GivEnergy Export Limit — What to Set, Why It Resets & G98 vs G99
The export limit controls how much power your GivEnergy system is permitted to send to the grid. Set it wrong and you either violate your DNO conditions or silently lose export income. Set it to zero — which firmware updates do automatically — and you're generating power that goes nowhere.
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Your correct export limit is determined by your DNO connection conditions — not by what's convenient or what the installer set at commissioning. We can check your MCS documentation, confirm your G98/G99 status, and set the correct value remotely.
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What the export limit setting does
The export limit tells the GivEnergy inverter the maximum power it is allowed to push onto the grid at any moment. The inverter actively enforces this — if solar generation minus household consumption would exceed the limit, the inverter throttles down output rather than exporting above it.
No export permitted
All generation is consumed by the house or stored in the battery. Any surplus above what the house and battery can absorb is curtailed — the panels back off and that energy is lost. Required for some DNO conditions and leasehold properties.
Standard single-phase
The G98 limit for single-phase UK connections. Correct for most residential installations. Excess generation above household consumption and battery capacity is exported at up to 3.68kW.
Custom G99 limit
If your DNO issued a G99 approval with a specific export cap — e.g. 1,500W or 2,000W — this figure takes precedence. Your connection agreement will state the exact value. Never exceed your DNO-approved limit.
What export limit should you set?
The correct value is determined by your DNO connection conditions — not by what your installer set, not by what seems reasonable, and not by the inverter's maximum capability. Check your documents before changing this setting.
G98 vs G99 — which applies to your installation?
G98 and G99 are the UK grid connection standards that govern how solar and battery systems connect to the distribution network. Which one applies determines your maximum export level and what the DNO must be told.
Up to 3.68kW single-phase export
Most UK residential solar installations fall under G98. The installer notifies the DNO that the system has been connected — no prior approval is required. The DNO cannot refuse connection under G98.
Larger systems or higher export
G99 applies to larger systems, three-phase connections, or any installation the DNO determines needs assessment. The DNO reviews the application and may impose conditions — including a specific export cap — before issuing approval.
Firmware update reset the export limit to 0W
GivEnergy firmware updates regularly reset the export limit to 0W. When this happens, the system continues to generate and the battery continues to charge and discharge — but nothing is exported to the grid. On an export tariff, this means you stop earning export payments immediately, silently, until someone checks the setting.
How to tell if the export limit reset
The financial impact
In summer months, a well-sized system on a G98 connection might export 5–15 kWh per day. At Octopus Flux export rates or SEG rates of 4–15p/kWh, a blocked export limit costs £0.20–£2.25 per day — potentially £50–£300 over a lost summer season before the problem is noticed.
The system appears to be working normally in every other respect. The only sign is that export figures drop to zero in the portal and export payments stop — which many homeowners don't check frequently enough to catch quickly.
Setting the export limit in the GivEnergy portal
The export limit is set remotely via the portal. No site visit or physical access to the inverter is needed.
Steps to set the export limit
Sign in with your account credentials at givenergy.cloud. Go to My Inverter in the left sidebar.
The export limit is found under Advanced Settings — not under System Mode Settings. Look for a field labelled Export Limit, Grid Export Limit, or similar. On some portal versions this may be under Battery Options or a separate Export section.
The field takes a value in watts (W), not kilowatts. Enter 3680 for the standard G98 single-phase limit, or the exact figure from your G99 approval letter. Enter 0 only if zero export is genuinely required. Do not leave the field blank.
After submitting, wait 2–3 minutes for the setting to propagate to the inverter. On a sunny day, check the portal power flow — if solar is generating above household consumption and the battery is full, you should see the grid arrow showing export up to your new limit.
Export tariffs — what the export limit affects
If you're on a Smart Export Guarantee (SEG), Octopus Outgoing, Octopus Flux, or any other export tariff, a blocked export limit directly reduces your income. The export limit is the single most important setting for export revenue.
How the export limit affects tariff earnings
Timed export and the export limit
GivEnergy's Timed Export mode discharges the battery to the grid during a defined window — used on tariffs like Octopus Flux where export rates are highest at peak times. The export limit caps how fast this discharge can export, even in Timed Export mode.
If you use Timed Export on Octopus Flux and the export limit has reset to 0W, the battery will try to discharge but nothing will reach the grid — the timed export window will complete with zero actual export and zero income.
Firmware resets the export limit to 0W — full post-update settings checklist.
System mode and tariff configuration — related settings to the export limit.
A backwards CT can make export appear to be happening when it isn't.
How to read portal data to verify export is working correctly.
Export limit questions
Three possible causes: the export limit is set to 0W (check Advanced Settings first — this is the most common cause, especially after a firmware update), the battery has capacity remaining so all excess solar is going into the battery rather than being exported, or the CT clamp is reversed and the inverter is misreading what's actually happening. Check the export limit first, then check the battery SoC when this happens.
Not without G99 approval from your DNO. 3,680W is the G98 limit for single-phase connections — exceeding this requires prior DNO approval under G99. Setting a higher limit in the portal without G99 approval would put you in breach of your connection conditions. If your system genuinely has higher export capability and you want to use it, apply to your DNO for G99 approval first.
Possibly — some installers set 0W as a conservative default during commissioning and never return to correct it. Others set 0W because your specific connection condition requires it (leasehold, landlord restriction, or DNO condition). Check your installation paperwork and MCS certificate first. If no zero-export condition is stated, it's likely an oversight and 3,680W is the correct G98 value for a standard single-phase connection.
Yes, directly. SEG payments are based on actual metered export recorded by your smart meter. If the export limit in the GivEnergy portal is set to 0W, nothing reaches the grid, nothing is recorded by your smart meter, and your SEG supplier has no export to pay for. The portal export limit is the gate that controls whether any export reaches the meter at all.
The export limit itself doesn't change when you switch tariff — 3,680W (G98) is still the correct limit for a standard single-phase connection regardless of which export tariff you're on. What does change is your System Mode settings and Timed Export windows to take advantage of Flux's peak export periods. Check that your export limit is set to 3,680W (not 0W), then configure Timed Export to discharge the battery during Flux's high-export-rate window.
Not exporting? We'll find out why and fix it remotely.
Tell us what the portal shows for grid flow, whether you have an export tariff, and when the problem started. We'll identify whether it's the export limit, the CT clamp, the system mode, or something else — and restore it in one session.
This is a brand-specific version of our general export limit issues guide, which covers all brands.