STS handles GivEnergy battery additions end-to-end — compatibility check, supply and installation, dip-switch addressing on LV (or HV-kit work on the Gen 3 8.0), portal configuration, and DNO notification.
Get a battery expansion quoteGeneric battery expansion guideOur 3 year old GivEnergy batteries froze. They were showing 0% on the app, but they were fully charged. Some how Ron took over our inverter and remotely cured the problem. We live in King’s Lynn, he is in Leeds I believe. Very grateful.
Ronald was great to help me sort out my giv energy inverter issue since company has gone bankrupt in april 26.
My GivEnergy hybrid inverter + battery system had worked faultlessly for 3 years when it suddenly stopped charging and discharging the battery. On contacting my supplier, who had used a sub-contractor for the installation work, I was provided with an email address at GivEnergy but, as it turned out, this is only for GivEnergy Software who are not able to assist. A Google search led to the Solar Tech Support web site, which contains a wealth of helpful information. I requested a remote solar diagnostic, and after providing Ron access to my inverter, he was able to identify and fix the problem within minutes. I am very impressed by Ron’s expertise and knowledge, which included useful information on the current state of GivEnergy Ltd. I would thoroughly recommend Solar Tech Support.
After GivEnergy went into liquidation, just my luck, my battery started playing up (internal board crashed). Contacted my installer - not interested! Found Solar tech support on a Google search. Sooo glad I found this company! Ron is extremely helpful and has plenty of experience. He soon confirmed what the fault was, and helped me to get my system up and running again. Now moved my GivEnergy account to Solar tech support, and will definitely use again if I have more issues. Unusual to find such a helpful company in these times, no morons reading scripts, just direct contact with the engineer.
I’ve used Ron a couple of times regarding issues with my Givenergy inverter and batteries after Givenergy went bust. My system stopped working properly so it was a stressful time but Ron resolved the issues and got my system working properly again. He’s really helpful and knowledgeable and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend him and to use him again if the need arose.
A superb service from Ron who went beyond the normal service received from other Tech support companies. I live abroad and was badly let down when my givenergy system failed (and the company went bankrupt) and the local supplier ran away from the problem. Ron sorted the problem and even accessed specialist coding for the inverter that would not be available for suppliers. Ron also ran a full diagnostic to insure that all was in good working order afterwards. Without Rons support and patient assistance I doubt I would ever have got the system back up and running. Well done and thankyou and you have a customer for the future.
Covers expansion for GivEnergy hybrid inverters and AIO systems — including LV battery RS485 dip-switch addressing (the actual GivBat architecture per the manuals), HV stackable kit options for the Gen 3 8.0kW, AIO 2 expansion battery, GivEnergy portal configuration, and the post-administration installer position. For other brands see the generic battery expansion guide.
GivEnergy Ltd entered administration on 9 April 2026. The administrator has confirmed no further hardware warranties will be honoured by GivEnergy Ltd. The "GivEnergy approved installer" certification scheme no longer means anything in the warranty sense; the safety + legal frame for any expansion install now is MCS accreditation, Part P / BS 7671 compliance, and DNO modification process. From May 2026 the cloud is under GivEnergy Software Ltd on a paid subscription model — portal access still works, just on a paid tier.
GivEnergy's current LV range uses LiFePO₄ chemistry with 100% depth of discharge, IP65 weatherproofing per datasheet. Both Gen 3 LV models support up to 5 units in parallel. Manufacturer warranty was 12 years — see the post-administration note above for what that actually means now.
STS prices include battery hardware, installation by an MCS-accredited engineer, RS485 dip-switch addressing, portal configuration, and the blanking plug + correct cable(s). Note: per the Gen 3 battery manuals, all Generation 3 battery cables are sold separately — they do not ship with the battery itself.
The 8.0kW Gen 3 hybrid is HV-only and does not accept the LV GivBat range. Everyone else takes LV. Check your inverter before ordering — datasheets are the source.
| Inverter model | Battery family | Max stack | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hybrid 3.6kW Gen 3 (GIV-HY-3.6) | LV (51.2V GivBat) | 5 × 9.5 = 47.5kWh | Inverter only pushes 3.6kW — a 47.5kWh stack still charges/discharges at 3.6kW max |
| Hybrid 5.0kW Gen 3 (GIV-HY-5.0) | LV (51.2V GivBat) | 5 × 9.5 = 47.5kWh | Most common Gen 3 hybrid pairing |
| Hybrid 8.0kW Gen 3 (GIV-HY-8.0) | HV only (CAN, 120–510V) | HV stack 13.6 / 17.0 / 20.4 kWh | Datasheet: Battery Voltage 120–510V, Communication Interface CAN. Does NOT accept LV GivBats. |
| Hybrid Gen 1 / Gen 2 | LV (51.2V GivBat) | Check inverter datasheet | Mix with Gen 3 LV with correct cable; Gen 3 must be master |
| AIO 2 + MPPT (GIV-BAT-13.5-AIO2) | HV expansion (307VDC) | Up to 2 × 13.5kWh expansion | GIV-BAT-13.5-AIO2-E · expansion datasheet states 15-year warranty |
| AIO original AC-coupled (GIV-AIO-AC-13.5) | Internal modules | Per-unit | 13.5kWh integrated — internal modules are not separately retrofittable |
The Gen 3 8.0kW hybrid pairs with a pre-built HV stackable kit. Per UKDatasheetStackableBatteriesv2.pdf, three kit sizes exist (minimum 3 packs, maximum 6):
HV stack uses CAN over the orange HV-kit connector — NOT RS485, and NOT the same plug/lug cable as LV GivBats. Stack expansion within an HV kit follows its own rules — talk to STS before committing to a target capacity.
Per the GivBat 9.5 Gen 3, GivBat 5.12 Gen 3 and GivBat 9.5 Gen 2 manuals, LV inverter-to-battery comms are RS485 over the proprietary plug/lug DC+comms cable. There is no RJ45 chain between batteries and no 120-ohm terminator plug — that is the HV stackable architecture (CAN over RJ45), not the LV one.
Every battery in an LV stack has a unique address set by four dip switches on the DC MCB unit. The master is always 0,0,0,0; slaves get a different ID each:
The new battery takes the next free slave ID. If two batteries share an address, the inverter only sees the lower one — the second appears missing. This is the actual KB-documented troubleshooting reflex, not "move the terminator".
Generations can be mixed on the LV side per the Gen 3 manuals — but with strict rules. None of this applies to the Gen 3 8.0 hybrid (HV only).
| Combination | Supported? | Cable | KB-required protection |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gen 1 + Gen 2 on same string | Yes | Lug-to-plug | No DC isolator required between G1 and G2 in the LV manuals sampled |
| Gen 2 + Gen 3 on same string | Yes | Plug-to-plug | Gen 3 = master · DC isolator required per Gen 3 manuals |
| Gen 1 + Gen 3 on same string | Yes | Lug-to-plug | Gen 3 = master · DC isolator required per Gen 3 manuals |
Explicit in the Gen 3 manuals. The Gen 3 battery must be set as master (dip switches 0,0,0,0); Gen 1/2 batteries are slaves. Max five batteries total regardless of generation mix.
A GivEnergy battery expansion must be carried out by an MCS-accredited installer or qualified electrician working to BS 7671 and Part P. Self-installation creates safety, fire and electric-shock risks; the previous "voids manufacturer warranty" deterrent is no longer the live concern post-administration.
Installer confirms inverter model, current battery generation, remaining expansion capacity, LV vs HV path, and whether a DNO modification notification is needed. STS does this remotely over modbus.
Shutdown in GivEnergy's prescribed order: battery off, DC isolator off, AC isolator off. Lock-out applied. Battery SoC noted so it can be verified post-install.
New unit mounted alongside the existing stack. GivBat 5.12 Gen 3 = 48±2kg; GivBat 9.5 Gen 3 = 85±2kg — wall-mount requires solid brick or properly noggined stud, never lath-and-plaster.
The new battery's dip switches are set to the next free slave ID (1,0,0,0 → 0,1,0,0 → 0,0,1,0 → 0,0,0,1 in sequence). Plug-to-plug or lug-to-plug cable connects from the master's free socket. The blanking plug moves to whichever master port is now unused — IP65 depends on it. There is no RJ45 terminator to move on LV.
Once re-energised, installer logs into givenergy.cloud, navigates to the inverter device settings, and updates battery count and total system capacity. Charge schedule reviewed at the same time so the overnight window covers the larger stack. Without this step, the inverter reports incorrect SoC and the larger battery never fills.
Full charge/discharge cycle confirms all batteries are detected and balanced. Cell voltages checked. GivEnergy's KB recommends a calibration run after expansion. DNO modification notification submitted with the updated configuration.
Portal config is the step most third-party installers skip — and the one that causes the most ongoing problems. From May 2026 the cloud is paid-tier under GivEnergy Software Ltd; access is fine, just on subscription.
G98 vs G99 is determined by inverter rated output per phase — not battery storage. Per the Gen 3 hybrid datasheets, the 3.6kW is G98-certified, the 5.0kW and 8.0kW are G99.
The 3.6kW Gen 3 hybrid falls under G98 (notification only, no prior approval). The notification is filed after install.
5.0kW and 8.0kW Gen 3 hybrids fall under G99 — variation application to the DNO before re-energising. Timeline varies by DNO.
Per GivEnergy's "Cold Weather Guide for GivEnergy Batteries", charging is inhibited below 0°C. Discharging is allowed to about ‒1°C. There is no internal heater. Expect roughly 10% capacity reduction at 5°C. If the battery is in an unheated space, your overnight tariff window may run while the cells are too cold to accept charge — sized purely on capacity vs kW, the schedule still misses. Worth factoring in when choosing the charge window length.
STS handles GivEnergy battery additions from compatibility check through commissioning — including battery supply, RS485 dip-switch addressing on LV systems (or HV kit work on the Gen 3 8.0), portal reconfiguration, and DNO notification.
I’ve worked on hundreds of GivEnergy systems and know the kit inside out. If yours is playing up, my promise is simple — no fix, no fee: just £75 if we fix it, free if we don’t.
We use cookies to measure traffic and improve our ads — including sharing limited, hashed details with Meta (Facebook) to measure ad performance. Accept, or decline for essential cookies only. Privacy policy