FTW

FTW coordinates compatible solar, battery and car-charging equipment across brands in a home energy setup. It is aimed at private-household users comfortable running software on their own Raspberry Pi or Linux host. Its energy planning and local safeguards are compelling, but the early beta and limits on Energyplan use make it a cautious choice.

Overview

FTW brings household energy devices into a shared plan. Energyplan weighs charging needs, electricity prices and tariffs, solar, household forecasts, and battery state and efficiency when planning energy use. FTW Core then checks proposed plans and commands against site and equipment limits, with a local fallback if the planner is unavailable.

Separating planning from local checks is useful: the plan can account for competing household needs without making the planner the only control layer. Compatibility remains model- and firmware-dependent, however, and supported functions vary. FTW is not a universal bridge for every meter, inverter or battery.

Key features

Planning and safeguards

Energy forecasting and automated utility data import complement the planner's consideration of tariffs, solar and household needs. Active control requires a working site meter and a confirmed main fuse rating. If required meter data becomes stale, dispatch stops. That conservative boundary helps avoid acting on outdated readings, but makes reliable metering a prerequisite for automatic control.

Device status and integrations

The beta shows whether controlled devices are following FTW, waiting, limited or need attention. It uses device readings and, where available, separate meter confirmation, giving users a way to distinguish device-reported activity from independently confirmed results.

Lua drivers connect supported meters, inverters and batteries; model, firmware and verified-function coverage varies. OCPP 1.6J and 2.0.1 chargers can connect to FTW's built-in server without a Lua driver, subject to each charger's functions. The API and Home Assistant support observation or automation, not a promise of broader device compatibility.

Pricing

FTW Community: free. The plan is for private-household use and uses AGPLv3 code with a narrow Energyplan exception. The proprietary Energyplan worker is permitted with FTW in a private household; other use or distribution requires a separate written Sourceful license. The price is zero, but that does not make the worker unrestricted for commercial or other use.

Community support is best-effort from users and maintainers, with no official support, warranty, response-time or service-level commitments. This suits technically capable users who can handle installation and troubleshooting without formal assistance; it is a poor fit where a support commitment is essential.

Platforms

FTW runs on a user's own host, with Linux and Docker installation paths and Raspberry Pi or Linux deployment described. It also lists web and API platforms. Self-hosting gives the household control over deployment, but puts setup and ongoing operation on the user.

Who it's for

FTW is best for a private household with supported solar, batteries or EV charging, a working site meter, and the technical ability to maintain a self-hosted system. Its tariff-aware planning is especially relevant when charging and household energy needs must be coordinated. Users seeking a mature release, guided migration or official support should look elsewhere: FTW remains an early 0.x beta, and guided transfer of old settings and history is not ready.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Energy planning weighs tariffs, solar, forecasts, charging needs and battery efficiency, giving household decisions more context than a single device reading.
• FTW Core checks plans against site and equipment limits and keeps a local fallback if the planner is unavailable.
• OCPP charger connections can avoid a Lua driver, subject to charger capabilities.
• Stale required meter data stops dispatch rather than allowing control to continue on outdated readings.

Cons

• Compatibility depends on supported models, firmware and verified functions, so a household must confirm its equipment before relying on FTW.
• The early 0.x beta has no guided transfer of old settings and history, making migration less suitable for users expecting a polished transition.
• Community help has no official response times or service commitments.
• Energyplan's private-household permission is narrow; other use or distribution requires a separate written license.

Alternatives

Energy Management Software is the broader category to explore when comparing tools for energy operations.

Choose Enertiv instead if you want a paid platform with a free portfolio diagnostic using optional, read-only ESPM data, or need Android and iOS platforms.

BEMServer is another free, self-hosted open-source option for readers comparing Linux and web deployments; its listed plan leaves installation, configuration, maintenance and selected modules to consider.

Consider Honeywell Forge for product-specific offerings that include Advanced Process Control with term-based licensing and feature choices; pricing requires contacting Honeywell.

KERO is a paid alternative.

Spacewell is a paid alternative with Workplace, Energy and Asset Ultimate offerings; its Energy plan includes customized data points and unlimited admin users.

Verdigris is a paid alternative.

Arcadia Platform is an enterprise platform with custom pricing and a demo available by contacting Arcadia.

CIM PEAK is a paid alternative whose PEAK Platform pricing is based on data points, with partner and portfolio discounts and no user limit per building.

Verdict

Choose FTW if you can self-host a private household energy system and want planning that weighs tariffs, solar, charging needs and battery conditions, backed by local checks. Its strongest reason to choose it is that combination of planning and safeguards; its strongest reason to look elsewhere is the early beta, compounded by uneven device support and no official support commitment.