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Configuration guide · Tariff & schedule

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.
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Book configuration reviewGivEnergy configuration hub
  • Economy 7, Octopus Go, Agile & Intelligent
  • The midnight crossing rule explained
  • Solar export tariff guidance included

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Battery not charging on your tariff?

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.

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Not affiliated with GivEnergy Ltd or any energy supplier. Independent advice.

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Rated 5.0 on Google Read all 48 reviews

Ron was really helpful. He remotely adjusted my battery settings on the same day I contacted him, and at a reasonable price. Great service.

Jackie Palman · Jun 2026 Google

Ron is incredibly knowledgeable about solar installs in general but knows givenergy products inside out and the key personnel that worked there from the start to the end. My problem was spurious in its nature but Ron spotted it straight away when he understood the installation details. In essence the installers didn’t fit the correct trip switch. He also gave me hope that in the future hardware repairs could be possible but it’s still early days. This guy really is in the know and keen to sucas a business If you need help don’t hesitate

Geoffrey Heathcote · Jun 2026 Google

Called back within a day and gave good advice.

Rob and Sue Dempster · Jun 2026 Google

Massively massively recommended. We had a big battery array (49kW across three phases) put in four years ago. c £35k cost. It’s been a total nightmare for many reasons, not least 1. our installer being totally useless and unresponsive and 2. Givenergy, our battery supplier, going bust. Long story short it had never worked anywhere near properly despite countless hours on phones and emails; the best we’d achieved was one third of the batteries working. Rather than write it off, I asked a PM friend to try to source someone who could come on site and review and revive the system. He found Solar Tech Support and Ron. Ron assured us he was the man to get it going again. After so many years of pain, I was not convinced but, true to his word, five hours later it was up and running. Lovely chap, super knowledgeable with a support team to lean on who are also clearly super technical. I honestly didn’t think there was much chance of getting this array going ever again so was absolutely delighted when Ron and team pulled it off. Bravo!

Will Wynne · Jun 2026 Google

I have a GivEnergy system consisting of two batteries, two inverters and a controlling EMS (Energy Management System) which has not worked since Nov 2025. After six months I discovered Solar Tech Support, reached out to them and Ron phoned me back – how often do you get that service? Could not be more helpful – worked directly with me over the phone, outside what I would call normal working hours. Lucid explanations and we were able to discuss the issues and history using camera and email history. As this was a very rare setup, Ron was able to access an EMS expert in the field to confirm the solution. One sunny day in, I am now only paying for standing charge and a few pence for spikes in grid consumption while battery catches up with house demand.

Ian · May 2026

I can’t praise this firm enough. After hearing my solar panels rattling in very windy conditions, I contacted Solar Tech (as my installers no longer trade). Ronald was fantastic at explaining what he thought the issue was likely to be. Communication was great throughout keeping me fully updated. The team worked really hard on the day to carry out the necessary work. I can now sleep soundly at night without worrying about the solar panels on my roof. I would thoroughly recommend this firm. Thank you for sorting the problem out.

Carolyn Addison · Jun 2026 Google
The fundamentals

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.

On the right tariff

✓Charge overnight at 7–15p/kWh
✓Discharge during 25–35p/kWh peak periods
✓Each full cycle saves 15–25p per kWh
✓A 9.5kWh battery can save £400–800/year

On a flat-rate tariff

·Charging and discharging at the same rate
·Round-trip efficiency losses mean you lose money
·Solar self-consumption is the only real saving
·Battery payback period doubles or triples

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.

Tariff guide

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.

Economy 7 / Economy 10

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.

Best for simplicity · Works well with manual GivEnergy charge schedule

Octopus Go

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.

Best value · Most popular choice for GivEnergy battery owners

Octopus Agile

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.

For advanced users · Requires active schedule management or automation

Octopus Intelligent

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 →

Variable / dynamic half-hourly

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.

Works best with automation layer

Standard flat-rate tariff (avoid)

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.

Switch immediately if still on flat rate

Octopus integration
Octopus

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

1
Confirm your cheap window

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.

2
Create Timed Charge slot in GivEnergy

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.

3
Do not enable the Octopus API connection for Go

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.

4
Verify the schedule is applying

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.

Configuration

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.

Timed Charge — fill during cheap rate

EMS slot

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.

Timed Discharge — power home during peak

EMS slot

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.

Self-Consumption — default solar behaviour

Default mode

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)

SlotTimeTarget SOC
Charge Slot 100:30 → 05:30100%
Discharge Slot 105:30 → 09:0020%
Self-consumption09:00 → 16:00Solar priority
Discharge Slot 216:00 → 23:594%
Common mistake

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.

Incorrect — slot crosses midnight

WRONG
Charge Slot 1: 23:30 → 05:30
This slot will not work — it spans midnight.

✓ Correct — split into two slots

CORRECT
Charge Slot 1: 23:30 → 23:59
Charge Slot 2: 00:00 → 05:30
Both slots apply correctly.

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.

Solar owners

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?

Option 1 — maximise self-consumption

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.

Option 2 — maximise export income

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.

Option 3 — hybrid (recommended)

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.

Troubleshooting
Problems

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.

1
Check the midnight rule

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.

2
Check CT clamp direction

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.

3
Check for API override

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.

4
Check the smart meter is reporting data

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.

5
Check the charge schedule is actually saved

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.

FAQ

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.
The remote diagnostic is free — tell us your tariff and what the battery is doing, and we'll review your schedule and portal settings against that tariff at no charge. If you'd like us to set the schedule up properly, or fix one that isn't saving what it should — the midnight split, an Octopus Intelligent API conflict, or a reversed CT clamp — that is done remotely for a flat £75, and if we can't sort it remotely there is nothing to pay. Tariff and schedule work is all done through the portal, so it rarely needs an on-site visit. Full pricing →
Usually within a single remote session, often the same day. Once we've seen your tariff and current slots we can set up or correct the charge and discharge windows there and then, and you'll see the battery fill on the very next cheap-rate window. Most tariff problems are a settings issue — the midnight rule, an overlap, or an API override — rather than the battery itself; if yours still won't fill overnight, the battery not charging overnight guide covers every cause.
Independent GivEnergy support

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.

  • Independent of GivEnergy Ltd and all energy suppliers
  • Unbiased tariff and schedule advice
  • No fix, no fee

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