Self-consumption means that PV power is used at the same site where it is generated. It includes energy used directly by loads and energy used to charge a battery. PV energy goes to active household loads first, and only the surplus is exported to the utility grid. For this reason, energy meters must be placed so that loads draw PV energy before the feed-in point. Self-consumption is different from internal power supply, also called self-sufficiency. Internal power supply counts battery discharging instead of battery charging. In systems without a battery, the two values are the same. The self-consumption quota, or rate, compares self-consumption with PV power or yield. Monitoring can show it for a day, a month, a year or the whole system lifetime. High self-consumption pays off when the feed-in tariff is well below the price of grid electricity. It also lowers energy costs and reduces the load on the grid. Energy managers such as the Sunny Home Manager raise self-consumption by switching controllable loads on when there is enough PV power. Battery storage raises it further. In an SMA example home with a natural self-consumption of 30%, load control raised the quota to about 45%. A 5 kWh battery system raised it to about 65%.
related_toc1 drafted · lead Feed-in tariff
Self-consumption is attractive when the feed-in tariff is well below the grid purchase price; high self-consumption reduces dependence on the feed-in tariff.
sec=h36 h=335e0ec8708dsec=2.2 h=dc218d62571esec=h1 h=f7d9b949428ac2 drafted · lead Self-sufficiency
Internal power supply counts battery discharging, while self-consumption counts battery charging; without a battery the two are equal.
sec=h94 h=4e2a959105d9tbl=31.r4 h=9ed6514fb98esec=h1 h=f7d9b949428areview note: support check: partial - Passages say internal power supply (self-sufficiency) includes battery discharging, self-consumption includes battery charging, and they are equal without a battery. 'Counts' is fine, but the relation to self-sufficiency is given via internal power supply and the quota.
c3 verified · fact Self-consumption rate
Self-consumption is quantified by the self-consumption quota or rate: self-consumption relative to PV power or yield.
tbl=26.r7 h=e6cff3f9975dsec=h12 h=e335bc35e8dctbl=23.r3 h=a4d19d2bc27fsec=h70 h=71a353f01bdbverified by: review-workflowverified on: 2026-10-24
c4 drafted · lead Self-consumption optimization
Energy management switches controllable loads on when enough PV energy is available.
sec=h36 h=335e0ec8708dsec=2.2 h=dc218d62571esec=h1 h=f7d9b949428ac5 drafted · lead Battery energy storage system
Battery charging from PV counts as part of self-consumption, and storage raises the self-consumption quota.
tbl=26.r6 h=e9e164204890tbl=39.r1 h=e9e164204890sec=h1 h=f7d9b949428ac6 drafted · lead Energy meter
Meters must be placed so household loads consume PV energy before the grid-connection point.
sec=h36 h=335e0ec8708dc7 verified · fact Peak shaving
Setting both the consumption limit and the feed-in limit to 0 gives classic increased self-consumption without peak-load shaving.
sec=h92 h=f77755baab0averified by: review-workflowverified on: 2026-10-24
c8 verified · fact Sunny Home Manager proposed
sec=h36 h=335e0ec8708dsec=h1 h=f7d9b949428averified by: review-workflowverified on: 2026-10-24
related_to c1related_to c5related_to c2related_to c4