The GridSmart AI Module turns your existing hot water cylinder into a smart hot water cylinder.
If your mobile phone had to be charged when the battery hit 97%, it would hardly be mobile!
Similarly, a ‘dumb’ cylinder will start to charge your cylinder as soon as 5 litres of hot water is used, even if it still has over 170 litres of hot water in it. That’s like turning on three microwaves or 20 TVs every time you wash your hands.
By separating when your hot water is used and when the cylinder is charged, smart cylinders are able to save you money on your energy bill (if you’re on a time of use plan), reduce congestion on the grid and maximise renewable generation.
Hot water cylinders work by delivering hot water from the top, where it is naturally the hottest, and introducing cold water in the bottom. Cylinders have been designed to limit the amount of mix between the hot and cold water layers, and they stay separate through natural stratification – it’s the same principle of how hot air balloons work. These ‘stratas’ of different temperature water will stay separate for many hours.
The AI Module tracks how much hot water is in the hot strata and calculates how hot it will be given how much time has elapsed since the last charge. We use this to understand how much water can be delivered, like how modern cars can estimate how far you can drive based on the amount of fuel you have.
Ensuring your hot water stays off at the right time is only part of the trick. When to turn the cylinder on is also key.
The GridSmart system understands:
Using this data, the system creates an individual heating plan to pre-heat your hot water.
If you’ve got a temporary increase in hot water usage e.g. guest staying, lots of muddy clothes to wash etc, the system will pick up a change in behaviours and start to heat your cylinder up in preparation for further changes in hot water. This may mean that savings for that day will be limited, but protects against running out of hot water.
If it is a more consistent change e.g. a new member of the family, or new habits, the system will learn your new routine and adapt over time.
In some cases, we can give you some more hot water: When we install the unit or set up the cylinder, for homes with a tempering valve, we set the cylinder to it’s maximum recommended temperature (based on manufacturer guidelines). In some cases this will allow more hot water to be delivered.
If you are at risk of running out of hot water with your current cylinder set up, we recommend looking at larger cylinder options, or a hot water heat pump – you can find out more from Rinnai.
