
Tech Docs | CATCH Power
Where do I find the installation manuals?
Green CATCH does not have a Wi-Fi connection and is controlled by the control panel on the front of the device.
You can find details on how to control your CATCH Control via Bluetooth here
I don't have Wi-Fi how can I control my device?
CATCH Power are not pursuing the application of the Control range beyond the capacity of the CTs that are shipped with the product (100A). CATCH Power are targeting systems that are large residential or small commercial as a maximum. Control is not a C&I product.
This situation may change in the future, but this is the case for the medium term.
Can I use 6-Channel CATCH Control on my large commercial site?
The Monocle is currently only set up as an app however with our integration with Solar Analytics you can gain access to a desk top version.
While Solar Analytics can be accessed through an automatic handshake between the platforms, we do not share passwords between CATCH Power and Solar Analytics for security reasons.
To access Solar Analytics, visit www.solaranalytics.com.au, enter your email, and click ‘Forgot Password’. This will allow you to set a new password and log in from your computer.
Can I monitor my system from my Computer?
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