Home battery installation

A home battery, sometimes called a solar battery, is most commonly paired with solar panels to store energy. It can help you further reduce the cost of your electricity bills by allowing you to increase your self-consumption of your free solar power. But you don't need solar panels - you can also charge your battery from the grid using a smart tariff that offers low cost electricity during off-peak periods. Battery storage can also protect your home from power cuts when adding a backup gateway.

Cinergi offers a range of slim and compact batteries which can be floor-mounted or wall-mounted. It’s best to position batteries in ventilated areas which are sheltered from extreme temperatures or extreme moisture, which can be inside or outside the home. A garage is often a popular choice. The location should also provide easy access for maintenance and would ideally be near the home's electrical panel for efficient wiring. During a site survey, we’ll assess your electrical infrastructure and recommend the safest and most practical position for your battery.

No. We advise against installing batteries in lofts, voids, or roof spaces mainly due to the excessive heat, but also because of the difficulty of accessing the battery for maintenance or emergency isolation.

Bigger is not always better when it comes to home battery capacity. It depends how and when you use your energy. Battery size determines how much energy you can store, and the inverter determines how fast you can use it. A large battery with a small inverter can run for a long time, but it may struggle to supply multiple high-power appliances at the same time.

At Cinergi, we’ll recommend a size for your battery based on your home. Including how much electricity you use daily, seasonal variance, whether you have solar or a heat pump, what battery features are important to you, and we’ll consider how this may change in the future. We’ll also weigh up the up-front investment versus the potential savings so you can make the best return on your investment.

To give you a rough idea, typical home battery systems have a capacity of around 5-10 kWh.

The cost of battery storage can vary significantly, depending on the storage capacity size of battery, the installation complexity, whether you already have solar panels and what features are important to you. Adding battery storage to your solar installation can cost between £3,000 and £9,000 for average sized homes, but it can significantly help reduce your electricity bills and pay for itself. Solar panels generate the most energy in the middle of the day. Storing that energy until you need it, which is often in the evening, means you buy less energy from the grid.

Installation costs vary based on how complex your system is and whether any upgrades are needed. We'll provide a clear and transparent quote, so you know the exact cost before you make a decision.

If you’re willing to switch to a time-of-use tariff, it can make good financial sense to install a battery, even if you don’t have solar panels. Plus, if you have an electric vehicle (EV), you can access very low overnight rates which you can also use to charge your battery and then power your home.

The payback period for a home battery can vary depending on several factors. These include your electricity tariff, usage patterns, battery size, how much electricity your home draws at any one time, and whether you have solar panels. We take all this into consideration when designing your system and can provide personalised estimates of your potential savings.The payback period for a home battery can vary depending on several factors. These include your electricity tariff, usage patterns, battery size, how much electricity your home draws at any one time, and whether you have solar panels. We take all this into consideration when designing your system and can provide personalised estimates of your potential savings.

If you have solar panels with battery storage, it can often make financial sense to change your electricity tariff. If designed correctly for your energy usage your battery can help reduce your bills further by using a smart tariff. You buy electricity during off peak periods, store it and help avoid having to buy electricity at peak prices on cloudy days, after dark or during winter when solar generation is at its lowest. 

To be paid for exporting unused energy back to the grid you will need to have an export tariff like a Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) tariff. A smart battery can be configured to prioritise self-consumption of your cheaper, greener energy from solar, or it can take advantage of peak prices you can earn from exporting if your tariff allows.

You can use power stored in your battery if it is paired with a gateway, which isolates the energy to your home and protects the engineers repairing the grid. Without a gateway, the system will shut down when the grid does. Ask us about a gateway if this is important to you.

No. Home batteries are designed to work automatically for years without routine servicing. Many systems have remote monitoring and receive online software updates. However, you should always ensure that there is ventilation around the battery, so avoid storing anything against it. 

Like all electrical technology, a home battery’s lifespan depends on how it is used and maintained, but they are built to last up to 20 years and often come with a warranty of around 10 years. 

No. Whether you install a battery with or without solar panels, the current rate of VAT is 0%. The Government’s VAT relief on energy-saving products is due to end on 31st March 2027. 

Yes. You can add a battery to existing solar panels with a Feed-In Tariff (FiT) without it affecting your payments. Adding a battery is a great way to lower your electricity bills by storing energy to power your home after dark, saving you from having to buy it from the grid. However, the correct installation method is important. The battery must operate alongside without interacting with the FiT system. 

No, not directly. However the government recognises that the upfront cost can be the biggest barrier to greener, cheaper energy for homeowners. So, as part of the Warm Homes Plan it has committed to back low cost or potentially zero interest loans for renewable technologies such as batteries, solar PV and heat pumps. No, not directly. However the government recognises that the upfront cost can be the biggest barrier to greener, cheaper energy for homeowners. So, as part of the Warm Homes Plan it has committed to back low cost or potentially zero interest loans for renewable technologies such as batteries, solar PV and heat pumps.