GivEnergy Battery Tariff Optimisation — Get Every Penny from Your System
A GivEnergy battery on the wrong tariff — or with a correctly configured battery but incorrectly set schedule — can waste most of its financial value. This guide covers tariff selection, charge schedule setup, Octopus integration, and the midnight rule that catches out almost every GivEnergy owner.
We set up GivEnergy charge schedules correctly for your specific tariff and usage profile. If your battery isn't charging overnight or isn't saving as much as expected, a remote schedule review identifies the issue fast.
Not affiliated with GivEnergy Ltd or any energy supplier. Independent advice.
Your tariff is half the value equation
A GivEnergy battery stores energy and releases it — but what it stores, and when, determines all of its financial return. The battery gives you one unique ability: you decide when to buy electricity, not just how much. On a flat-rate tariff, that ability is worthless.
Key principle: charge cheap, discharge expensive
The daily routine is simple: fill the battery during the cheap overnight window, use that stored energy during peak-rate morning and evening periods. Combine this with solar generation covering daytime loads and you've eliminated most of your peak-rate grid import.
Which tariff type works best with GivEnergy?
Not all time-of-use tariffs work the same way. Here's how the main types interact with a GivEnergy battery.
Fixed cheap window — 7 or 10 hours overnight at a lower rate. Simple to schedule around, highly predictable. E7 windows are typically 00:30–07:30 but vary by meter and region. Always check with your supplier.
Fixed cheap rate (currently around 7.5p/kWh) between 00:30–05:30. Simple, predictable window ideal for GivEnergy scheduling. Just create a Timed Charge slot matching these hours in the GivEnergy app.
Half-hourly prices that change based on grid demand. Prices can go negative during high renewable generation. Suits users who want to target the cheapest slots dynamically — often via Home Assistant or GivTCP automations.
Sends automated control signals to your GivEnergy system via API. Handles scheduling automatically. However, it overrides manual settings set in the GivEnergy app — using both simultaneously causes conflicting instructions and unpredictable behaviour.
Smart tariff lockout guide →Prices vary by half-hour based on wholesale energy costs. Can offer very cheap or negative prices during high renewable generation. Requires Home Assistant or GivTCP integrations to automate optimally — manual scheduling is impractical.
Same unit rate all day. The battery charges and discharges at the same cost. Round-trip efficiency losses (typically 85–92%) mean you pay more than you save. Only beneficial for solar self-consumption, not arbitrage.
Setting up GivEnergy with Octopus tariffs
Octopus Energy is the most popular tariff choice for GivEnergy battery owners. Each Octopus product integrates differently — understand which before enabling API connections.
Octopus Go setup in GivEnergy app
Octopus Go's standard cheap window is 00:30–05:30. Check your specific tariff agreement — some variations have different times. Your smart meter app or the Octopus app shows exact times.
In the GivEnergy app or portal: go to EMS settings → Timed Charge. Set Slot 1 to 00:30–05:30. Set Target SOC to 100% (or whatever level you need for the day). Save the schedule. The battery should begin charging at 00:30 on the next cycle.
For Octopus Go, manual scheduling in GivEnergy is sufficient. The Octopus API is designed for Octopus Intelligent — enabling it on a Go tariff can cause conflicting signals. Leave the API connection disabled unless you have specifically set up Octopus Intelligent.
Check the portal the morning after your first scheduled charge. The battery SOC should have risen to your target during the cheap window. If it hasn't, check the midnight rule below — this is the most common cause of first-night failures.
Octopus Intelligent: use one control system, not two
Octopus Intelligent sends automated charge and discharge signals to your GivEnergy inverter via their API. When enabled, it controls your battery directly — your manually set schedules in the GivEnergy app are overridden. If you want Octopus Intelligent to manage your battery, remove any manual schedules in GivEnergy. If you want to control it yourself, do not connect the Octopus API. Running both causes the smart tariff lockout behaviour many users complain about.
Setting up a complete daily charge/discharge schedule
A complete schedule pairs a charge slot with a discharge slot. Many GivEnergy owners only set up the charge window, leaving the discharge to default — which means the battery may discharge at the wrong times.
Set to match your tariff's cheap window. Target SOC: 100% (or enough for the next day's usage). This is when the battery draws from the grid at the lowest rate.
Set to cover morning and evening peak periods. Target SOC: 4% (or your preferred reserve). The battery powers your home instead of drawing expensive peak-rate grid electricity.
Between scheduled slots, the system operates in self-consumption mode — using solar to power the home, charging the battery from surplus, and only drawing grid when needed.
Example: Octopus Go schedule (00:30–05:30 cheap window)
Adjust timing and SOC targets to match your actual usage pattern. Check the portal after a few days and refine.
For detailed step-by-step instructions on setting schedules in the GivEnergy app and portal, see the charge schedule configuration guide. For EMS mode settings (Timed Charge vs Timed Discharge vs Timed Export), see the energy management system guide.
The midnight rule — why your battery isn't charging overnight
GivEnergy charge and discharge slots cannot cross midnight. Each slot must sit entirely within a single 24-hour period. This catches out almost every new GivEnergy owner setting up their first schedule.
This applies in both the app and the portal
The midnight boundary rule is a firmware-level constraint — it applies identically whether you're using the GivEnergy mobile app or the web portal (givenergy.cloud). Some versions of the app will silently accept a crossing slot but not apply it. Others show an error. Either way, always split any slot that would cross midnight into two separate slots.
Export tariff — getting paid for surplus solar
If you have solar panels, a Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) tariff pays you for electricity exported to the grid. With a battery, the decision becomes more nuanced — do you store surplus for self-use or export it for payment?
Store all surplus solar in the battery. Use it during peak periods instead of paying peak-rate import. Best when your export rate is lower than your peak import rate.
Export surplus solar at a high SEG rate. Use Timed Export in GivEnergy to push stored energy to the grid during high-value periods. Works best with Agile or premium fixed SEG rates.
Charge from cheap overnight rate. Use solar to cover daytime loads. Export only genuine surplus beyond battery full capacity. Best overall financial outcome for most households.
SEG rate vs peak import saving
If your SEG rate is 15p/kWh and your peak import rate is 28p/kWh, storing surplus solar to displace peak import saves you 13p more per kWh than exporting. Only consider exporting stored battery energy when export rates approach or exceed your peak import rate — which occasionally happens on Octopus Agile during low-demand periods.
Battery not charging as expected — checklist
Work through these in order — they cover the causes of the vast majority of tariff-related battery charging failures.
If your cheap window starts before midnight (e.g. 23:30), split the slot at midnight. This is the single most common cause of schedules that look correct but don't apply.
An inverted CT clamp makes the inverter think it's exporting when it's importing, and vice versa. The battery may believe household demand is already met and refuse to charge. See the CT clamp direction guide.
If your energy provider is connected via API (Octopus Intelligent, OVO Charge Anytime, etc.), their control signals override your manual schedule. Log in to the portal and check Connected Apps — if a third-party integration is active and you didn't intend it, remove it.
Some GivEnergy smart tariff integrations rely on smart meter data to verify cheap windows. If your smart meter is not reporting correctly, the integration may not function. Contact your supplier to verify SMETS2 meter activation.
Occasionally the GivEnergy app shows a schedule that hasn't synced to the inverter. Log out and back into the app, reload the schedule, and confirm it's showing as active in the portal — not just in the app cache.
GivEnergy tariff — common questions answered
Any tariff with a defined cheap overnight window works well. Octopus Go (fixed 7.5p/kWh overnight window) is the most popular choice. Economy 7 and Economy 10 are simple alternatives. Avoid flat-rate tariffs — the battery's round-trip efficiency loss means you lose money charging and discharging at the same rate.
Most likely the midnight rule — if your charge slot crosses midnight, it won't apply. Split it into two slots: one ending at 23:59 and one starting at 00:00. Other causes: CT clamp reversed so the inverter reads incorrect import/export values, or a third-party API (Octopus Intelligent) overriding your manual schedule.
Yes, but use one control system. Octopus Intelligent sends API signals directly to your inverter. If you also have manual schedules in the GivEnergy app, both systems compete — you'll get unpredictable behaviour. Either use Octopus Intelligent exclusively (remove manual schedules), or disconnect the Octopus API and manage schedules yourself.
Yes — Economy 7 is one of the most straightforward tariffs to use with GivEnergy. Set a Timed Charge slot matching your E7 hours (typically 00:30–07:30, but check with your supplier — it varies by meter). Apply the midnight rule if your window starts before midnight. Set a Timed Discharge slot for morning and evening peaks.
Step-by-step instructions for setting Timed Charge and Timed Discharge slots in the GivEnergy portal.
Diagnostic guide — system mode, SoC limits, CT clamp, and firmware reset causes.
API integration overriding manual schedule — causes and fix for Octopus Intelligent and similar.
CT clamp reversed — prevents overnight charging, causes incorrect portal readings.
Battery not charging on your tariff?
We set up GivEnergy charge schedules correctly for any tariff — Octopus Go, Economy 7, Agile, or anything else. If your battery isn't saving what it should, a remote review finds the problem fast and sets up the correct schedule for your usage.
Charge schedule setup guideIndependent of GivEnergy Ltd and all energy suppliers. Unbiased tariff and schedule advice.