BattBoss Setup Guide

Step-by-step instructions to configure BattBoss for your home battery system

Getting Started

Before you begin configuring BattBoss, make sure you have:

  • Downloaded and installed BattBossSetup.exe
  • Your battery brand and network details ready
  • Your wholesale provider account credentials
  • Your Solcast account information (if using solar forecasting)

The BattBoss settings window has five tabs that need to be configured. We'll go through each one step by step.

1 Battery Manager Tab

This tab configures the core battery management settings and operational parameters.

BattBoss operates in two modes: Normal Mode and High Price Mode. BattBoss will usually run in Normal Mode, but will automatically switch to High Price Mode when a significant price spike is predicted.

General Settings

Type Select Standard Battery Manager (this is currently the only available option)
Curtail Max Export Power Maximum power (in kW) to export when feed-in prices are negative. A small export is useful to help reduce import charges due to the small imports that occur due to changing household loads.

Normal Mode Settings

These settings apply during normal operation when prices are not in a spike condition.

Battery Reserve Percentage of battery capacity to maintain as reserve during normal operation. A 20% reserve is recommended as it tends to be gentler on the battery and helps ensure there is still some capacity for discharging into an unexpected price spike.
Min Sell Price Minimum electricity price (in cents per kWh) at which the battery will sell power during normal conditions.

How Min Sell Price Works

The Min Sell Price for both Normal and High Price modes is the absolute minimum price that BattBoss will discharge the battery to export to the grid. The program will automatically calculate the best price to export at so that your battery isn't exporting at a low rate when it could be exporting at a higher rate later on.


Calculating Your Cost per kWh:
To determine an appropriate sell price, calculate your battery's cost per kWh cycle:
(Battery Cost ÷ Warranted Cycles ÷ Battery Capacity in kWh) × 100 = cents per kWh
Example: ($10,000 ÷ 6,000 cycles ÷ 10 kWh) × 100 = 16.7 cents/kWh

This calculation provides an upper limit for your sell price. However, consider setting a lower price because:
  • Future batteries will likely be better and cheaper, even without rebates
  • Selling during price spikes will bring your average selling price up
  • More frequent cycling helps maximize overall returns
Export Rate Maximum rate (in kW) at which the battery will discharge into the grid during normal operation.
Min SOC Target Level Minimum State of Charge (SOC) target as a percentage. In Normal Mode, if a low solar day is predicted for tomorrow, less energy will be exported that evening so the battery has a better chance of being charged to this minimum level by the end of solar generation. A higher value helps ensure there is maximum capacity available to sell into price spikes. Set to 100% if you want the battery to fully charge when prices are low.

High Price Mode Settings

These settings apply when BattBoss detects a significant price spike is occurring or predicted.

Battery Reserve Battery reserve percentage to maintain during high price periods. A lower setting allows for more exporting during a price spike on the assumption that it will be cheaper to import from the grid later if the battery runs out. If having backup power available at all times is important to you, then a higher value may make sense. It's recommended to keep some level of reserve in case a price spike lasts longer than expected.
Min Sell Price Minimum sell price during high-price periods. This value must be higher than the Normal Mode Min Sell Price. Higher values here will reduce the frequency and duration of exporting in High Price Mode - generally reducing profits, but also increasing the amount of battery available for backup reserve and reducing wear and tear on the battery.
Export Rate Maximum export rate during high price events. Can be set higher to maximize earnings during price spikes.

2 Battery Configuration Tab

Configure your specific battery brand and network connection details here.

Sigenergy Battery

Important Note for Sigenergy Users

Before you can configure BattBoss to work with your Sigenergy battery, you must ensure that Modbus protocol is enabled on your battery system. If Modbus has not been enabled, please contact your installer or Sigenergy support to have this activated.

Battery Brand Select Sigenergy from the dropdown
Address The IP address of your Sigenergy battery on your local network (e.g., 192.168.1.123). You can find this in your router's connected devices list or in the Sigenergy app.
Slave Address The Modbus slave address (typically 1 unless configured differently by your installer)
Max Export Power Maximum level of exporting to the grid as set by your local electricity grid operator (in kW).

Sungrow Battery

Battery Brand Select Sungrow from the dropdown
Address The IP address of your Sungrow inverter/battery on your local network
Slave Address The Modbus slave address (typically 1)

3 Retailer Configuration Tab

Configure your wholesale electricity provider details to access real-time pricing data.

Amber Electric

Getting Your Amber API Key

Step 1: Log in to your Amber Electric account at app.amber.com.au/developers/

Step 2: Toggle on "Developers Mode"

Step 3: Click "Generate a new token"

Step 4: Name your token (e.g., "BattBoss") and click "Generate"

Step 5: Copy the generated API key immediately - it will disappear after you reload the page!

Retailer Select Amber from the dropdown
API Key Paste the API key you generated from the Amber developers page (starts with "psk_")
Site ID Your Amber site identifier. You can find this in the Amber app or it will be provided when you generate your API key.
Get Price Delay Time in seconds between price updates. Wholesale prices update every 5 minutes, but there's generally a delay before that price is made available from AEMO and your retailer. 20 seconds is generally the best value for maximum responsiveness to pricing changes without causing excessive API retries. Too many API calls can cause you to hit limits and not get any data at all.

Localvolts

Getting Your Localvolts Credentials

Step 1: Register as a Localvolts customer at localvolts.com/register/

Step 2: Request API access by filling out the form at localvolts.com/localvolts-api/

Step 3: Localvolts will provide you with your API Key and Partner ID

Note: The API is provided free of charge to Localvolts customers for personal use.

Retailer Select Local Volts from the dropdown
API Key Your Localvolts API key (provided after registration)
Partner ID Your Localvolts Partner ID (provided with your API key)
Get Price Delay Time in seconds between price updates. Wholesale prices update every 5 minutes, but there's generally a delay before that price is made available from AEMO and your retailer. 20 seconds is generally the best value for maximum responsiveness to pricing changes without causing excessive API retries. Too many API calls can cause you to hit limits and not get any data at all.

4 Generation Forecasting Tab

Configure solar generation forecasting using Solcast to optimize battery charging based on expected solar production.

Getting Your Solcast API Key and Resource IDs

Step 1: Create a free account at toolkit.solcast.com.au/register

Step 2: After registration, go to your account dashboard

Step 3: Set up your solar sites with your panel specifications (location, tilt, azimuth, capacity)

Step 4: Your API Key can be found in your Toolkit account settings

Step 5: Resource IDs are assigned when you create each site - you'll see them in your sites list

Data Source Select Solcast Power Estimator from the dropdown
API Key Your Solcast API key from your Toolkit account
Resource ID 1 The Resource ID for your first solar array (provided by Solcast when you create a site)
Array Name 1 A descriptive name for your first array (e.g., "North", "Main Roof", "East Panel")
Resource ID 2 The Resource ID for your second solar array. Leave blank if you only have one solar array.
Array Name 2 A descriptive name for your second array (e.g., "South", "Garage Roof"). Leave blank if you only have one array.
Percentile Forecast confidence level (50 = median forecast). Lower values (e.g., 10) are more conservative, higher values (e.g., 90) are more optimistic.
Single Array Setup

If you only have a single solar array, simply fill in Resource ID 1 and Array Name 1, and leave Resource ID 2 and Array Name 2 completely blank.

5 Usage Estimation Tab

Estimate your household power usage throughout the day to help BattBoss optimize battery charging and discharging.

Understanding the Usage Graph

The graph shows your estimated power usage (in kW) for each hour of the day. The blue line represents your typical usage pattern.

How to Set Your Usage Pattern

Review Your History: Check your battery app or energy monitoring system to see your typical daily usage patterns. Look at several days to identify your average consumption.

Adjust the Graph: Click and drag the blue dots up or down to match your usage pattern. Each dot represents one hour of the day.

Bulk Adjustment: Hold down the Control key while dragging a dot to move ALL dots up or down at the same time. This is useful for adjusting your overall usage level while maintaining the pattern shape.

Total Daily Usage: The graph shows your total estimated daily usage in kWh at the bottom. This should roughly match your typical daily consumption from your bills or monitoring app.

Seasonal Variations

Future versions of BattBoss will be able to automatically adjust for seasonal variations in usage patterns.

Tips for Accurate Estimation

  • Peak Times: Make sure to account for morning peaks (breakfast, showers) and evening peaks (cooking, entertainment, aircon/heating)
  • Base Load: Don't forget your constant "base load" from fridges, routers, standby power, etc.
  • Seasonal Variation: You may need to adjust this seasonally if your usage changes significantly (e.g., air conditioning in summer, heating in winter)
  • Regular Review: Check and update your usage estimation every few months as your habits or appliances change

Final Steps

Once you've configured all five tabs:

  1. Review all your settings to ensure they're correct
  2. Click the OK button to save your configuration
  3. BattBoss will begin monitoring prices and controlling your battery automatically
  4. Monitor the BattBoss application to ensure it's working correctly
Need to Make Changes?

You can return to the settings at any time to adjust your configuration. Simply open BattBoss and access the settings window to modify any parameters.

Getting Help

If you encounter any issues or have questions about configuration:

  • Check the BattBoss website for updates and FAQs
  • Contact support at
  • Share your feedback and suggestions to help improve BattBoss