Maximise Your Solar Savings With Solar Panel Batteries

Until 31st March 2027, the UK government has applied 0% VAT to all energy-saving materials, including solar panel installations. However, in June 2023, some changes came into effect that directly influenced solar battery storage.

Before June 2023, you could retroactively fit solar batteries and still enjoy 0% VAT, effectively making them 20% cheaper than they would otherwise have been. As of June 2023, solar batteries only receive 0% VAT treatment if they’re installed as part of a new solar system.

That means that if you are purchasing a new solar panel system for the first time with battery storage, then the whole thing will enjoy 0% VAT. If, however, you are installing a solar battery to an older system, then you will pay the usual 20% VAT.

You don’t have to add a smart solar battery to your solar system set-up, but having one certainly helps you get the maximum out of it. Without solar battery storage, you will only be able to use the energy your new PV panels generate for your home at the time it is generated.

When there is no solar energy to tap into, your energy supply will revert back to drawing it from the Grid. A smart solar battery stores your energy ready so you can use it or store it for when you need it.

Most solar batteries will need to be close to the main units themselves, so that will come into consideration when deciding where a solar battery might be best placed.

We can’t say for certain where you can expect a solar battery to be installed in your home until we conduct a survey to determine the best location, but we usually install batteries in cupboards, utility rooms, garages, and, if necessary, outside.

When installing batteries outside, we make sure it has appropriate shelter from the elements and aren’t on a south-facing wall where direct sunlight could overheat the battery and make it less effective.

Regardless, our expert team will always find the best location for your batteries to ensure maximum efficiency and appropriate storage.

A solar battery system is a significant investment for households, whether you are adding one as part of a complete solar installation or if you are adding only solar batteries to an existing solar panel system.

With energy costs at alarmingly high levels, solar panels and batteries provide an opportunity for households to gain a degree of independence from the Grid and protect themselves from future price rises.

With solar PV panels combined with a smart battery system, you can generate your own electricity, use it at the time you need it, store it for later use, or even export it to the National Grid for payment. This will reduce your dependence on electricity from your supplier and have an impact on your energy bills.

Despite what people may think, solar power generation is possible in the UK, even on cloudy days, so your PV system will still be generating electricity and charging up your solar battery during daylight hours.

Although efficiency may drop off slightly during cloudy days in the UK, it won’t usually be enough to impact your solar panels’ energy output. But if it ever does, you’ll also have solar battery storage to rely on to power your home, too.

A household that installs solar panels without battery storage will only typically be able to use around 20%-40% of the energy they generate since they are often not at home to use the electricity that is being generated. This is where solar batteries are a game-changer since a household that installs solar panels with battery storage will be able to use up to 80% of the energy they generate.

This has a significant impact on energy bills, though the exact amount that would be saved with a battery will vary depending on lifestyle, the size and efficiency of the solar array, the usable capacity of the batteries installed, plus future energy prices. Talk with our team and we can give you a better idea of the best solar battery options available to you and the savings you could make.

While average electricity consumption varies according to factors such as the weather, it is estimated that the typical UK home requires around 8kWh to 10kWh daily.

With solar battery capacities ranging from around 1 kW to 16 kW, you will need one (or potentially more than one) that is able to meet your needs throughout the year.

While you can fall back and draw electricity from the Grid when you don’t have sufficient electricity being produced by your system, especially when less energy is being generated in winter, you want a system that is going to minimise your need to do this. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you need the largest capacity battery. We will consider your energy demand and advise on the best solar battery storage solution for you based on your household needs.

We consider the amount of energy you use and the amount of solar energy we expect you to generate, then advise on the solar panel battery storage option that best fits your household. We can give you a good idea of solar battery cost and the best solar batteries that are available today.

Solar batteries are not only able to store the electricity you produce for use later, maximising your consumption of solar energy but they can also be configured to power your home from low-cost Grid energy if you use a special tariff that charges your battery at a time when electricity is cheaper. Plus, if you use an electricity supplier that generates electricity from renewable sources, you’ll be powering your home from cleaner lower-cost energy.

Most solar batteries used these days are lithium-ion batteries (effectively using the same technology as smartphone batteries) as opposed to lead-acid batteries (similar to those used as car batteries). Lithium-ion batteries work through a chemical reaction that stores chemical energy and converts it to electrical energy which can be stored and then used in the home when your solar panels aren’t generating enough electricity to meet your demand.

When solar energy hits the solar cells in solar panels, they convert the solar energy to usable electricity in the form of DC (or direct current). You need AC (or alternating current) in your home to charge your home appliances.

For this to happen, part of your solar system called an inverter actually changes the current from DC to AC. When you have a solar battery you will usually be storing this DC energy before it’s sent to the inverter – but this isn’t always the case…

You’ll have probably heard of both AC battery systems and DC battery systems, and the difference between them is where they’re positioned in the solar system.

If energy is sent to be stored before reaching the inverter, then it will store DC energy, and therefore your battery is part of a DC system, which will need to send the energy to the inverter later before it can be used in the home.

If energy is sent to be stored after reaching the inverter, then it will store AC energy, and therefore your battery is part of an AC system. Here, the battery is ready to discharge the energy straight into your home’s electrical system.

An inverter is necessary for your solar system, because without it, your solar panels would be unable to convert solar energy into usable energy, and so nobody would install solar panels. It’s necessary for systems both with and without batteries, so regardless you will need one.

An inverter is necessary for your solar system, because without it, your solar panels would be unable to convert solar energy into usable energy, and so nobody would install solar panels. It’s necessary for systems both with and without batteries, so regardless you will need one.

The only difference your inverter will make to your battery is whether you’ll be storing AC or DC current in your batteries.

Lithium-ion batteries are the preferred option in most cases as they are the best solar batteries when it comes to battery capacity, ability to store excess power for longer, general lifespan and compact size. Additionally, they have a better depth of discharge (DoD), which is the percentage of the battery’s total capacity that can be used. For example, a battery with a depth of discharge of 85% would be able to use up to 85% of the battery capacity before it would need to be recharged.

Electric cars can be charged using the solar panels installed or with solar batteries. If you are home during the daytime, you can charge electric vehicles directly from your solar PV system.

For most households, the convenient time to charge your vehicle is overnight, and this is where a solar battery comes into its own. With a home battery system installed, you will be able to store electricity during the day and then charge your EV vehicle during the night.

Yes, it is possible to have more than one storage battery hooked up to your solar PV system. For some people, they may want to save as much money as possible by minimising the amount of electricity they draw from the Grid, or they may want to go off-grid completely.

It is not uncommon for some households to have around 2-3 batteries for storing energy to cover the majority of their needs. Those wanting to go off-grid will need much more storage capacity, and depending on your requirements, you may need up to 8 batteries or even more.

You will find articles online claiming that one solar battery is better than another, and whilst it’s certainly true that some solar batteries are better at some aspects than others (such as having more capacity, depth of discharge difference, or even more advanced monitoring technology), there isn’t really one best solar battery on the market.

The best solar battery is about finding the best battery for you and your needs. If you have a larger energy demand than most, then the best battery for you is the one with the largest energy capacity, and so on.

Work with our expert team to find the solar battery that will suit your needs most and enjoy a solar battery with Effective Home today.