GivEnergy: Midsummer launches ‘Giv-compatible’ battery optimization app

UK distributor Midsummer is offering customers of now bankrupt GivEnergy access to a battery optimization app, without a paid subscription.

GivEnergy collapsed in April 2026, leaving consumers with uncertainty around the future use of optimization software and access to cloud services. Administrators have since been appointed, and it has emerged that households will need to pay a fee in the future to use battery optimization features.

In response, Midsummer has relaunched its mothballed Smug app, offering free access to the energy management features for households with a GivEnergy battery, and the distributor plans to add more brands to the platform in the future. The app is also currently compatible with Fox ESS devices.

Switching to Smug isn’t completely cost free – the app works in conjunction with Midsummer’s Smug Bug in-home display, which is priced at GBP 40 ($53). The display device is needed to fetch data from the GivEnergy inverter via the local wifi network, which the app is then able to connect to through a cloud service – allowing users to monitor their system remotely. Users can add details of time-of-use tariffs through the new platform too, according to Midsummer.

Midsummer plans to add more features in the future, including access to demand flexibility markets via the app. ESS News understands this would involve Midsummer working with a third-party flexibility trader, with the revenues for the service split between the households, distributor and the trader.  

Andy Rankin, who leads software development at Midsummer, said the company was disappointed by the recent announcement that GivEnergy customers would need to pay a premium subscription to access features that customers had previously expected to be free for the lifespan of their battery system.

“As a supplier of GivEnergy products we felt we had a responsibility to our customers to provide a better service. And as a GivEnergy battery owner myself I had a convenient system to test our prototypes on. Our software team have done an amazing job to bring this product to market in just a couple of months,” Rankin said.

A company spokesperson told ESS News that the bankruptcy had also affected installer confidence in taking on new products.

“The renewable installer picture is very based on trust. It’s often difficult to convince an installer to bring on a new brand without really solid proof. Once they’ve been burnt, it can be very difficult to build that trust back up.

“We just make sure that we continue with good service everywhere else and reiterate that this is an unfortunate situation from GivEnergy, but it doesn’t reflect the [wider] market.”