Understanding Planner Basic
Planner Basic is an automatic heating mode designed to keep your spa warm while helping reduce electricity costs. Instead of following a fixed schedule, Planner Basic continuously monitors electricity prices and the spa temperature and decides when heating should run.
Planner Basic is an automatic heating mode designed to keep your spa warm while helping reduce electricity costs.
Instead of following a fixed schedule, Planner Basic continuously monitors electricity prices and the spa temperature and decides when heating should run.
The goal is simple:
Heat the spa when electricity is cheap and the temperature needs to recover.
How Planner Basic Works
Planner Basic evaluates three main factors:
1. Electricity price
The spa will only heat when the electricity price is below your selected price limit.
2. Water temperature
Heating starts when the water temperature drops below the target temperature (depending on your selected heating strategy).
3. System timing checks
Planner Basic checks the conditions regularly and decides whether heating should start or wait.
If all conditions are met, heating starts automatically.
If not, the system waits until the next evaluation.
Why the Spa May Sometimes Wait Before Heating
In some situations, SpaPilot may intentionally wait before starting heating. This is normal behavior.
There are three common reasons:
Electricity price is too high
If the current electricity price is above your configured price limit, heating will wait until cheaper hours become available.
Temperature is still within the allowed range
Depending on your heating strategy (Priority, Comfort, Economy), the system allows the temperature to drop slightly before heating starts again.
This helps avoid unnecessary heating cycles.
The spa controller is applying a configuration change
SpaPilot communicates with the spa controller to allow or block heating.
Some changes (such as switching between Rest and Ready mode) can take a short time before the spa controller accepts them.
During this time, the system may briefly wait before heating begins.
Interaction with Instant Heating
Instant Heating always takes priority over Planner Basic.
When Instant Heating is activated:
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the spa begins heating immediately
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Planner Basic is temporarily paused
Once Instant Heating is stopped, Planner Basic automatically resumes its normal behavior.
Heating Strategy and Temperature Behaviour
Planner Basic works together with your selected heating strategy.
These strategies define how much the temperature can drop before heating starts again.
Example:
Priority
Heating starts quickly when the temperature drops slightly.
Comfort
Heating allows a small temperature drop before restarting.
Economy
Heating allows a larger drop to reduce electricity consumption.
When Planner Basic Is the Best Choice
Planner Basic is ideal if you want:
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automatic heating based on electricity prices
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lower electricity costs
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no fixed heating schedule
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the spa to maintain temperature most of the time
If you prefer the spa to always be fully heated every day regardless of electricity price, you may prefer other heating modes.
Summary
Planner Basic automatically manages spa heating by combining:
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electricity prices
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spa temperature
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heating strategy
The system continuously evaluates these factors and decides whether to heat now or wait for a better moment.
This helps keep your spa ready while reducing unnecessary energy use.