The Solar Purist approach prioritises using your own solar generation to charge your vehicle whenever possible.
It treats EV charging as an extension of household energy use, rather than a fixed demand that must always be met.
This approach can feel intuitive and satisfying for some households — and limiting for others — depending on expectations and lifestyle.
In a solar-first setup, the charger responds to live solar generation rather than fixed schedules.
In practice, this usually means one of three behaviours:
• Charging only when surplus solar is available
• Blending solar with grid power to maintain a steady charge
• Temporarily overriding solar when charging speed matters
This approach treats the car as a flexible energy load rather than a fixed demand.
Many solar homes export energy during the day, then pull electricity back from the grid overnight to charge a vehicle.
This setup is chosen by people who care less about perfect schedules and more about using what they generate.
This Approach Often Fits Homes Where…
It’s especially common in households where charging does not need to be completed as quickly as possible.
This setup isn’t “better” — it’s different.
Choosing solar-first charging usually means accepting that:
For some households, this feels like control.
For others, it feels like a compromise.
Understanding that difference early prevents frustration later.
Solar-first and tariff-led charging optimise for different things.
A solar-first setup prioritises using electricity at the moment it’s generated. Charging responds to sunlight, household demand, and availability, even if that means slower or interrupted charging.
A tariff-led setup prioritises price windows instead. Charging is scheduled around cheaper grid electricity, usually overnight, regardless of whether solar is producing at the time.
Neither approach is inherently better — they simply reflect different priorities.
Solar-first charging tends to appeal to households that value:
using their own energy where possible
aligning charging with generation
understanding and adapting to system behaviour
Tariff-led charging tends to appeal to households that value:
predictable charging outcomes
lower cost per mile
minimal day-to-day involvement
In practice, many homes end up using elements of both, depending on tariffs, driving patterns, and household routines.
The key difference isn’t performance — it’s what you’re optimising for.
Even in a solar-first setup, the physical constraints of the home still matter.
Things like:
available fuse capacity
distance between the metre and the driveway
signal strength at the charger location
future plans such as battery storage or heat pumps
All influence how well a solar-first charger will behave.
That’s why this setup is always checked against the site itself — not just product specifications.
The Solar Purist setup suits homes that want to:
actively use their own solar generation
understand and see energy flows
accept variability in exchange for efficiency
It isn’t about speed.
It isn’t about chasing the cheapest tariff.
It’s about alignment between how your home produces energy and how your car is charged.
For some households, this feels like control.
For others, it feels like a compromise.
Understanding that difference early prevents frustration later.
If this approach doesn’t feel right, that’s useful information — not a failure to decide.
This page explains a common real-world pattern, not a universal recommendation.
If a setup can’t be justified for your home, it won’t be suggested.