Keywords: Solar Battery, Solar Storage, Inverter Battery, Home Energy Storage, Rack mounted battery for inverter, Wall mounted battery
Are you considering a solar battery for your home in Hampshire or the surrounding areas like Basingstoke, Swindon, Reading, Newbury, Alton, Oxford, Andover, Winchester, Farnborough, Guildford, Woking, or West London? With the rising cost of electricity and the drive for energy independence, home energy storage solutions are becoming an increasingly attractive investment. But are solar batteries worth it for you? Let’s dive into the details of solar storage and how it can transform your energy consumption.
Are Solar Batteries Worth It? Best Price and Return
The question of whether solar batteries are worth it boils down to the best price and return on your investment. While the upfront cost of a solar battery can seem significant, the long-term savings and increased energy independence often provide a compelling financial case.
The primary benefit of a solar battery is its ability to store surplus electricity generated by your solar panels during the day, which can then be used in the evenings when grid electricity prices are typically higher. This “time-shifting” of energy can drastically reduce your reliance on expensive peak-rate electricity.
Monthly Value of Your Solar Battery: A Financial Breakdown
Let’s assess the potential monthly value of various solar battery sizes, based on an average UK electricity price of £0.2654 per kWh. This calculation assumes you fully cycle your battery daily, avoiding purchasing electricity from the grid at peak rates.
- 5.12kWh Battery:
- Daily Value: 5.12 kWh×£0.2654/kWh=£1.36
- Monthly Value: £1.36/day×30 days=£40.80
- 10kWh Battery:
- Daily Value: 10 kWh×£0.2654/kWh=£2.65
- Monthly Value: £2.65/day×30 days=£79.50
- 15kWh Battery:
- Daily Value: 15 kWh×£0.2654/kWh=£3.98
- Monthly Value: £3.98/day×30 days=£119.40
- 40kWh Battery:
- Daily Value: 40 kWh×£0.2654/kWh=£10.62
- Monthly Value: £10.62/day×30 days=£318.60
- 50kWh Battery:
- Daily Value: 50 kWh×£0.2654/kWh=£13.27
- Monthly Value: £13.27/day×30 days=£398.10
These figures highlight the significant potential savings, demonstrating the strong financial return on investment over the lifespan of the battery.
RenewSolar: Quality Without Compromise, Savings Without the Markup
At RenewSolar, we believe in making home energy storage accessible. We are a not-for-profit organisation, which means we can offer you unparalleled savings on solar battery and inverter battery systems. How do we achieve this?
We utilize the same high-quality hardware found in the most expensive solar storage solutions on the market, sometimes even surpassing them in quality. Our commitment to being not-for-profit means we cut costs where it matters least – on our overheads and profit margins, not on the integrity or performance of your system.
Save up to 70% on battery storage with RenewSolar. The only “downside” of our unique model is that by keeping our costs lean, we don’t hold vast amounts of stock. This means orders for your rack mounted battery for inverter or wall mounted battery might take a few weeks to arrive. However, for most customers, this perfectly aligns with the solar panel installation timeline. Your solar array can be ordered and installed while you await your battery delivery, often meaning you’ll only be waiting a few extra days for your complete, integrated system to be fully operational.
Matching Battery Size to Your Solar Array and Lifestyle
Choosing the right solar battery size, whether it’s a 5.12kWh battery, 10kWh battery, 15kWh battery, 40kWh battery, or even a 50kWh battery, is crucial for optimal performance and maximizing savings.
In summer, with 6-8 hours of peak sunlight, a general guideline is that your solar array should be sized to comfortably fill your battery. For instance:
- For a 5.12kWh battery, a solar array of approximately 2-3kWp would typically be sufficient to charge it fully during a good summer’s day.
- A 10kWh battery would pair well with a 4.5kWp solar array.
- A 15kWh battery might require an 6kWp solar array to charge fully from solar alone.
- For larger 40kWh battery or 50kWh battery systems, significantly larger solar arrays (e.g., 8-12kWp+) would be ideal to maximize solar charging.
Performance and loads will vary from home to home as well as the installation of the array. The dynamics change though out the year, so keep this in mind when thinking about solar and batteries.
Winter Charging and Off-Peak Savings:
During winter, when solar generation is lower, an inverter battery with AC charging capability becomes invaluable. This allows you to charge your battery from the grid during off-peak hours when electricity is significantly cheaper. To fully charge a large battery over a 5-hour off-peak window, the inverter’s AC charging current needs to be substantial. For example, a 10kWh battery would need to draw an average of 2 kW over 5 hours. Larger batteries, like a 50kWh battery, would require a draw of 10 kW over 5 hours.
Beyond Solar Panels: Energy Trading and Time Shifting with Batteries
You do not need to have solar panels to achieve significant savings with home energy storage. The investment in a large solar battery, such as a 10kWh battery, 15kWh battery, or even a 40kWh battery, can generate substantial savings through energy trading or time shifting.
By charging your rack mounted battery for inverter or wall mounted battery during low-cost, off-peak hours and then using that stored energy during expensive peak hours, you can dramatically reduce your electricity bills. This strategy alone can provide a compelling return on investment, even without a solar array.
Expanding Your Storage: Seamless Battery Upgrades with RenewSolar
Adding a battery to extend solar storage, or upgrading an existing one, can sometimes be complicated by incompatible battery formats and proprietary battery management systems (BMS). While some inverters adhere to standard battery communication protocols, others are designed to be “locked into” specific battery types, making upgrades challenging.
At RenewSolar, we understand these complexities. We can expertly assess the configuration of your existing inverter battery and system to recommend the most effective upgrade path. Whether your current setup uses a “dumb battery” or a highly integrated system, we offer a wide range of custom solar battery systems. We even provide a selection of manufacturer-specific battery system control boards and codexes, ensuring that your new solar storage solution works out-of-the-box, providing seamless integration and optimal performance.
Commercial Battery Storage Solutions: Powering Businesses Forward
For businesses in Hampshire, Basingstoke, Swindon, Reading, Newbury, Alton, Oxford, Andover, Winchester, Farnborough, Guildford, Woking, and London West, commercial battery storage offers unparalleled opportunities for energy cost reduction and grid resilience. RenewSolar provides scalable solutions, including:
- 100kWh battery systems
- 115kWh battery systems
- 500kWh battery systems
These larger capacities are ideal for businesses looking to significantly reduce peak demand charges, participate in grid services, or ensure critical operations continue during power outages.
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