Summary:
This article guides you through using the section dedicated to the energy bonus for your connected heating devices and 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, please click the link above to discover all the features of the Energy Bonus menu. ☝️
Managing equipment in my Energy Bonus program:
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View your devices that are eligible for and enrolled in the Energy Bonus program by clicking the “My Energy Bonus program” tile. The next screen displays:
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To ensure consistency with how you use your devices, 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. |
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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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Preheating:
What does this mean for my devices?
- For heating devices, a 15- or 30-minute preheating period (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.
Consequently, during preheating, your heating devices included in the Energy Bonus will heat for a defined period before entering 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 of your equipment stops, but the Energy Bonus action continues.
Stopping preheating may affect the reduction in energy consumption observed, which is the evaluation criterion for a load-shedding session validated by RTE.
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 this can happen up to 4 times per day.
Automatic and transparent, the Energy Bonus does not require any action on your part and is triggered according to fluctuations in the French power 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 control mode at that moment.
The earnings for this Energy Bonus session will be lost, since each session represents a fraction 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 highly energy-intensive appliance (cooktop, oven, dryer, electric vehicle charging, etc.) during a load-shedding session.
Using an energy-intensive appliance offsets the goal of reducing observed energy consumption, which is the evaluation criterion for a load-shedding session validated by RTE.
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 control mode at that moment.
The earnings for this Energy Bonus session will be lost, since each session represents a fraction of the earnings.
Exclusive to the Equation EQ3 water heater (46L / 74L / 93L):
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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 5:00 PM, and reduces the corresponding period during the scheduled heating period at night 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 standard 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 standard schedule. It will be kept if you have fewer than 10 schedules; otherwise, it will be deleted. | |||||||
Modifying 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 the 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 the 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 slider
for the device concerned to turn it off. Then click “✓” (iOS) or “Save” (Android).How do I add a heating device or water heater back to the Energy Bonus?
In “My Energy Bonus program,” click “Edit,” then click the gray slider
for the device concerned to turn it back on. 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 my commitment and earnings if I delete my device and then 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 the former device’s location, along with 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 to 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 to the second phase of an Energy Bonus session?
After preheating, the load-shedding phase begins. Enrolled connected radiators switch to a low temperature setpoint (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 set in your schedule, when the power grid is under less strain or renewable energy production is high, to maintain good hot-water availability.
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My water heater or connected water-heater receiver does not have a schedule. Can Energy Bonus actions still be performed?
No. The Energy Bonus requires that a schedule be defined for your device. Without a schedule, it will never be able to delay heating, as this action is directly linked to the schedule. Consequently, you will not be able to earn anything on this device, even if it is activated as part of the Energy Bonus.
What happens at the end of an Energy Bonus session?
The devices resume the schedule, mode, or operating state that was scheduled 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. Without it, 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 highly energy-intensive appliance (cooktop, oven, dryer, electric vehicle charging, etc.) during a load-shedding session. Using an energy-intensive appliance offsets 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 46L / 74L / 93L water heater?
This schedule, which is specific to the Energy Bonus, optimizes the operation of the Equation EQ3 water heater and the calculation of its earnings during each session. We recommend 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.