With the support of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, the university of applied sciences in Ansbach, Bavaria has developed a “HEMS Finder”. It is a public database that gives consumers, installers and planners a configurable overview of the home energy management system (HEMS) market.
In this interview, project manager Thomas Haupt explains how the database works and outlines current trends. Haupt works at the Ansbach University of Applied Sciences as a research fellow in the Smart Energy Systems department.
Generally speaking, it is a system that manages load flows in private households. It is a smart option for households with multiple flexible assets or loads, such as PV systems, battery storage devices, EV chargers and heat pumps. The HEMS’ most important function at the moment is optimizing PV self-consumption, reducing the importance of feed-in tariffs. A HEMS also manages storage devices and controls consumption to ensure you get the best possible price. Dynamic electricity tariffs could potentially also be integrated.
Each HEMS has its own features. To find compatible systems, users can enter which devices from which manufacturers are already installed or planned for installation. They can also specify what they want the system to be able to do. Our tool then shows which manufacturers have suitable products in their portfolio, along with further information on said products, such as pricing. There is no price filter, though, because some manufacturers provide wholesale prices while others provide retail prices, making it difficult to compare them.
It is mainly intended for installers who want to configure a complete system but do not always have all available products at their disposal. Especially since this is unfamiliar territory for many of them. When we presented our concept to installers in 2024, many had never even heard of HEMS, so it is important to shed some light on this topic. End customers can also use our website to find the model that best suits their needs. Utilities have become another target group. As energy service providers, they are under pressure from tech-savvy start-ups offering dynamic electricity pricing and related apps that are flooding the market. So utilities need to follow suit.
Initially, we asked companies we knew about for their product data. At the end of 2024, we covered around 80 percent of the market. There are now 70 suppliers in our database, so our market coverage is very strong. For some time now, we have also been approached by new suppliers asking us to include their products in the database. However, we have noticed that the number of suppliers is beginning to stagnate as the market becomes saturated.
No, the market volume continues to grow. In Germany there are currently five million residential PV installations and 2.5 million battery storage systems. Along with the deployment of heat pumps and EV chargers, the number of potential customers is constantly growing.
As dynamic electricity tariffs increase, control algorithms are becoming more complicated. Variable grid charges will also play bigger role. Forecasts predicting PV generation and loads will also become much more important. Knowing whether a battery storage system will be able to fully charge from solar power at midday the next day offers strong potential for cost-optimized management on the day before. In our database you can search for systems with an integrated PV forecast and you will only get results that meet that criterion.
We have decided not to include it in the search criteria. Many companies say they work with AI, but this term is very broad. It is difficult for us to define which algorithms are really based on AI.
For example you can filter for HEMS with open source software, which is particularly attractive to users who want to expand the system with their own control features. Customers may also be looking for a system that does not require hardware, but instead runs entirely in the cloud. You can also filter for that, but there are not many systems in this category yet. You can also choose the technical specifications of the system, for example whether it allows for an SG-ready heat pump to be installed and managed.
In general, yes, at least for the moment. Everything is a lot more complex in multi-family dwellings. However, the load management of multiple EV chargers, for example, is something to consider. To what extent such requirements will be part of our database in the future is unclear. We are thinking about it.
That is exactly what we are working on right now. The research project runs until the end of May. We are in the process of establishing an association that will look after the platform in the future. As products continue to evolve at a rapid pace, we cannot afford to keep updating their information in the long term. That is why we opened the database to manufacturers in September 2025, so they can update their product information themselves.
EM Power Europe, taking place June 23–25, 2026, in Munich, offers a comprehensive overview of the latest solutions, technologies, and products for smart energy management. Anyone looking to dive deeper into the topic of home energy management will find a relevant session at the The smarter E Forum, which is part of the exhibition program.
Under the title “HEMS & BEMS: Intelligent Energy Management from Homes to Buildings” , practical HEMS and BEMS solutions will be presented. The focus is on integration, interoperability, and future readiness – from PV, charging infrastructure and storage to heating, automation and grid interaction. The session will take place on Thursday, June 25, 2026, from 3:45–4:30 p.m. in Hall C5, Booth C5.550.
