Winter pre-charge of batteries assistant for Victron Dynamic ESS

This Node-RED flow manages the ESS (Energy Storage System) mode of a Victron Multi RS inverter based on a day/night tariff schedule. It switches between "Self-consumption" mode during the day and "Keep charged" mode at night to take advantage of lower electricity prices.

Here's a breakdown:

1. Victron Output Node (e5af576cabbda924): This node communicates with the Victron Multi RS inverter.

   • service: com.victronenergy.multi/1 specifies the Multi RS inverter service.
   • path: /Settings/Ess/Mode indicates that we are controlling the ESS mode.
   • serviceObj and pathObj: These objects define the service and path, including the available enum values for ESS mode. These are important for the node to function correctly.
   • The node sends a numerical payload to the inverter to change the ESS mode.

2. Comment Node (7481e21132c485cf): This node provides helpful comments explaining the different ESS modes and the logic of the flow.

   • 0: self-consumption (battery-life)
   • 1: self-consumption
   • 2: Keep charged
   • 3: External control

   The comment also outlines the schedule: night (23:10) enable "Keep charged" mode, morning (06:45) enable "Self consumption" mode.

3. "Self-consumption" Injection Node (37f0429efbea0ba3): This node triggers the switch to "Self-consumption" mode.

   • crontab: 45 06 * * * This cron expression schedules the injection for 06:45 every day. You MUST adjust this time to match the start of your day tariff.
   • payload: 1 This numerical payload corresponds to the "self-consumption" mode in the enum.
   • The node sends the payload to the Victron Output node.

4. "Keep Charged" Injection Node (40dd45501bfafd70): This node triggers the switch to "Keep charged" mode.

   • crontab: 10 23 * * * This cron expression schedules the injection for 23:10 every day. You MUST adjust this time to match the start of your night tariff.
   • payload: 2 This numerical payload corresponds to the "Keep charged" mode in the enum.
   • The node sends the payload to the Victron Output node.

Key takeaway: This flow automates switching your Victron Multi RS inverter between ESS modes to optimize energy usage based on time-of-use tariffs. The critical part is to configure the cron expressions in the inject nodes (37f0429efbea0ba3 and 40dd45501bfafd70) to match the exact start times of your day and night electricity tariffs. Incorrect times will defeat the purpose of the automation.

Copy[{"id":"e3e4482dc088de73","type":"group","z":"451de6c7012af555","name":"EnergyCitizen - night charge","style":{"label":true,"fill":"#ffff00","fill-opacity":"0.5","color":"#3f93cf","stroke":"#0070c0"},"nodes":["e5af576cabbda924","7481e21132c485cf","37f0429efbea0ba3","40dd45501bfafd70"],"x":54,"y":279,"w":592,"h":182},{"id":"e5af576cabbda924","type":"victron-output-multi","z":"451de6c7012af555","g":"e3e4482dc088de73","service":"com.victronenergy.multi/1","path":"/Settings/Ess/Mode","serviceObj":{"service":"com.victronenergy.multi/1","name":"MultRS1"},"pathObj":{"path":"/Settings/Ess/Mode","type":"enum","name":"ESS mode","enum":{"0":"self-consumption (battery-life)","1":"self-consumption","2":"Keep charged","3":"External control"},"writable":true},"name":"","onlyChanges":false,"x":520,"y":380,"wires":[]},{"id":"7481e21132c485cf","type":"comment","z":"451de6c7012af555","g":"e3e4482dc088de73","name":"","info":"0 - self-consumption (battery-life)\n1 - self-consumption\n2 - Keep charged\n3 - External control\n\n\n// Logic\n\nNight on 23:10 - enable keep charged to charge batteries by night tariff\n\nMorning on 06:45 - enable Self consumption to enable DESS work","x":540,"y":320,"wires":[]},{"id":"37f0429efbea0ba3","type":"inject","z":"451de6c7012af555","g":"e3e4482dc088de73","name":"Self consumption","props":[{"p":"payload"}],"repeat":"","crontab":"45 06 * * *","once":false,"onceDelay":0.1,"topic":"","payload":"1","payloadType":"num","x":190,"y":340,"wires":[["e5af576cabbda924"]]},{"id":"40dd45501bfafd70","type":"inject","z":"451de6c7012af555","g":"e3e4482dc088de73","name":"Keep Charged","props":[{"p":"payload"}],"repeat":"","crontab":"10 23 * * *","once":false,"onceDelay":0.1,"topic":"","payload":"2","payloadType":"num","x":180,"y":420,"wires":[["e5af576cabbda924"]]}]