How does load balancing work at a charging station?

The charging current is thus automatically adjusted.

The energy meter shows per phase how much electricity the home draws from the grid or returns to it. The control compares this with the set limit and calculates how much space there is left for the car. If other consumption decreases, the charging station can provide more power. If consumption increases, it reduces the charging current. This is repeated during the entire charging session.

With a three-phase installation, it is not only the total power that counts. One phase may reach its limit earlier than the other. That is why we look at the grid type, the distribution over the phases, the on-board charger of the car and the connection of large appliances. Automatic phase balancing distributes charging across the phases; load balancing monitors how much power is available. Both schemes must be properly coordinated.

• Home consumption gains space when heavy appliances are switched on.
• The car can use more of the available capacity when other consumption is low.
• A configured limit helps protect the main protective device and the connection.
• Measurement per phase prevents only the total power from being viewed.

When is load balancing especially relevant?

The arrangement is especially useful when the desired charging power is close to the remaining capacity of your home. This is, for example, the case with limited main protection, a heat pump, electric cooking, a boiler or multiple charging points. Even if you want to limit power peaks, dynamic control is more useful than a charging station that always tries to operate at the same maximum current.

In Flanders, 1 kW billing peak in 2026 costs an average of € 53,39 per year excluding VAT. Load balancing does not prevent every household peak consumption, but it does allow the charging station to be automatically adjusted back when other devices require a lot of power. This way, a charging station of 11 kW does not have to cause an unnecessarily high residential peak every month. The full calculation and examples can be found in our separate guide to the capacity tariff.

Load balancing also helps to monitor the connection in Brussels. The Brussels capacity component for meters read annually is based on the available connected power. A lower quarter-hour peak therefore does not yield the same savings as in the Flemish calculation examples.

With a large connection and limited charging power, a fixed limit may technically suffice. However, an energy meter remains useful for solar charging or to monitor your consumption. We therefore do not automatically add load balancing to every quotation. We explain which problem the scheme solves in your situation and which meter is suitable for this.

Load balancing and solar charging use the same energy meter.

For solar charging, the control must not only measure the consumption from the grid, but also recognize when you supply power back. If the solar panels produce more than the home uses, the surplus can go to the car. If the cloud cover changes or a device is switched on, the available charging current also changes. The charging station follows these changes within the technical limits of the car and installation.

A car requires a minimum charging current and cannot always immediately utilize small differences in solar production. The selected phase mode also plays a role. Charging with solar energy therefore does not mean that every amount of solar power ends up in the car without a grid exchange. We set priorities and explain what to expect on a typical day.

In this way we distribute the power over multiple charging points.

With two or more vehicles we divide the available power between the building and the active charging points. The parking duration, desired departure time and minimum charging current determine how many cars can be usefully charged at the same time. A large number of charging points does not mean that all vehicles must constantly charge at full power.

For a company or shared parking lot, we estimate how much energy the vehicles need within their available hours. We then record how circuits, charging points and building measurements work together. This way, the charging location can be expanded in a targeted manner without having to start from scratch with each new vehicle.

We determine the settings before installation.

We check the meter, grid type, main protection, fuse box, major consumers and desired charging location. On this basis we choose the measurement and determine the power limits. After installation, we test how the charging current responds and show which settings you should and should not combine in the app.

Different charging schedules in the car, charging station, energy supplier app and smart home app can contradict each other. That is why we agree on which regulation determines the charging times. If a heat pump, home battery or second car is added later, we will re-examine the set limits.