Get to know your Ohme Home

First things first, make sure that you have added your energy tariff and set a charge schedule with a price cap. If you're unsure of how to do this then please see the set-up section below or watch our video on how to set up a schedule on your Ohme Home.

If you have done the above and the issue persists then the next thing you will want to check is your charger’s network connection. To do this, look for a mobile signal strength indicator and an "up and down arrow" icon located in the top right of the charger’s LED screen. Below is what you should see on screen:

If neither are showing then this means that the charger is not connected to Ohme’s server and therefore not receiving information such as charge schedules from your account. If the connection hasn’t been re-established even after resetting the charger then this could be the result of a faulty unit and you will need to contact Ohme regarding the issue.

If your Ohme Home is doing this then that means you have set a charge schedule but haven’t set the parameters (e.g. your tariff’s energy prices, a price cap, charging using renewable energy, etc). For more information on how to set these parameters please see the Get to know your Ohme Home section above.

The Ohme Home will always aim to charge your vehicle within your tariff’s off-peak periods if you have the feature set however, it will not be limited to these times. As a result, your Ohme Home might use on-peak hours to reach the target charge percentage set in your schedule. Fortunately, you can stop this from happening, all you’ll need to do is set up a price cap in your Ohme App. To do this, you’ll need to open the Ohme app on the device your charger is linked to, tap the menu button then tap where it says tariff. Here you’ll be able to set a price cap that the Ohme Home will limit itself to when it’s charging your vehicle (Please note that you will need to select your energy tariff before you can set a price cap).

When it comes to the Ohme Home, some features on the app work better with some vehicles than others. This is because Ohme communicates with vehicles using an API (Application Programming Interface), which is a system that allows the charger to access information such as the vehicle’s state of charge (SOC) and battery level. Sadly, only a handful of manufactures disclose their vehicle’s API information. These manufacturers are:

• Renault
• Tesla
• Nissan
• Jaguar
• Land Rover
• Hyundai
• BMW
• Kia

If you have a vehicle manufactured by one of the brands above then you’re in luck! Once set up, you’ll be able to do things like set charge schedules that charge your EV to a specific percentage.

If you don’t have a vehicle from a manufacturer that discloses their vehicle’s API then fear not, you’ll still be able to access many of the features that the Ohme Home has to offer but they might require a few additional steps.

For example, say if you want to charge your vehicle to 80% of its battery after your commute to and from work. You’ll need to look at how much charge you have leftover after your commute and adjust your charge schedule so that it adds the percentage needed to reach the target.

Ohme takes most energy providers into account when it comes to setting up the price cap on your charger, however, there is always a chance that your provider isn’t listed, especially if they are one of the less well-known providers. If you don’t see your tariff listed then you’ll need to enter your details manually. To do this:

1. Select the tariff option in the menu bar.

2. Scroll down to the bottom until you see the “Create new tariff” option

3. Select either “Fixed price tariff” or “Variable price tariff” depending on your tariff type

Variable tariffs

1. Enter the start and end of your off-peak hours (This timespan can be found on your electricity bill. If it isn’t, contact your provider).

2. Enter the price per kilowatt (p/kWh) of your off-peak hours (Again this can be found on your electricity bill or by contacting your provider)

3. Enter the price per kilowatt (p/kWh) you pay at all other times outside of your off-peak hours and press continue.

4. Chose your time zone and select if your meter runs on daylight savings (If you are unsure if your meter does or not, please contact your provider). After this, tap continue

5. Enter the name of your tariff (i.e. E.on Charge) and tap save.

Fixed Tariffs

1. Enter the price per kilowatt-hour that your provider charges (this can be found either on your energy bill or by contacting your provider) and tap continue

2. Enter the time zone you are in and select if your meter runs on daylight savings (If you are unsure if your meter does or not, please contact your provider). Once done, tap continue.

3. Enter the name of your tariff (i.e. e.on Fix Online v44) and tap save.

After entering your variable or fixed tariff, you should get a confirmation screen appear telling you that your tariff has been set up successfully. After you’ve tapped “okay” on the confirmation screen, you’ll be greeted with the options to edit or change your tariff.

There are a few reasons as to why this can happen:

Firstly, some cars can limit the level of charge they take in. If you have this feature enabled and the limit is set to lower than the level of charge your Ohme Home is outputting then you will receive an error message on your Ohme app. To fix this, you’ll need to go into your vehicle’s charge settings (Each manufacturer does this differently so if in doubt, check your owners manual) and either turn the limit off or set it so that the charge limit matches the Ohme Home’s charge output (usually 7.4kw or 22kw depending on if have chosen to install the three-phase version of the charger).

Another reason why this problem can occur is because you might have selected a vehicle model on the app that has a higher charging capacity than the vehicle you own. For example, if you have a 2014 Nissan Leaf with a 3.3kw charger onboard and you select the version of the Leaf with the optional 6.6kw charger onboard. With the charger thinking you have a higher charger capacity on your vehicle than your vehicle actually has, the Ohme Home will base its charge schedule calculations on that higher charge output which triggers an error message when it can't reach that charge capacity.

To fix this, you’ll need to:
 

If the manufacturer shares their API information

1. Tap the menu button in your Ohme App.

2. Tap the “settings” option

3. Tap “change car”

4. Select your vehicle's manufacturer.

5. If you have an online account with your vehicle’s manufacturer, tap account sign in, and enter your credentials. Skip to step 8

6. If you don’t have an online account with your manufacturer, tap connect without account.

7. Select your vehicle’s model

8. Tap done on the confirmation screen.

If the manufacturer doesn’t share their API information

1. Tap the menu button in your Ohme App.

2. Tap the “settings” option

3. Tap “change car”

4. Select the “other” option at the bottom right corner

5. Select your vehicle’s manufacturer and tap either "account sign in" if you have an account with your vehicle's manufacturer or "connect without account" if you don't

6. Choose the model of your vehicle (Pay attention to the battery capacity and kW input. For example, if you have a 2011 24kWh Nissan leaf with a 3.3kW charger onboard select “Leaf 24kWh / 3.3kW 2011”)

Tap done on the confirmation screen.

If none of the advice below works then you might need to contact Ohme by via:

Email: [email protected]

Telephone: +44 (0) 20 3375 1586

You can also visit their recourses page by clicking here.

Customers should receive their Ohme Home charger before installation day (if ordered via Smart Home Charge). It’s good to check the contents inside the box to make sure there isn’t any damage and to check the correct product has been sent.

Before installation, customers should download the Ohme app from the smartphone app store. Click the links below to download the Ohme app:

• Download the Ohme app for iOS (Apple iPhone and iPad)
• Download the Ohme app for Android (Samsung, Google and other non-Apple phones)

After installation, installers should pair the Ohme Home with the Ohme app to enable the full features available on the charger. Follow these instructions: 

1. Open the Ohme app and select “Create Account”
2. Choose a sign-in method and enter the customer's details
3. Click Continue and select “Ohme Cable” as the product product
4. Scan the QR code found on the back or side of the Ohme Home charger (alternatively you can manually enter the letters and numbers underneath the QR code)
5. Select the customer's vehicle make and model (this is so Ohme know the battery size of the car etc)
6. Sign into the customer's vehicle account if applicable. For cars like the Tesla this is crucial, so make sure you sign in if the customer has an account with the car manufacturer.
7. Select the customer's energy tariff – this is important if you want Ohme to automatically charge at the cheapest rates. If the customer's tariff is not listed, you can use the “Create your own tariff” option by inputting the times and rates that apply to the customer's home.
8. Choose the tariff from the list provided.

On the day of installation, plug the Ohme Home into the customer's car and make sure it is charging. If the customer's car hasn't been delivered, use the EV testing equipment to ensure the charger is functioning correctly.