Imagine it: free solar energy; minimal electricity bills; taking a giant step to freedom from your energy supplier.
It sounds like a pipe dream, but this is exactly what the new generation of battery systems offers homeowners. They’re powerful, affordable and set to revolutionise the world of renewable home energy.
Every month, we’re seeing more customers choose to add a battery to their new solar PV system. But there’s a problem.
Home batteries are a high promise, high value product. That means we’re seeing suppliers flooding the marketplace with battery systems that are unreliable, unsupported and, well, rubbish.
The same thing happened in the home solar sector some years ago. Many inexperienced installers spotted an opportunity to make fast money by offering cheap, ineffective systems. So let me help you find a battery that offers energy heaven, not energy hassle.
Choosing a battery storage system
Google ‘home battery’ and you’ll be presented with 1.4 billion results. Choosing the right battery for your home can seem impossible, but you simply need to know what to look for.
- Capacity: This is the big one. Or perhaps the small one. The ‘size’ battery you need will depend on the amount of power you use daily and the total energy your solar panels generate throughout the year. If you’d like help to work out what battery capacity you should look for contact our team on 01803 732946 or [email protected].
- Durability: Battery lifecycle is measured by the amount of times it can be charged and discharged. ‘Filling up’ and then using the power in your battery every day for 10 years would equal around 3,000 cycles.
- Warranty: Issues can occur with even the best battery systems. Make sure yours includes a five to 10 year warranty to cover the life of the unit.
- Brand: While the home battery market is fairly new, the biggest, best and most reliable suppliers have been engaged in solar and battery technology for the past decade. Look for suppliers with a positive, established reputation.
- Installation: It’s easy to incorrectly install a battery. Design and configuration is critical. Choose an installer (like Mole Energy!) with expertise and experience.
Know your Tesla from your Sonnen
Mole Energy engineers have spent the last six months training to identify the best home battery systems. Today, we offer two low and high capacity options, depending on your family’s needs.
Weighing in at 122kg, the Tesla Powerwall 2.0 is our big hitter. With a 13.5kWh capacity, the Tesla can hold enough charge to power the average home for 24 hours. Each unit is guaranteed for 10 years, can be installed indoors or outside and supports an unlimited number of charge cycles when connected to a solar PV system.
Tesla are superstars of the renewables world, offering an awe-inspiring range of electric cars that have helped drag the automotive industry into a new age.
However, as impressive as the Powerwall 2.0 is, some homeowners might be unable to use the system to its full potential. That’s why we also went in search of a lower capacity, lower cost option. Step forward Sonnen and Power Vault, two high quality players in the battery storage market.
German manufacturer Sonnen boasts the largest number of home battery installations in Europe at 25,000 whilst Power Vault are a multi award winning company offering great value for money and “second life” batteries that have been upcycled from electric vehicles.
Like the Tesla Powerwall 2.0, both are guaranteed for 10 years and can be monitored using your smartphone or tablet.
Tomorrow, today
With our battery systems costing from £4,995 installed, 30% of customers installing PV panels now add a battery, too. It’s easy to see why. These systems are the final pieces in the solar PV puzzle – maximising the value homeowners can draw from their panels by making them useful in the evenings, too.