Batteries
Home batteries are an excellent way to help make use of excess renewable energy generation to use at times when your power generator isn't running. This can help you reduce the amount of energy you have to buy from energy suplliers and bring your bills down. A home battery can also help protect you from blackouts, making sure that you can keep the lights on 24/7.
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To learn more about batteries and how we can help click the buttons below.
Why should I get a Battery?
01
Make use of excess energy generation.
If you have a home energy generation system, such as solar panels, there will often be times where you will send energy back into the National Grid. A battery can capture this energy so that it can be used when your generator isn't running, like at night if you have solar panels. This allows you to make more use of your generated energy while simultaneously reducing the amount of energy you need to buy from your energy supplier.
02
Protect yourself from powercuts.
WIth a home battery you can be sure that your house will never lose power, making sure that all your vital appliances remain running 24/7. A battery system can also keep your solar panels running in the event of a blackout.
03
Make use of cheaper energy tarrifs.
A battery isn't only for those with energy generation. Most energy suppliers offer variable rate tariffs that allow you to buy energy for discounted rates at different times of the day. With a battery you can take advantage of these rates, by charging when the electricity is cheap and using it when it's more expensive.
How batteries work.
Batteries for homes and buildings work much the same as batteries that you find in every day life, only on a larger scale. They allow appliances in your home to use energy that's either been generated or stored from a cheaper time of the day.
All batteries require an inverter to work as they run on DC eletricity and need the inverter to turn that electricity into AC electricity that your home can use. The inverter will control how much energy the battery needs to discharge by monitoring how much energy your house is using. The inverter that the battery uses could be a Hybrid inverter if paired with a solar PV system or just a stand alone battery inverter. A stand alone battery inverter is called an AC coupled battery.
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Batteries for homes and buildings come in a range of sizes but many homes are able to manage with a battery system between 5kWh and 10kWh. Most battery systems are able to give a continuous supply of 5kWh with some being able to go much higher.
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Batteries can be added to existing solar PV systems by either upgrading the exisiting inverter to a Hybrid inverter or installing an AC coupled battery. You don't have to have an energy generating system at your home to get a battery but you will then have to rely on cheap energy tariffs if you're looking to get a battery to save energy. However a battery can be useful to protect your home from blackouts. ​
Blackout Protection
One big advantage of batteries is that they are able to power your home in the event of a blackout. There are 2 different ways a battery can be used to protect your home from power cuts, islanding or whole home backup.
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Islanding
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Islanding involves taking a few circuits in your house, such as lighting or sockets, and separating them from the rest. The separated circuits are then hooked directly to the backup feed from the inverter and will constantly be powered via the inverter. As long as the battery has power the circuits will remain on while the rest of the circuits in the house will be off as they were getting their power from the grid. Hybrid inverters often use islanding to give backup protection and are also able to supply the protected circuits with solar energy as well as battery energy. If you have an AC coupled battery and a separate solar PV system the solar sytem will stop working and no longer supply the house with power in the event of a blackout.
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Whole Home Backup
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Whole home backup involves changing the power supply to your house so that a controller can chose whether the power in your house comes from the grid or from the battery. A whole home backup system will use an AC coupled battery that will be told to remain on by the controller in the event of a blackout that will keep powering your home. Some whole home backup systems also allow solar PV systems to keep running as well.
If you have a battery installed and don't have it set up for either Islanding or Whole home backup the battery will not supply power to the house in the event of a blackout.
What we offer.
Battery Options
We are able to offer a wide range of different battery options. Use the links below to explore and discover what might be right for you.
AC Coupled Batteries
AC coupled batteries are the most basic form of home battery that you can get installed. They do not require a renewable energy installation to be installed, although this is normally recommended to take full advantage of the battery benefits. This is the cheapest version of a battery that you can get installed and is normally the quickest, usually taking only a day to install. If you have multiple renewable energy sources installed in your home an AC coupled battery is more suitable than a Hybrid system as it is able to take in energy from all renewable sources. AC coupled batteries will often allow you to have an island backup but not whole home.
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Pros
- Cheapest option.
- Able to charge from multiple generation sources.
- Quick to install.
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Cons
- Only allows island backup.
- Not as efficient when converting solar energy to stored energy.
Whole Home Backup
A whole home backup system often comprises an AC coupled battery and a controller. The controller acts as an interface between your home and the main electrical supply and isolates your home from the grid in the event of a power cut. Due to the need for a larger amount of electrical works required and extra electrical equipment needed this is a more expensive option for a battery. However if you have a solar PV system installed this battery installation will keep the solar running in the event of a power cut.
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Pros
- Whole home keeps power in the event of a power cut.
- Keeps solar PV systems running.
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Cons
- More expensive.
- More invasive installation.