Battery Storage Commissioning: Tests, Settings and Records
A battery is commissioned as part of the system it serves. These are the checks, settings and records that prove a home battery was brought into service safely — and where that evidence should live.
Home battery storage is usually commissioned alongside a solar PV system or retrofitted to one, and the commissioning evidence follows the same logic: prove the installation is safe, prove the system behaves as designed, capture the settings, and notify the network. What catches installers out is that there is no common standalone 'battery commissioning certificate' — the battery's commissioning data is recorded within the combined solar PV and battery commissioning certificate for the system.
This guide covers the practical commissioning sequence for a domestic battery — AC-coupled or hybrid — and the records to complete before handover.
Key takeaways
- Battery commissioning covers safety checks, functional charge/discharge tests, protection and export settings, and the handover demonstration.
- Record the battery make, model, capacity, firmware and settings at commissioning — they are the baseline for every future visit.
- A battery that can export changes the G98/G99 position, so the DNO paperwork must reflect the storage, not just the PV.
- The commissioning evidence is recorded within the combined solar PV and battery commissioning certificate, alongside the EIC for the electrical work.
- Siting, ventilation and fire-safety considerations from PAS 63100 should be confirmed at commissioning, not just at design.
Before energising: the installation checks
Commissioning starts with confirming the installation is complete and safe: the battery is sited and mounted per the manufacturer's instructions and the PAS 63100 guidance the design followed — location, clearances, ventilation and protection from mechanical damage; DC and AC isolation is in place and labelled; cable sizes and protective devices match the design; and the earthing arrangement has been verified.
The electrical work is dead-tested and certified in the normal way — the EIC or Minor Works certificate for the circuits covers this. The battery-specific commissioning follows once the electrical installation is proven.
Functional tests and settings
With the system energised, work through the manufacturer's commissioning procedure: confirm communication between battery, inverter and any energy management system; run a controlled charge and discharge and confirm the behaviour matches the design; verify the protection settings, including over/under-voltage and frequency response where applicable; and set and record the operating window — charge/discharge limits, reserve state of charge and any tariff-driven schedule.
Record the firmware versions and every setting you commit. Batteries get remote updates and settings drift; the commissioning record is the baseline that later fault-finding is judged against.
Capture the settings, not just the result
'Commissioned OK' is not a record. The export limit, reserve percentage, protection settings and firmware version are what the next engineer — or the DNO — will actually ask for.
Doing this on a job? Solar PV SSEG Confirmation (G98/G99) — part of TradePlanr. Free to start, no card needed.
The DNO side: storage changes the G98/G99 picture
Battery storage with the ability to export is embedded generation as far as the network is concerned. Whether the installation falls under G98 notification or needs a G99 application depends on the combined export capability of the inverter(s) and how export limitation is configured — not just on the PV array size. Confirm the route before commissioning and make sure the export-limit setting recorded at commissioning matches what was declared.
The SSEG commissioning confirmation records the storage details, protection settings and anti-islanding test for the DNO, and belongs in the customer's handover pack.
Where the record lives
There is no widely used standalone battery-only commissioning certificate in UK domestic practice. The battery's commissioning data — equipment details, settings, state of charge, confirmation of correct operation — is recorded within the combined solar PV and battery commissioning certificate, because the battery is commissioned as part of the system. That certificate, the EIC and the G98/G99 confirmation together are the battery's commissioning evidence.
At handover, demonstrate the system to the customer: what the display shows, what they can adjust, what they must not, and how to shut it down. Note the demonstration in the record.
From guidance to action
Frequently asked questions
Is there a standalone battery storage commissioning certificate?
Not in common UK domestic practice. Battery commissioning data is recorded within the combined solar PV and battery commissioning certificate for the system, alongside the EIC for the electrical work and the G98/G99 confirmation for the DNO.
Does a retrofit battery need DNO notification?
Usually yes. Adding storage changes the installation's export capability, so the G98/G99 position must be reassessed and the DNO notified or approval obtained as the route requires — even where the PV was already registered.
What should be recorded when commissioning a battery?
Make, model and capacity, firmware versions, protection settings, export limit, reserve state of charge, charge/discharge test results, the G98/G99 route, and confirmation of the customer demonstration.
What is PAS 63100?
PAS 63100 is the specification covering fire safety for battery energy storage in domestic installations — siting, separation, and protection requirements. Commissioning should confirm the installed battery matches the siting and protection the design took from it.
Related guides
Battery Storage Installation Guide
Installing home battery storage safely — siting, protection, hybrid inverters and PAS 63100.
Renewables Commissioning Paperwork: What You Need
Every document a renewables install needs at commissioning — solar PV, battery, heat pump and EV charger — and who each record is for.
G98 vs G99: DNO Notifications for Solar and Batteries
How to identify the relevant DNO connection process for small-scale solar and battery work, and document the installation.
Solar PV Certificate Requirements
The electrical, commissioning and handover records that make a solar PV installation traceable and usable.
