Can anyone tell me why on my Inverter Settings menu (on my home Givenergy home battery system app) is different to the one shown on the latest Givenergy YouTube training video? I don’t see a Timed Discharge and I have a Winter Battery Conditioning option? My app version is v3.4.11.5650, which seems to be more up to date than the one in the video
On a related question, I’d like to have Eco enabled with a Timed Charge (early hours/cheap energy) but also with a Timed Discharge (early evening/maximum income for energy I’ve stored but I’m not going to use). The Timed Charge is fine, but if I select the Timed Discharge, it knocks out Eco, presumably because it doesn’t feel a Timed Discharge is compatible with the app making decisions about when to use the stored battery power? I don’t really see why the Timed Discharge can’t just override Eco? Any help welcome
what inverter type do you have? On the older Gen 1 and AC3 inverters I think the timed discharge option has been removed from the app because it doesn’t behave as it was supposed to. The option is still available in the GivEnergy Portal
Winter battery conditioning is a new option
On your question about an evening discharge you probably want Timed Export not Timed Discharge. Timed Export will discharge the battery at the specified rate, with whatever is not used in the home being exported, timed discharge only discharges the battery to meet house load.
Hi. Thanks for your thoughts. I do have AC3 inverters.
I’ve just logged into the portal and the timed discharge isn’t there unfortunately. As you say though its a mute point as what I want to do is have a Timed Export.
I’ve just tried to active Eco, Timed Charge and Timed Export, and while it seems to allow all to be activated at the same time, it then subsequently switches off Eco unilaterally? So it definitely doesn’t seem to like the idea of a Timed Export alongside Eco mode?
I can’t really see why Timed Export couldn’t just override Eco for the period I’ve selected, which would enable me to sell back unused power back to the grid at a profit?
In the absence of making this work, if I did a manual forced discharge each evening, does this push any surplus stored energy out to the grid?
Is there any firmware upgrades showing for your inverter in the givenergy portal?
I know on the original kit (I have a gen 1 hybrid inverter) there were issues with Eco mode getting switched off causing the problems you describe. If there is a firmware upgrade that might cure it, because otherwise there isn’t a great deal that can be done with the app or portal (there are external scheduling solutions which can work around this, but assuming you want to keep it simple).
To answer your question, yes, a manual forced discharge in the evening will do what you want, but you will have to probably turn Eco mode back on afterwards because its still using the same timed export settings in the inverter.
You don’t mention what tariff you are on, I assume its Octopus Flux because of talking of exporting in the evening peak. Just worth you considering the impact of battery and inverter charging and discharging losses when working out how much to charge and discharge. A round trip from grid to battery and back to grid is of the order of 10-20% losses (say 15% for ease) and these can wipe out any seeming benefits of using the battery.
Flux used to be a good tariff, I was on on it initially, but its got progressively worse and the April price changes make it even worse again. Charging overnight only worth it if the next day’s solar is bad and you need the charge to see you through the evening Flux peak, its better to charge from solar rather than export solar during the day. And in the evening, only export what you can spare and ensure you leave enough in the battery to see you through to the start of solar charging the next day. If you have to charge in the evening or overnight, you’re loosing money.
I’d personally steer away from Flux for the summer now, there are better options.