If you’ve got a home battery, or you’re thinking about getting one, chances are you’ve heard the phrase ‘battery automation’.
It may sound like something you need an engineering degree and four different apps to use properly. But the truth is, when it’s set up right, battery automation is surprisingly simple - and seriously powerful.
Battery automation is what transforms your battery from a backup box on the wall into a tool for bringing your energy costs down, and in some cases, flipping them into earnings.
In this blog, we break down what battery automation actually means, why it matters, and how Amber helps your battery do more - automatically.
What is battery automation, really?
Battery automation is the process of using software to automatically control when your battery charges and discharges, based on what’s most valuable for your household at any given time.
In a typical, non-automated setup, your battery might do something like this:
- Charge from excess solar during the day
- Discharge in the evening when your solar panels aren’t generating
This is called “solar self-consumption”, and it’s a perfectly good start. But it’s only scratching the surface of what your battery could be doing.
If you’ve ever wondered how to sell solar back to the grid, automation is part of the answer. Instead of following a fixed pattern, your battery can respond to real-time conditions and export when it’s most profitable - not just when your panels stop generating.
What battery automation does is layer smart decision-making on top of your battery. Instead of following a fixed pattern, your battery can respond to real-time conditions:
- Are wholesale prices especially high right now?
- Is there a forecasted price spike later today?
- Is it cheaper to charge from the grid overnight than to store excess solar during the day?
- Will your household need stored energy later, or is it better to export now?
Battery automation means your system is constantly adjusting to get the best financial and environmental outcome - without you having to monitor anything.
This is a big step up from simply relying on standard feed-in tariffs. If you’ve been researching how solar feed-in tariffs work, you’ll know they often lock in a fixed price for exports - regardless of market conditions. But real-time pricing changes every five minutes, and can be far more lucrative if your battery knows when to respond.
Why does automation matter so much?
Because the energy market changes constantly.
Most Australians are used to seeing flat rates or time-of-use tariffs - maybe with peak and off-peak hours. But in reality, wholesale energy prices fluctuate every five minutes. That means the value of your stored energy can change dramatically in the space of an hour - especially during extreme weather, grid demand spikes, or unexpected outages.
If your battery is only responding to the time of day, and not to what’s actually happening on the grid, you could be missing out. That might mean charging when prices are high, or exporting when prices are low - the opposite of what you want if you’re trying to shorten your payback period or maximise your earnings.
Automation allows your battery to act on this data in real time. It shifts your setup from reactive to intelligent - and is one of the best answers to how to sell power back to the grid in a way that actually pays.
How Amber’s battery automation works
Amber’s battery automation is built to help you get the most value out of your battery, every single day.
Here’s how it works behind the scenes:
- We give you access to wholesale energy prices. That means your battery isn’t limited to flat or fixed rates. It can charge and export based on live market conditions.
- We use real-time and forecasted pricing data. Our systems know when the market is about to spike or dip, and will adjust your battery behaviour accordingly.
- We use weather data and usage patterns. Amber considers when your solar is likely to generate, how much energy your home typically uses, and when you’ll likely need stored energy.
- We automate it all on your behalf. Once you’re set up, your battery is optimised with no manual input required. You don’t need to log in, toggle settings, or guess what to do.
In short, your battery does the hard work so you don’t have to. It saves (and even earns) on autopilot.
What kind of impact can automation make?
It depends on your household setup, but the impact can be significant.
In 2024, some Amber customers with solar and batteries earned more than $1,000 in a single month during a major market event. These opportunities don’t happen every week, but when they do, automated batteries are the ones that can respond instantly and maximise the benefit.
Even outside price spikes, automated batteries tend to perform better over time. They avoid charging during expensive times, take advantage of cheaper overnight grid prices (if it makes sense), and respond dynamically to your usage needs.
The result? Faster payback periods, better savings, and in many cases, a higher return on your investment.
What you need to get started
To benefit from Amber’s battery automation, you’ll need:
- A compatible solar and battery system
- A smart meter (most homes with solar already have one)
- Amber for Batteries, which gives you access to the wholesale market and enables automation
- A general interest in getting more out of your battery, without doing more work
We can help you check compatibility and talk through the setup if you're unsure.
Do I need to understand energy markets to use it?
Not at all.
The whole point of automation is that we handle the complexity. You don’t need to understand price signals, market forecasts, or tariff structures. You just need to let the tech do its thing.
If you want to check in on how your battery’s performing, that’s easy too. You’ll be able to see how much energy you’ve saved or earned, track usage patterns, and monitor your system over time - all without needing to manage it manually.
Why we built this
At Amber, we believe Australians should be able to get more value from their energy - especially those who’ve already invested in rooftop solar and batteries.
Battery automation is a key part of that. It helps households take control of their energy, lower their costs, and support a smarter, more flexible energy grid. And it helps push us closer to a fully renewable future - where households don’t just consume energy, but help power the system too.
Ready to get more out of your battery?
If you’ve already invested in solar and a battery, or you’re weighing up whether now’s the right time, the next step is making sure your system is working as hard as it can for you.
Amber for Batteries connects your setup to the wholesale energy market and takes care of the automation, optimisation, and price response, so you can spend less time thinking about your energy, and more time seeing the results.
Whether your goal is faster payback, lower bills, or more energy independence, this is the smarter way to get there.
Wondering whether your battery is compatible with Amber? Check out our compatibility guide here.
Ready to get started with Amber? Reach out to our team to discuss your setup.
