What PV system owners need to know
For commercial properties with predictable energy use
The SMA Energy Planner provides free, manual energy management for commercial PV systems with fixed operating hours or repeatable energy routines. It offers straightforward, schedule‑based control for businesses that prefer clear, predictable energy flows. Included in all ennexOS‑powered SMA systems.
View the SMA Energy Planner page for installers and discover how easy the new energy management is installed.
SMA Energy Planer for installers
SMA Energy Planner
Fits fixed operating hours
Schedule energy use to match daily routines and seasons.
Predictable, simple control
Set clear rules; get transparent, reliable behavior.
Lower operating costs
Use more self‑produced energy, charge at low‑price times, export when rates are higher.
Reduce peak charges
Limit short demand spikes with peak‑load shaving.
Works without internet
Local operation for remote or restricted‑network locations.
Built on 10+ years of energy management
Trusted in more than 420,000 homes worldwide — built on over a decade of energy management experience, with built-in cybersecurity.
SMA Energy Planner
A heritage of reliability
Energy Planner continues the proven, rule‑based energy management approach used by thousands of customers worldwide.
Evolved from Sunny Home Manager technology
More than 10 years of real‑world insights flow into today’s manual control logic.
Designed for predictable operating environments
Based on field experience with businesses that run on fixed hours, seasonal routines and repeatable processes.
Stable, transparent and easy to understand
Rule‑based schedules ensure predictable behaviour — no automated decisions or complexity.
Integrated in all ennexOS based devices
Ready to use in ennexOS‑powered SMA systems, with the same stability businesses rely on.
Two ways to manage your solar power
SMA Energy Planner*
Prefer simple, rule-based control?
Energy Planner gives you predictable, schedule-based energy management — ideal for stable operating conditions and straightforward use cases.
SMA Energy Maximizer*
Want automatic optimization and lower bills automatically?
Energy Maximizer continuously optimizes energy flows based on forecasts, tariffs and real-time data — with no manual intervention.
*Availability and features may vary by country.
Set simple rules for how your energy is used — Energy Planner executes them automatically.
Reduce power peaks with scheduled usage. Define when energy-intensive devices are used to avoid high peaks — improving system stability and reducing costs.
Use electricity when it fits your needs. Decide when to draw power from the grid and align it with your usage patterns and priorities.
Make better use of excess energy. Set how surplus solar energy is used or fed into the grid — based on your preferences.
Getting started with the SMA Energy Planner is quick and straightforward. It’s already built into all SMA devices powered by ennexOS and lets you easily schedule your energy use.
Access energy management via Sunny Portal
All settings are managed centrally in Sunny Portal — no additional tools or software required.
Define energy schedules
Set when devices like batteries or loads should operate based on fixed time patterns.
Adjust to your operating routines
Align energy usage with business hours and update schedules easily when needed.
*Availability and features may vary by country.
From installation to everyday use — real experiences from installers and homeowners.
Energy Management powered by ennexOS
Energy Maximizer and Energy Planner are already integrated into all ennexOS-based SMA devices — ready to use from day one.
Availability and features may vary by country.
¹ Based on an internal SMA customer survey conducted via the SMA Energy App among owners of residential solar systems (over 11,000 participants in Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands). Respondents were asked about their intention to choose SMA again (“Would you choose SMA again?”).
What installers need to know
Ideal for commercial sites
The SMA Energy Planner is a rule-based energy management solution built into every ennexOS-powered system. It is ideal for business customers with stable and predictable energy consumption — such as farms, small commercial sites or supermarkets — where simple, schedule-driven control delivers reliable results.
View the SMA Energy Planner page for business owner and discover what the new free manual energy management can do for you.
Energy Planer for business owners
Predictable system behavior
Ideal for fixed commercial routines and stable load profiles
Fast and straightforward commissioning
Simple setup with easy-to-manage local schedules
No subscription handling required
Included by default — no additional contracts or onboarding
Fewer support requests
Transparent, rule-based operation that customers understand
Integrated energy management — ready to use
No additional energy management hardware required, available in every system
Designed for predictable operations
Ideal for sites with fixed operating hours and stable consumption patterns
Reliable cost control
Optimize self-consumption and energy usage through clear schedules
Strong fit for commercial use cases
Supports self-consumption and peak load management for measurable business value
SMA Energy Planner
Defined schedules instead of automation
Energy flows are controlled through fixed time-based rules — giving full transparency and predictability.
Local logic without external dependencies
Runs directly within the system, without relying on cloud data, forecasts or tariff signals.
Deterministic system behavior
Identical conditions always lead to the same outcome — ideal for stable operating environments.
Clear and adjustable control rules
Settings can be easily understood, modified and adapted by installers or operators.
Set simple rules for how your energy is used — Energy Planner executes them automatically.
Reduce power peaks with scheduled usage. Define when energy-intensive devices are used to avoid high peaks — improving system stability and reducing costs.
Use electricity when it fits your needs. Decide when to draw power from the grid and align it with your usage patterns and priorities.
Make better use of excess energy. Set how surplus solar energy is used or fed into the grid — based on your preferences.
Getting started with the SMA Energy Planner is quick and straightforward. It’s already built into all SMA devices powered by ennexOS and lets you easily schedule your energy use.
Access energy management via Sunny Portal
All settings are managed centrally in Sunny Portal — no additional tools or software required.
Define energy schedules
Set when devices like batteries or loads should operate based on fixed time patterns.
Adjust to your operating routines
Align energy usage with business hours and update schedules easily when needed.
*Availability and features may vary by country.
Built on 10+ years of energy management
Trusted in more than 420,000 homes worldwide — built on over a decade of energy management experience, with built-in cybersecurity.
SMA Energy Maximizer vs. SMA Energy Planner
SMA Energy Planner
Prefer simple, rule-based control?
Energy Planner gives you predictable, schedule-based energy management — ideal for stable operating conditions and straightforward use cases.
SMA Energy Maximizer
Want automatic optimization and lower bills automatically?
Energy Maximizer continuously optimizes energy flows based on forecasts, tariffs and real-time data — with no manual intervention.
*Availability and features may vary by country.
Energy Management powered by ennexOS
Energy Maximizer and Energy Planner are already integrated into all ennexOS-based SMA devices — ready to use from day one.
Availability and features may vary by country.
From installation to everyday use — real experiences from installers and homeowners.
¹ Based on an internal SMA customer survey conducted via the SMA Energy App among owners of residential solar systems (over 11,000 participants in Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands). Respondents were asked about their intention to choose SMA again (“Would you choose SMA again?”).
SMA Energy Planner
The System Manager is an integrated software component in products powered by ennexOS. It is not necessarily tied to its own hardware, but can also be operated on existing hardware.
The System Manager provides data (e.g. PV generation, battery and loads) to the energy management and implements control commands, such as for charging, feeding in or activating loads.
In addition, it works together with cloud services such as the Energy Maximizer, which calculate optimization strategies.
In "Solar" or "Smart" mode, your stationary battery may contribute to charging your electric vehicle for a short time. This is not an error, but conscious behavior of the energy management system.
The stationary battery acts as an energy buffer here to compensate for short-term fluctuations in the PV generation, for example when the solar power briefly drops due to passing clouds. This prevents frequent power-up and power-down processes as well as constant adjustments of the charging power.
Important: The stationary battery is not intended for continuously charging the vehicle. If the available PV power is no longer sufficient over an extended period, the charging process will be interrupted automatically.
This results in a number of benefits:
Less switching cycles of the charger
More stable charging power for the electric vehicle
Protects the vehicle and charger since load steps and frequent power changes are prevented
Better use of the surplus PV energy, even with short-term fluctuations of the solar power (e.g. due to clouds)
The temporary discharge of the stationary battery is an intended part of the control strategy to compensate for short-term power fluctuations and to ensure the charging process is as reliable as possible.
Prior to the charging mode "Smart", an optimal charging plan is created before the actual start. This charging plan is calculated by the Energy Maximizer and transmitted to the charger.
Therefore, after plugging in the vehicle or after enabling the charging mode "Smart" it may take up to 8 minutes (as of July 2026) for the charging process to actually start. During this period, the system identifies the available energy resources and calculates the optimal charging strategy.
This behavior is normal and does not constitute an error.
Important information:
The start-up process for the Charging mode "Smart" can take up to 8 minutes.
During this period, the SMA Energy Maximizer creates the initial charging plan.
The charging process is only authorized once the charging plan is available.
The delayed start-up behavior serves to optimize the use of energy, costs and available resources.
Conclusion: If charging in the charging mode "Smart" does not start immediately, this is not a fault in most cases. The system is waiting for the Energy Maximizer to calculate and provide the charging plan. The first charging process may therefore start with a delay of up to 8 minutes.
The function peak load shaving is only taken into account in the charging mode "Smart" and "Solar" (surplus PV energy). The energy management system attempts to meet the configured threshold while simultaneously reaching the defined charge limit of the vehicle.
However, in certain situations the set peak load can be deliberately exceeded. This happens when the system detects that the desired charge limit (e.g. a specific state of charge at a set departure time) cannot otherwise be reached.
In this case, the system prioritizes reaching the charge limit over observing the load limit.
Important information:
Peak load shaving is only taken into account in the charging mode "Smart" & "Solar".
The threshold is met provided it is consistent with the defined charge limit.
If the charge limit cannot be reached within the available time, the configured threshold may be exceeded.
In this case, priority is given to the timely provision of the required energy amount for the vehicle.
Conclusion: Exceeding the set threshold is not an error. This may occur when the system requires additional charging power to achieve the charge limit. Successfully achieving the charge limit in the charging mode "Smart" takes precedence over meeting the threshold.
SMA Energy Planner
