Guide
Grid-charge before load shedding
If shedding is scheduled, many hybrids can top up from the grid beforehand so you enter the slot with a full battery — useful on cloudy days when PV alone will not refill in time.
Answer first: Yes, most modern hybrid inverters can be set to charge from the grid on a schedule or when SoC is low before a known outage. It uses grid kWh (you pay for them) to buy resilience.
When it helps
- Back-to-back high stages with little sun between slots
- Small arrays relative to battery size
- Winter or heavy cloud
When to be careful
- TOU tariffs — avoid charging on expensive peaks if your schedule allows
- Poor settings that grid-charge unnecessarily every day
Ask your installer to document the intended schedule in the handover pack. Related: Load shedding guide.