The Solar Manager is a manufacturer-independent energy manager from Solar Manager AG in Muri (Aargau). It continuously measures how much solar power is left over and distributes it according to your priority to the heat pump, boiler, wallbox, battery storage or heating element – even if the devices come from different manufacturers. According to the Swissolar battery monitor 2026, it is the best-selling energy management system among Swiss installation companies. We install and configure it in the Zurich region, usually together with the solar system; the subscription costs from CHF 44 per year (manufacturer's specification). (As of: September 2026)
Key points in brief
- Manufacturer-independent: inverter from A, heat pump from B, wallbox from C – the Solar Manager brings them together.
- Controls heat pump (SG-Ready), up to 10 charging stations, boiler/heating element, battery storage and relays according to solar surplus or dynamic tariff.
- Swiss product: 64 per cent of the Swissolar members surveyed sell it (battery monitor 2026).
- Subscription: BASIC CHF 44 per year, PREMIUM CHF 66 per year; included in the first year (manufacturer's specification, as of September 2026).
- Worthwhile from two controllable major consumers – with a single wallbox, its own function is often sufficient.
What does the Solar Manager do – and what not?
The Solar Manager is not an app for the inverter, but a separate control centre in the distribution board. It reads the production of the solar system and the procurement at the house connection (via inverter interface or its own meter) and decides every second where the surplus flows. You determine the order – for example: first hot water, then e-car, then battery, the rest into the grid. How surplus charging basically works is explained in the article Surplus charging; the basics of self-consumption in the article Optimise self-consumption.
What it is not: a replacement for the control that is already present in the inverter ecosystem. Those who have a pure Fronius or Huawei system with a wallbox of the same brand often control surplus charging without an additional device. The Solar Manager shows its strength as soon as devices from different manufacturers come together – and that is the normal case in practice: the heating installer chooses the heat pump, the wallbox comes with the car, the inverter with the solar system.
Which devices does the Solar Manager control?
| Consumer / source | Connection (examples) | Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Heat pump | SG-Ready contact or manufacturer interface | Heat up hot water and buffer cylinder when there is a solar surplus |
| Wallbox / charging station | up to 10 stations, many brands (Zaptec, go-e, KEBA, Easee, Wattpilot etc.) | Surplus charging, load management for multiple charging points |
| Boiler / heating element | Relay, continuously controllable heating elements | cheap hot water instead of feed-in |
| Battery storage | Inverter interface | Charging modes, priority over other consumers |
| Inverter | Fronius, Huawei, SMA, SolarEdge, Kostal and many more | Production and procurement data |
| Dynamic tariff | Tarif data of the utility | Shift charging and heating to cheap hours |
Selection according to manufacturer's list, As of: September 2026. The current list of supported devices on solarmanager.ch is authoritative; we check the compatibility of your devices before the quote.
Operation is via app and web portal: live view, priorities, time windows and evaluations. The PREMIUM level adds learning optimisation, energy reports, vehicle charge level and an analysis of system performance.
Who is the Solar Manager worthwhile for – and who not?
Worthwhile:
- Solar system plus heat pump plus e-car – three major consumers, often three manufacturers. This is the classic; the combination of heat pump and solar is covered in the article Combine heat pump and photovoltaics.
- Apartment buildings with several charging points that need load management.
- Households with a dynamic electricity tariff that want to shift consumption to cheap hours – background in the article Dynamic electricity tariffs in Switzerland.
- Retrofitting to existing systems: the Solar Manager does not require a specific inverter.
Less worthwhile:
- Only solar system and battery, no other controllable consumers: the hybrid inverter regulates this alone.
- A single wallbox of the same brand as the inverter (Fronius Wattpilot, Huawei SCharger): surplus charging works natively.
- Devices without an interface – an old heat pump without SG-Ready can only be roughly controlled via a relay.
What does the Solar Manager cost installed?
Three items: the device, installation and setup by the electrical specialist company (installation in the distribution board, meter, wiring to the consumers, configuration of priorities) and the subscription. According to the manufacturer, the subscription costs CHF 44 per year (BASIC) or CHF 66 per year (PREMIUM); BASIC is included in the first year, the first three months run as PREMIUM for testing. We quote device and installation system-specifically – the effort mainly depends on how many devices are connected and whether cables or relays have to be added for this. The cheapest option is installation together with the solar system, because meter and wiring are planned anyway.
Subscription prices: manufacturer's specification solarmanager.ch, As of: September 2026. Installation costs without obligation; the individual quote is authoritative.
What alternatives are there to the Solar Manager?
- Manufacturer's own managers – Fronius Solar.web with Wattpilot/Ohmpilot, Huawei EMMA, SMA Home Manager: strong if everything comes from one ecosystem.
- my-PV – focus on hot water and heating element.
- FEMS (OpenEMS) – integrated in FENECON Home systems.
- gridX, evcc – platform or open-source solutions with more personal effort.
The assessment is provided by the Energy manager comparison; the wallbox page adds which boxes are easy to control: Wallbox comparison.
We answer the question «Do I need an energy manager?» by counting the major consumers. With one: mostly no. With two or three from different manufacturers: almost always yes – and then the Solar Manager is our first choice because it works across brand boundaries and we can continue to choose the components by task instead of by logo. The effort is not in the device, but in the connection: an SG-Ready contact on the heat pump, a relay for the boiler, the network connection to the wallbox. That is why we lay these connections right away with every new system – even if the manager only comes later.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Solar Manager?
A manufacturer-independent energy manager from Solar Manager AG in Muri (Aargau). The device sits in the distribution board, measures solar production and house procurement and distributes the surplus according to your priority to the heat pump, boiler, wallbox or battery. It is operated via app and web portal; according to the Swissolar battery monitor 2026, it is the best-selling energy management system among Swiss installation companies.
What does a Solar Manager cost?
Device and installation are quoted system-specifically; in addition, there is the subscription at CHF 44 per year (BASIC) or CHF 66 per year (PREMIUM), included in the first year (manufacturer's specification, as of September 2026). The cheapest option is installation together with the solar system, because meter and wiring are planned anyway.
Which devices are compatible with the Solar Manager?
Inverters from Fronius, Huawei, SMA, SolarEdge, Kostal and others; wallboxes from Zaptec, go-e, KEBA, Easee, Fronius and others; heat pumps via SG-Ready or manufacturer interfaces; boilers and heating elements via relays; battery storage via the inverter. The continuously expanded device list of the manufacturer is authoritative – we check your devices before the quote.
Can I retrofit the Solar Manager to an existing solar system?
Yes. It does not require a specific inverter and can be installed in the distribution board of an existing system. The effort depends on whether the consumers already have interfaces and are accessible – an SG-Ready contact on the heat pump or a network connection on the wallbox makes retrofitting easy.
What alternative is there to the Solar Manager?
If all components come from one ecosystem, the manufacturer's own manager (Fronius, Huawei, SMA) is often sufficient. For hot water alone, my-PV is an option, for FENECON batteries the integrated FEMS. Platforms like gridX or evcc are aimed at technically experienced users. The overview is provided by the article Energy managers in comparison.
Is a smart meter necessary for the Solar Manager?
Not necessarily: the Solar Manager can use the readings from the inverter or its own meter. The smart meter of the grid operator is used for billing; it is the prerequisite for dynamic tariffs. What the smart meter can do in Switzerland is explained in the article Smart meters in Switzerland.
Free initial consultation
Solar Manager – planned, wired, configured.
We check the compatibility of your devices, install the Solar Manager and set up the priorities so that heat pump, wallbox and boiler run on your solar power – for new and existing systems.
Want to calculate yourself first? Solar calculator with official roof data →
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Photovoltaic installer for your region →
Swissolar-certified specialist company · ESTI installation authorisation (Art. 14 NIV) · in Zurich since 2017 · over 150 systems completed · a personal answer from the specialist company, no call centre
Sources: Solar Manager AG, prices and subscription functions as well as list of supported devices (solarmanager.ch, as of September 2026); Swissolar, Batteriemonitor Schweiz 2026 (Energiemanagementsysteme); practical experience of ecoEn GmbH (Zurich region). As of September 2026.
Last updated: 9 July 2026 · Author: ecoEn editorial team
