Summary:
This article guides you through using the section dedicated to the energy bonus for your heating devices and connected water heaters. You will discover the main features available, as well as the steps to follow to make the most of the benefits offered in this space.
This article complements the one about how the Energy Bonus menu works. If you have not read it yet, click the link above to discover all the features of the Energy Bonus menu. ☝️
Managing equipment in my Energy Bonus program
View
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View your eligible devices enrolled in the Energy Bonus program by clicking the “My Energy Bonus program” tile. The next screen displays:
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Exclude a device
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To ensure consistency with your usage, you can exclude devices from the program. To exclude one or more heating devices or water heaters from the Energy Bonus program:
When you exclude a device from the program, you permanently lose the earnings accumulated since the beginning of the device’s commitment period. |
Reinclude a device
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To reinclude excluded devices in your Energy Bonus program:
Once reincluded in the Energy Bonus, the device begins a new 365-day period during which it can accumulate earnings again. |
What happens during an Energy Bonus session?
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For heating devices:
For water heaters:
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Click the desired section below to display the explanations.
Preheating
Preheating
What does this mean for my devices?
- For heating devices, preheating for 15 or 30 minutes (depending on the planned load-shedding duration) is triggered.
Preheating also varies the home’s energy consumption before the Energy Bonus actions, so that the earnings for this section can then be validated.
Therefore, during preheating, your heating devices included in the Energy Bonus will heat for a defined period before switching to the load-shedding phase and reducing their temperature.
- Connected radiators increase their temperature by 2°C.
- Pilot-wire modules switch to “Comfort” mode.
| Connected radiator: | Connected pilot-wire receiver: |
What happens if I click “Stop preheating”?
Preheating for your equipment stops, but the Energy Bonus action continues.
Stopping preheating may affect the observed reduction in energy consumption, which is the evaluation criterion for a load-shedding session validated by RTE.
Load shedding
Load shedding:
How does my heating device behave during load shedding?
The load-shedding session lowers the temperature to 7°C on connected radiators or switches connected pilot-wire heating receivers to frost-protection mode for a variable period, from 15 minutes to 1 hour, and up to 4 times per day.
Automatic and transparent, the Energy Bonus requires no action on your part and is triggered according to fluctuations in the French electricity grid.
| Connected radiator: | Connected pilot-wire receiver: |
| Connected water heater: | Connected water-heater receiver: |
What happens if I click “Stop earnings”?
Load shedding stops and your device switches to the state expected by its scheduled control mode at that moment.
The earnings for this Energy Bonus session will be lost, since each session corresponds to a portion of the earnings.
The terms of use state that during the Load-Shedding Season, there may be a maximum of 40 days of load shedding, with a maximum of 4 time slots per day.
Best practice:
To maximize your earnings, avoid using a very energy-intensive appliance (cooktop, oven, dryer, electric vehicle charging, etc.) during a load-shedding session.
Using an energy-intensive appliance defeats the goal of reducing observed energy consumption, which is the evaluation criterion for a load-shedding session validated by RTE.
Delayed heating
Delayed heating:
What does this mean for my devices?
- For water heaters, heating is delayed, shifting energy consumption to periods when the grid is under less strain or renewable energy production is high.
| Connected water heater: | Connected water-heater receiver: |
What happens if I click “Stop activation”?
Delayed heating stops and your device switches to the state expected by its scheduled control mode at that moment.
The earnings for this Energy Bonus session will be lost, since each session corresponds to a portion of the earnings.
Exclusive to the Equation EQ3 water heater (46L / 74L / 93L):
This section is exclusively for connected water heaters from the Equation brand, available in 46 L, 74 L, and 93 L models. To view it, click the section below to display the explanations.
Section exclusive to Equation connected water heaters.
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When you activate the Energy Bonus, a dedicated schedule is created for the following Equation water heaters:
Named “Energy Bonus,” it is accessible in the settings on your device’s control page. This schedule applies the following settings:
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Using this schedule is essential to ensure that delayed-heating sessions for your water heater are credited during Energy Bonus actions. It is therefore strongly recommended that you leave it unchanged. The Energy Bonus session turns on your water heater at an unscheduled time in the “Energy Bonus” schedule, for example at 5 p.m., and reduces the corresponding period during the scheduled nighttime heating period to compensate. The Energy Bonus prioritizes heating your water heater during periods when the grid is under less strain or renewable energy production is high. Your water heater can contain up to 10 regular schedules. The Energy Bonus schedule is independent and is not included in this limit. If you unenroll from the Energy Bonus program, it becomes a regular schedule. It will be kept if you have fewer than 10 schedules; otherwise, it will be deleted. | |||||||
Changing this Energy Bonus schedule or activating your water heater in another mode may affect your earnings. A pop-up window may warn you about this.
| “The selected mode does not allow earnings through Energy Bonus. To benefit from it, switch back to the ‘Energy Bonus’ schedule.” | “Warning: if you edit this schedule, you may affect your Energy Bonus earnings. Do you want to continue?” |
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After enrolling your water heater in the Energy Bonus, check that the schedule is active. If it is not, select it on its control page:
When this schedule is active, the “Auto” and “Boost +” modes are disabled. |
Things to know about the Energy Bonus:
How do I exclude a heating device or water heater from the Energy Bonus?
In “My Energy Bonus program,” click “Edit,” then click the green switch
for the device concerned to turn it off. Then click “✓” (iOS) or “Save” (Android).
How do I (re)include a heating device or water heater in the Energy Bonus?
In “My Energy Bonus program,” click “Edit,” then click the gray switch
for the device concerned to turn it on again. Then click “✓” (iOS) or “Save” (Android).
Does a disabled device still earn money?
No. It is excluded from the program and is no longer included in Energy Bonus sessions.
What happens to the commitment and earnings if I delete my device and pair it again?
Each device is associated with a numbered location. If it is deleted and then paired again or replaced, the newly paired device takes over the former device’s location, as well as its associated commitment and accumulated earnings.
What are the phases of an Energy Bonus session?
Connected heating devices have a preheating phase followed by a load-shedding phase, while connected water heaters and water-heater receivers have a delayed-heating phase.
How do heating devices respond during the first phase of an Energy Bonus session?
During the preheating phase, connected radiators enrolled in the program increase their setpoint by 2°C, and pilot-wire receivers switch to Comfort mode.
How do heating devices respond during the second phase of an Energy Bonus session?
After preheating, the load-shedding phase begins. Enrolled connected radiators switch to a low setpoint temperature (7°C), and pilot-wire receivers switch to frost-protection mode, thereby reducing their electricity consumption.
How do water heaters respond during the Energy Bonus delayed-heating phase?
They heat the water outside the hours configured in your schedule, when the electricity grid is less heavily used or renewable energy production is high, to maintain good hot-water availability.
My water heater or connected water-heater receiver does not have a schedule. Can Energy Bonus actions still be performed?
No. Energy Bonus requires that a schedule be defined for your device. Without a schedule, it will never be able to delay heating, since this action is directly linked to the schedule. Therefore, you will not be able to earn anything from this device, even if it is activated as part of Energy Bonus.
What happens at the end of an Energy Bonus session?
The devices resume the schedule, mode, or operating state planned for the time when the session ends.
Can I stop preheating?
Yes, but this may affect your earnings. The preheating phase causes a variation in consumption. Otherwise, the load-shedding session may not be credited by RTE, which could result in no earnings.
How can I optimize my earnings?
To maximize your earnings, avoid using a very energy-intensive appliance (cooktop, oven, dryer, electric vehicle charging, etc.) during a load-shedding session. Using an energy-intensive appliance defeats the goal of reducing observed energy consumption, which is the evaluation criterion for a load-shedding session validated by RTE.
Why is an Energy Bonus schedule automatically created for my Equation EQ3 46 L / 74 L / 93 L water heater?
This schedule specific to Energy Bonus optimizes the operation of the Equation EQ3 water heater and the calculation of its earnings for each session. It is recommended that you do not modify this schedule and leave it active for your water heater.
Can I see the earnings for an ongoing session?
No. Earnings are calculated at the end of the season based on the success rate of your various Energy Bonus sessions.