BATTERY STORAGE
Battery storage for Homes and Business has become very popular in recent years. The demand has increased due to the rising cost in electricity and gas prices. Battery technology has improved hugely and prices have come down, making them much more affordable.
Battery storage has become an essential tool in reducing how much you pay on utility bills, battery storage is used to store electricity to be used later, that could be later that day or later that week. The great thing with batteries is, you are in control.
The electricity that goes into the battery comes from either unused solar power that would otherwise go back to the utilities, off peak electricity which is often during the night, or even peak electricity.
By having this capability to store electricity it opens doors to new and exciting new electricity tariffs too. Utility companies like consumers having battery storage as it puts less stress on the Grid at peak times. Some tariffs even pay extra for you to empty your stored electricity onto the grid at certain times to assist with the demand, so now you are powering other properties.
0% VAT ON BATTERY STORAGE
From 1st February 2024 the government are now introducing 0% VAT on battery storage systems to help make them even more affordable.
There are many different Battery manufactures doing a great job in build quality and software. To the right is a range of Battery system we love installing, for those reasons.
LITHIUM BATTERY
Most Battery manufactures use Lithium cells, and for good reason. Here are some of the advantages:
- Charging is fast and safe
- Long shelf life
- Maintenance free
- Most usable capacity
- Temperature tolerant
- Lightweight
- Low self discharge
- Long lifespan
Battery systems come with an app which can be controlled remotely, once these are commissioned and set up to your requirements, there is no need to change any other settings.
CHARGE FROM SOLAR
If you have Solar Panels, these will keep generate electricity whether you are using the electricity or not, it will always supply the property first, then make its way to the grid. By installing a Battery you can store than electricity and use if for when you get home, or use an appliance that consumes more power.
CHARGE FROM OFF PEAK
If you have an off peak tariff (cheaper during a certain time) then you can charge your battery with this electricity, and then use it when you would usually pay at a peak rate.
CHARGE FROM PEAK
Here in the UK we are lucky enough not to suffer with outages and frequent power cuts, but in other countries they have been using battery storage for a long time due to storms taking their electricity supplies down, so by storing electricity they can keep running for a period of time.
BACKUP AND NON BACKUP
Batteries can either support backup or not. In short this means that in the event of a power cut your battery may be able to keep your house fully functioning and also keep the Solar generating. There are only a few systems that can do this, for the majority of properties this isn't a problem as power cuts are not frequent, and if they do have an outage its not for very long at all.
Some properties like the idea of backup due to sensitive equipment, or even medical equipment installed in the property.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN KW AND KWH?
kW and kWh are 2 terms you will come across when looking at batteries. Both are very important in sizing a battery perfectly to suit your needs.
kWh is the amount of electricity the battery can store, so its capacity. The average electricity usage per day in the UK is 10kWh, so a 5 kWh battery is enough storage for half a day.
kW is the rate at which the battery can charge or discharge. This is important because if the battery cannot discharge fast enough to meet the property demands then it will use the rest from the grid, and during peak prices this may not benefit you as much as you may have thought. So it is important to do these calculations and tailor a battery storage system to each property based on the usage and demand.
WHAT DO BATTERIES LOOK LIKE?
Batteries come in various shapes, sizes and weight. The majority of batteries are IP rated, meaning they are happy to be mounted outside with no extra covers etc.
The larger the capacity of battery then the bigger and heavier it will be.
The smaller units can be the size of an A4 piece of paper, with larger units being 1 metre in height.
If you are interested in how batteries work then check this page out.
Click on the logos to find out more about each brand.......
