What is Tribe?
Tribe is a smart energy management system, which monitors and optimises the generation, storage and consumption of electricity in your home to reduce your energy bill.
The Tribe Hub connects to the distribution board and a wide range of devices in your home. By learning consumption patterns, and checking live tariff and weather information, the Hub ensures all connected devices maximise use of clean, low cost electricity.
The Tribe App provides visibility of your generation, storage and consumption of electricity in real time. You can control and schedule devices remotely, and track energy bill savings generated by Tribe.
Who is behind Tribe?
Tribe is developed by Lightsource Labs, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lightsource bp, a global leader in the development and management of solar energy projects, and a 50:50 joint venture with bp.
Lightsource Labs is at the forefront of digital energy innovation, developing bespoke digital energy solutions which can be used globally to integrate more renewable generation into the energy system and accelerate the transition to net zero.
How does it work?
Your Tribe App monitors in real-time your house consumption, generation and storage at device-level. The Tribe App also enables you to control and schedule devices to take advantage of the free solar energy you’re generating or low-cost electricity from the grid. If you’d rather let Tribe optimise the scheduling of devices automatically, the App and Hub will take advantage of the in-built AI to identify the cheapest periods to operate your devices before auto-scheduling each load to exploit these.
What are the main features of Tribe?
Tribe is designed to be the hub of the smart home. Through its market-leading compatibility with a wide range of connected devices – including solar inverters, batteries and electric car chargers – Tribe gives you the ability to monitor and optimise your energy use, and the comfort in being able to control and schedule devices when required.
What does the Tribe App do?
The Tribe App allows you to monitor, control and optimise your home’s energy flows while you’re on the go. By taking into account consumption patterns, weather data and tariff information, the Tribe App ensures you’re maximising use of free solar energy or cheap electricity from the grid. The Tribe App also allows you to turn on and off appliances remotely, and to schedule their operation, to ensure they only operate when electricity is cheapest. This video will allow you to find out more about the Tribe app.
Who can join Tribe?
Joining Tribe is simple, and pretty much anyone can do it! All you need is a home and a smart phone.
What do I need to have the Tribe Hub installed in my home?
You just need to have a stable WiFi connection and space near your consumer unit (your fuse box) to install the Tribe Hub. The Tribe Hub is aesthetically designed and measures L266xW210xD42mm.
Does Tribe work without solar?
Tribe can help any homes with ‘smart loads’ (i.e. devices or appliances which can be controlled via the internet) and ensure they’re consuming electricity at the lowest cost. However, you’ll be able to obtain the most amount of value from Tribe if you have a compatible solar and battery system, which can be optimised to charge, discharge and divert excess energy to maximise savings.
What batteries work with Tribe?
Tribe is compatible with a wide range of home battery systems including LG Chem, BYD and Pylontech. In order to confirm if your battery will work with Tribe, you will need to let your installer know the make and model of your battery system and hybrid inverter.
What inverters work with Tribe?
Tribe is compatible with a wide range of hybrid inverters including Sungrow, Goodwe and SolaX. In order to confirm if your inverter will work with Tribe, you will need to let your installer know the make and model of your hybrid inverter.
Do I need smart plugs?
No, you do not need smart plugs to benefit from Tribe but adding them to your home can give you greater control of your energy and therefore higher savings. We would suggest that if you don’t have smart plugs already, take some time to get used to how Tribe works before deciding if you will benefit from buying them.
Sounds great, how do I get tribe?
To get Tribe installed all you need to do is follow the four simple steps below:
Step 1: Check Tribe is compatible with the solar, battery and electric vehicle charging technology you have installed in your home
Step 2: Visit go-tribe.com to contact your nearest Tribe Partner and book in your installation
Step 3: Sit back and relax while your Tribe Hub is installed and connected to the devices you want to monitor and control
Step 4: Download the Tribe App and start enjoying all the benefits of Tribe!
Do I have to pay for the installation?
Your Tribe installer will need to charge for the installation work; costs vary depending on the complexity of the installation.
What happens during the installation?
Our Tribe Installer will need between 1 and 2 hours to install Tribe. During this time, they will fit the Tribe Hub to the wall and connect it to your home.
What happens once the installation is complete?
Once your Tribe installation is complete, you will receive a welcome email with your log-in details for the Tribe app and information how to get the most out of the tribe app. Your installer will have already connected to all devices you want the Tribe system to control, so you can hit the ground running straight away.
What if I have a power cut?
If you experience a power cut, the Tribe Hub will turn off because it’s powered by the mains. But there’s no need to worry, because the Hub will restart itself once power is restored and your App will pick up where it left off. A key feature of the Tribe system is that it self-monitors and will alert us if there are any ongoing issues which need our attention.
Do I need to update Tribe Hub or App periodically?
The Tribe Hub and App are periodically updated remotely so you can enjoy the latest features developed by the Tribe team. We will notify you when these updates are available and when they’re due to be downloaded to your Tribe system. The Tribe Hub does not require any on-site maintenance unless there is a system fault which cannot be fixed remotely.
If I move house, can I take Tribe with me?
It is possible to take Tribe with you, as long as your new property is suitable. If this is something you are considering, let us know with as much notice as possible so we can advise you on suitability and how to uninstall/reinstall.
Who should I contact if something isn’t working?
We monitor all systems remotely and try to spot any issues and fix them without you needing lifting a finger. However, if you notice something that we don’t, you can let us know via the Support section on the App, or by emailing us at uk@go-tribe.com.
Does the Tribe Hub come with a warranty?
We provide a 2-year warranty on all Tribe Hubs. For peace of mind Tribe systems are CE and RCM-marked.
Who can install Tribe?
It is recommended that Tribe is installed by a certified electrician.
How can I become a Tribe Installer?
You can register to become Tribe Installer by heading to the ‘Go Tribe for Installers’ app on the Apple and Android App stores.. This walks you through the installation process and ensures the system is set up properly.
Tribe also provide installation training through our key distribution partners – contact uk@go-tribe.com to find out more.
What are the solar PV and battery storage system requirements?
There are a few standard requirements that systems need to meet in order to be compatible with Tribe:
What is the process to install a Tribe system?
It is recommended that Tribe is installed by a certified electrician and Installers need to register in the ‘Go Tribe for Installers’ app. The Tribe Installer app provides step by step guidance to ensure the installation is smooth and efficient and the installation takes 1-2 hours to complete on average.
Make sure that you are also familiar with the Tribe installation manual.
What Installer training and support do Tribe offer?
Tribe provide Installer training and support via:
What benefits does Tribe offer me, the Installer?
Adding Tribe to your product range will provide opportunities for you to:
What happens if the customer experiences troubles with the Tribe system?
Tribe has a technical support team on-hand to resolve any customer issues promptly. Customers can request support by ‘raising a ticket’ in the Tribe app; this functionality can be found under ‘Profile > Helpdesk > Create’.
We also provide a 2-year warranty on all Tribe Hubs.
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