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Setup guide · GivEnergy Hybrid and AIO

How to restart a GivEnergy battery or the whole system

Start with a battery-only restart. It clears BMS communication faults, stuck state-of-charge readings and LED fault conditions without powering the whole system down. If the fault comes back, do a full restart in the correct order, because the wrong order can cause BMS protection events, comms errors or an incomplete startup. Covers Gen 2, Gen 3 and AIO systems.
Free remote diagnostic £125 only if we fix it remotely
Start with a battery-only restartFull system restart
  • Gen 2, Gen 3 Hybrid and AIO covered
  • Battery-only restart needs no isolators
  • Correct shutdown order protects the BMS
Fault back after a restart?

A fault that returns within minutes of a correct restart is persistent, and cycling the power again will not fix it. We read your event log and live data remotely and find the cause. GivEnergy Ltd's support desk closed when it entered administration in April 2026, so there is no manufacturer queue to wait in.

Book your free remote diagnosticBMS Comm Fail guide

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5.0
Rated 5.0 on Google Read all 151 reviews

Great experience with STS great communication from Ron, very helpful and knowledgable. Installed me a second Givenergy battery to help take the strain off my original 9.5 that needs refurb due to a weak cell. They secured me an 8.2 arranged install. Levi arrived the whole install was done within 1.5 hours - great tidy job. Worked with me to alter my setup to allow easy removal of my 9.5 when i can get it away for refurb - very happy with their service and its reassuring to know there is a company out there that can help look after my givenergy system

Alan Glaister · Sep 2026 Google

Following an email enquiry i was able use Whatapp Chat to work with their online support agent who successfully solved my battery problem. Having been told that it had gone into sleep mode and would require a site visit Solar Tech successfully sorted the problem remotely. No hassle and no success no fee. Recommended Givenergy system support team.

Steve Spencer · Sep 2026 Google

I sent a message on their website regarding a problem I have on my Givenergy system. Although not supplied by Ronald, I thought it was worth an email. Within the hour on a Saturday, he phoned and we discussed the problem. He logged in remotely and gave excellent advice. I'm too far away for his on-site help but he did diagnose the problem and was happy also to chat through my thoughts about an upcoming solar/battery install I'm planning. Great bloke.... if only he was nearer!

Philip · Apr 2026 Trustpilot

Solar Tech Support answered my initial enquiry swiftly. They provided remote support to establish what the issue was, and through their experience and network, managed to get my clients system back online. Once the system was online, STS managed to diagnose the main issue to get the ac coupled inverter and battery back online, a battery repair was required. A site visit was organise and within a few days, the system was tested and back up and running. This has saved my client, and probably myself huge costs and inconvenience now the system is back online and working correctly. Would highly recommend.

Dean Wilkinson · Jul 2026 Google

After 7 months of not being able to access/control my system following a change of wi-fi provider, followed by the news that GivEnergy had ceased trading i was left high and dry. I was unable to get any help whatsoever from my installer, tried various electrical tradespeople etc but no-one knew how to help me. Changed the Dongle but then couldnt get this change recognised in the inverter. Found Solar Tech Support while researching yet again online. Ronald has been amazing. Responding very quickly to my emails and very knowledgeable on the system. Managed to give us the information we needed to get the Dongle up and running and created me another account which now works as it should. His help has been invaluable. Thank you so much. Reviews I saw from other people said Solar Tech Support are very good, but i would say they are Outstanding!! Thanks again for all your help- Mick & Sandra

Michael Fox · Jul 2026 Google

The Solar Tech Support company was the only one to respond to a request for someone to supply and fit a new inverter for our solar panels after our old one finally expired after 26 years. Ron kept us well informed throughout, came and ascertained that the issue was down to the inverter having failed then sourced and fitted a new one. He got the system up and running again, set up the wi-fi performance feedback and took away the old inverter for disposal. By acting promptly and fitting the job around existing commitments we were able to get our solar power unit back in operation with minimal delay in the short while before we were due to go away for a week. The work was carried out very professionally and we were asked to confirm that all was in order the following day. I was impressed that, having recently taken on additional work for GivEnergy customers we were able to keep our solar panel down-time to a minimum. I would highly recommend for prompt attention and first-rate service.

James Dignan · Aug 2026 Trustpilot

Written by · Independent Solar Engineer Last updated

When to restart
When

Battery-only restart or full restart?

A battery-only restart is quicker and less disruptive: there are no isolators to touch and solar generation carries on. Use it first. Only move to a full restart if the battery-only restart doesn't clear the problem.

Try a battery-only restart first for

→Solid red or amber battery status light (amber means the BMS is not talking to the inverter)
→Battery state of charge stuck at 0% or showing a wrong value
→BMS Comm Fail showing in the app or portal event log
→Battery not charging or discharging despite correct settings
→Battery appeared to turn itself off unexpectedly

Go to a full restart if

→The battery restart clears the fault but it comes back within minutes
→The inverter display is frozen or blank and doesn't recover after 5 minutes
→The battery won't respond to its on/off button at all
→The portal went offline after a brief power cut or grid disturbance and a WiFi reconnect hasn't helped
→A BMS communication fault appeared after a firmware update
→The battery shows 0% despite being full before shutdown, or the inverter is stuck in the wrong mode (for example Bypass after a power cut)
→Your installer or an engineer has told you to do a full restart

Do not restart if

→A firmware update is in progress, for example the battery light is flashing red and green together. Leave it alone and wait for it to finish: the display can look stuck for up to 30 minutes
→You smell burning or see arcing. Isolate at the consumer unit and call 999
→The battery enclosure or inverter is visibly damaged
→The system shows STORAGE_ERROR_OVER_TEMPERATURE. Let it cool for 2+ hours first
→A fault came back after one clean restart. Stop cycling the power and get it diagnosed, because repeated restarts hide the cause and can stress the BMS
Safety: The battery button, the AC isolator and the DC isolator on the bottom of the inverter are external controls and safe to operate. The only cover you open is the plastic cover over the battery's DC MCB (Gen 2 and Gen 3 batteries), the lid of the separate DC MCB enclosure (Gen 1 batteries) or the AIO's DC cover, to move the DC MCB. Never open the inverter or battery enclosure itself: everything inside is live electrical equipment.
Battery-only restart
Battery

Battery-only restart: Hybrid and AIO

On a Hybrid, the battery is a separate unit with its own on/off button on the front or right-hand side. On an AIO the battery is inside the combined unit: it shuts down on the large blue GivEnergy button and starts on the smaller button to the right of the DC cover. Your settings live in the inverter, so a battery restart does not touch them.

Hybrid Gen 2 and Gen 3: battery restart steps

1
Press and hold the battery on/off button to shut it down

Hold for 3 to 5 seconds until you hear a beep and every LED goes out. Do not carry on until all the lights are out.

2
Wait 30 seconds

This lets the BMS capacitors discharge, so you get a clean restart rather than a brief interruption. The inverter reports a battery communication loss meanwhile, which is expected.

3
Press and hold to power the battery back on

Hold the same button until it beeps and the LEDs light. Gen 2 and Gen 3 LEDs run through a startup sequence before settling on the state-of-charge display, which takes up to 60 seconds.

4
Wait 2 to 3 minutes, then check the portal

The battery reconnects to the inverter over its communication cable. The state of charge should update and any communication fault should clear. If the fault code is back within 5 minutes, go to the full restart below.

AIO: battery restart steps

1
Press and hold the blue GivEnergy button to shut down

The large blue button is on the front of the unit. Hold it for about 5 seconds until you hear clicks, the unit goes quiet and the front indicator light goes out. The AIO is now in standby.

2
Wait 30 to 60 seconds

At least 30 seconds; 60 is better for a complete BMS reset. Occasional quiet sounds as internal relays settle are normal.

3
Press the small startup button

Use the small button to the right of the DC cover, not the large blue one. Hold it until the front indicator light appears, then press nothing while the unit starts up.

4
Allow up to 5 minutes

The inverter and BMS start together, so the AIO takes longer than a standalone battery. The portal shows offline while it starts; that clears by itself.

Gen 3 note: some Gen 3 batteries cycle through colours for up to 90 seconds before settling. This is normal, so do not press the button again during startup. If the fault is back within 5 minutes of a battery-only restart, move to the full restart.
Full restart: Hybrid
Hybrid

Full restart: GivEnergy Hybrid (separate inverter and battery)

GivEnergy Hybrid systems have a separate wall-mounted inverter and battery, joined by a battery comms cable and a DC MCB. The order matters: turning the inverter off before the battery can cause BMS protection events. The battery goes off first and the DC MCB is always the last thing you switch off. The DC MCB is a protection device, not an on/off switch: opening it while current is flowing is hard on the electronic switches (MOSFETs) inside the battery and inverter, so it only comes off once the battery is powered down and nothing is flowing.

Shutdown sequence: battery first, DC MCB last

1
Turn off the battery using its on/off button

Press and hold until you hear a beep and every LED goes out. This shuts the battery down gracefully before anything is isolated. Do not carry on until the LEDs are fully out. With more than one battery, turn every one off before you go on.

2
Turn the inverter AC isolator to the circle symbol (OFF)

The AC isolator is a rotary switch on the wall below or beside the inverter. Turning it to the circle disconnects the grid supply from the inverter. It does not disconnect the solar panels: in daylight the inverter can stay on from solar until the DC isolator is off in step 3.

3
Turn the inverter's DC isolator to OFF

The DC isolator is on the bottom of the inverter: it is the inverter's own switch for the solar panels. On Gen 2 and Gen 3 inverters, GivEnergy's own restart guide calls it the "physical toggle switch": it is the same switch, so this is one step, not two. AC-coupled inverters do not have one: skip this step.

4
Push every battery DC MCB down (OFF) last

Gen 2 (9.5 kWh) and Gen 3 (5.12 and 9.5 kWh) batteries have the MCB built in, under the plastic cover next to the orange cable sockets: open the cover (undo its screws first if it has them), push the MCB down to OFF and close the cover again. Gen 1 batteries (2.6, 5.2 and 8.2 kWh) have no MCB of their own: switch off the separate DC MCB between the batteries and the inverter instead, usually in its own enclosure on the wall. One serves all the Gen 1 batteries. If Gen 1 batteries are mixed with Gen 2 or Gen 3, look for an extra DC MCB outside the batteries and switch it off too. The MCBs go last, once power has stopped flowing, because breaking a loaded DC circuit at the breaker damages its contacts. Wait at least 2 full minutes before restarting so the internal capacitors discharge; 5 minutes is safer, and 60 seconds is not long enough.

Restart sequence: AC first, battery last

1
Turn the inverter AC isolator to the line symbol (ON)

Turn it from the circle to the line, which points straight up. AC comes back first so the inverter has a grid reference.

2
Turn the inverter's DC isolator back ON

The DC isolator on the bottom of the inverter goes back on straight after the AC. This is the step people forget. Leave it off and the system restarts at zero solar generation, which looks like the fault never cleared. AC-coupled inverters do not have one: skip this step.

3
Push every battery DC MCB up (ON) and close the covers

This re-establishes the DC link between battery and inverter. Switch on the built-in MCB under each Gen 2 or Gen 3 battery's plastic cover, the separate Gen 1 MCB, and any extra MCB in a mixed system, then close the covers and do any screws back up. Every MCB goes on before any battery is turned on.

4
Turn the battery on last: press and hold until the lights come on

Hold the on/off button until it beeps and the LEDs light. The battery runs a self-test and the LEDs may flash before settling. Wait until they stop changing. With more than one battery, turn each one on.

5
Wait 5 to 10 minutes for full reconnection

The inverter completes its startup and reconnects to the cloud portal. A brief offline status in the portal is normal. Check the display and the app after 10 minutes.

Full restart: AIO
AIO

Full restart: GivEnergy AIO (combined inverter and battery)

The GivEnergy All-in-One (AIO) puts the inverter and battery in one wall-mounted unit. It has a DC MCB inside its DC cover as well as the blue button, and both are used in order.

AIO shutdown sequence

1
Hold the blue GivEnergy button for about 5 seconds

Hold it until you hear clicks and the battery turns off. The battery goes off first.

2
Turn the AC isolator to the circle symbol (OFF)

Rotate the AC isolator switch to the circle position.

3
Open the DC cover and push the DC MCB down (OFF) last

Push the DC MCB down, then close and tighten the cover. Wait 60 seconds. The AIO is now fully powered down.

AIO restart sequence

1
Turn the AC isolator to the line symbol (ON)

Line position, pointing straight up. AC comes back first so the unit has a grid reference before the battery wakes.

2
Push the DC MCB up (ON) and close the DC cover fully

This restores internal DC power before the unit is switched on.

3
Press and hold the small button to the right of the DC cover

Hold it until the front indicator light appears; the unit powers on last. Startup takes up to 5 minutes and the portal shows offline meanwhile. Allow 5 to 10 minutes for it to come fully back online.

Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting

Battery won't turn back on: what to check

If the battery doesn't respond to its button or doesn't come back after a restart, work through these checks before you book anyone. GivEnergy Ltd entered administration in April 2026, so there is no manufacturer support line left to call.

1
Check the battery DC MCB (Hybrid systems)

On a Gen 2 or Gen 3 battery, open the plastic cover over the DC MCB and look at it. On a Gen 1 battery it is a separate breaker (check 3 below). If it has tripped down during the restart attempt, push it firmly back up once. A tripped MCB is the most common reason a battery looks unresponsive. Close the cover and retry the startup button. If the MCB trips again, stop and do not keep resetting it: either something is tripping it or the breaker itself is failing early, and both need an engineer (see DC MCB keeps tripping). Do not reset it at all if you see charring, smell burning or the breaker is warm.

2
Check the AC isolator is ON

If the AC isolator on the wall is off (circle symbol), the battery can't power on because it has no AC reference from the inverter. Make sure it is in the line position, pointing straight up. On AIO systems, also check the AIO isolator on the unit itself.

3
Check the separate DC breaker (Gen 1 batteries)

Gen 1 batteries (2.6, 5.2 and 8.2 kWh) have no DC breaker of their own. GivEnergy's manual calls for a separate DC breaker fitted in the cable between the inverter and the battery, usually in its own enclosure on the wall near them, and one serves all the Gen 1 batteries. If you have a Gen 1 battery, find it and check it is ON. If Gen 1 batteries are mixed with Gen 2 or Gen 3, look for an extra DC MCB outside the batteries too. If it has tripped, push it back up once, as in check 1.

4
Check the battery communication cable

The communication cable runs between the inverter and the battery: RS485 on LV GivBat batteries, CAN on HV kits. On LV systems it lands on a green pin connector at a Gen 1 inverter or Gen 1 battery, an RJ45 BMS port on a Gen 2 inverter, and a plug on Gen 2 and Gen 3 batteries and Gen 3 inverters. If it has worked loose, for example after building work near the units, the battery may start but report a communication fault straight away. Look at the connector at each end: it should be fully home, with its clip engaged where it has one. If one looks loose, don't push or pull it with the system running: on batteries with a plug connector (Gen 2 and Gen 3) the same plug-in cable carries battery power. Contact us and an engineer will reseat it with the system isolated.

!
If none of the above helps

If the battery still won't power on, it is likely a hardware fault: a failed BMS board, tripped internal protection or a cell fault. That needs a remote diagnostic or an engineer visit. If your original installer is still trading, ask them first, as workmanship cover may still apply. Never open the battery enclosure. There are dangerous high-voltage components inside and no user-serviceable parts. A manufacturer warranty claim is no longer a realistic route with GivEnergy Ltd in administration; our warranty page sets out what cover may still be open.

After a restart
After restart

What to check after a restart

1
The portal shows the system online within 10 minutes

Open givenergy.cloud and check the status. Offline for 3 to 7 minutes while the inverter reconnects is normal. If it is still offline after 15 minutes, check the WiFi connection with our WiFi setup guide.

2
The battery LEDs settle

Solid green means standby or full; solid blue means charging. Solid red is a fault and amber means the BMS is not talking to the inverter: if either is still showing after 2 minutes, the fault has not cleared, so note the colour and check the event log. On a Gen 1 or Gen 2 battery, flashing red means a very low state of charge, not a fault.

3
The state of charge is realistic within 5 minutes

It should roughly match the level before the restart. A brief 0%, N/A or a jump to 0% or 100% while the BMS re-synchronises is normal. Still wrong after 15 minutes: check the event log for STORAGE_WARN_BMS_COM_FAIL or STORAGE_ERROR_BMS_COM_FAIL (BMS Comm Fail).

4
The event log shows a clean start

Go to givenergy.cloud → My Inverter → Event Log. A clean restart shows only "System start" or similar, with the previous fault code gone and no new codes after it.

5
The battery is charging when it should

It should charge from solar if the panels are generating, or from the grid in your AC Charge window. If it shows full but no power is flowing, check the charge schedule and system mode.

6
Your settings haven't reset

Check the Timed Charge and Timed Discharge windows, system mode and reserve SoC. A firmware update during or after the restart can reset them. Re-enter them if needed with our charge schedule guide.

7
Give it time, then decide

Allow at least 10 minutes before deciding whether the restart worked. If the same fault comes back, do not restart again: book a diagnostic so the cause is found.

Related

Related GivEnergy guides

Problem
BMS Comm Fail

What causes BMS communication faults, how a battery restart clears them, and when the cable needs replacing.

See BMS Comm Fail →
Problem
Red Status Light

What a solid or flashing red light means and whether a battery restart will clear it.

See Red Status Light →
Setup
Battery Calibration

How to reset the state-of-charge calibration if the percentage is consistently wrong.

See Battery Calibration →
Problem
Battery Not Charging Overnight

If the battery restarts fine but still won't charge overnight, the cause is the charge schedule, not the hardware.

See Battery Not Charging Overnight →
Setup
Firmware Updates

The settings a firmware update can reset during or after a restart, and how to put them back.

See Firmware Updates →
Fault Codes
GivEnergy Fault Code Index

Look up any event name still showing in the event log after a restart.

See GivEnergy Fault Code Index →
FAQ

GivEnergy restart questions

On a Hybrid, press and hold the battery's on/off button for 3 to 5 seconds until it beeps and every LED goes out. Wait 30 seconds, then press and hold the same button until it beeps and the LEDs light. On an All-in-One (AIO), hold the large blue GivEnergy button for about 5 seconds until it clicks and goes quiet, wait 30 to 60 seconds, then hold the small button to the right of the DC cover until the front light comes on. Allow 2 to 5 minutes for the battery to reconnect to the inverter.
The battery goes off first and comes back on last. Hybrid shutdown: battery button off (LEDs out), AC isolator off, the DC isolator on the bottom of the inverter off, then the battery DC MCB down last. The AC-coupled inverter has no DC isolator, so skip that step. On Gen 2 and Gen 3, the "physical toggle switch" in GivEnergy's own restart guide is this same DC isolator, not a second switch. Wait at least 2 minutes (5 is safer). Restart: AC isolator on, the inverter's DC isolator on, DC MCB up, then the battery button on last (wait for stable LEDs). AIO shutdown: blue button until it clicks off, AC isolator off, DC MCB down inside the DC cover, wait 60 seconds. AIO restart: AC isolator on, DC MCB up, then the small button to the right of the DC cover. Shutting the inverter down while the battery is still live can latch a BMS protection state, which is why the order matters. The DC MCB is a protection device, not an on/off switch: opening it while current is flowing is hard on the electronic switches (MOSFETs) inside the battery and inverter, so it only comes off once the battery is powered down and nothing is flowing. The full sequences are above.
No. Charge schedules, system mode, discharge cut-off and reserve SoC are stored in the inverter's non-volatile memory, not in the battery, so they survive a battery restart and a controlled full restart. The one exception is a firmware update that runs during or straight after a restart, which can put settings back to defaults. If that happens, check your schedules and mode in the portal and re-enter them.
Check the battery DC MCB first. Where it is depends on the battery, not the inverter: Gen 2 and Gen 3 batteries (9.5 kWh and 5.12 kWh) have it built in, under the plastic cover, while Gen 1 batteries (2.6, 5.2 and 8.2 kWh) have none of their own: they use a separate DC MCB fitted in the cable between the inverter and the batteries, usually in its own enclosure, and one serves all the Gen 1 batteries. A Gen 1 battery mixed with Gen 2 or Gen 3 batteries can mean an extra DC MCB outside the batteries as well. If it has tripped down, push it back up once and retry the button; if it trips again, stop and do not keep resetting it. Confirm the AC isolator is on (line symbol, pointing up). If every switch is on and the battery still won't respond, it is likely a hardware fault that needs a diagnostic or an engineer visit. The full checklist is above.
A battery-only restart takes under 2 minutes for the battery itself, plus 5 to 10 minutes for the inverter and the portal to catch up. A full restart needs the 2-minute (Hybrid) or 60-second (AIO) wait in the middle, then 5 to 10 minutes to come back online. While the BMS re-synchronises, the portal may show offline or a wrong state of charge. That is normal: allow at least 10 minutes before you judge the result.
Yes. A battery-only restart does not interrupt solar generation at all. In a full restart the AC isolator disconnects the inverter from the grid, not from the panels: the solar side stays live until the DC isolator on the bottom of the inverter is off, which is why it has its own step. A full restart is simpler in the evening or early morning when the panels are not producing. Generation resumes by itself once the inverter finishes its startup.
It depends on the fault. Transient faults from a power interruption, a grid disturbance or a software glitch often clear after one clean restart. Persistent hardware faults, such as a damaged battery comms cable, a failed BMS board or an inverter fault, come back within minutes. If the same code returns after a correct restart, stop cycling power: a diagnostic review of the event log is what finds the cause.
The remote diagnostic is free. We read your GivEnergy event log and live data and tell you whether it is a comms fault, a BMS lockout or a hardware failure. If we can fix it remotely it is a flat £125, and you only pay if we fix it. Anything that needs a site visit is quoted first, from £295. A unit at the end of its life becomes a warranty conversation, and we can explain what GivEnergy Ltd's administration means for it.
Usually the same day. In a 30-minute remote session we read your GivEnergy portal, event log and battery data while you tell us what the LEDs and the portal show. You get a written summary of the cause and the recommended fix straight after the call.
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Fault persisting after restart — we'll identify the root cause.

If a fault code returns after a correct restart, there is a persistent underlying cause. Tell us what code you're seeing and what happened before the fault appeared. We review the event log remotely and tell you whether it's hardware, firmware or configuration.

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