Can You Have Home Battery Storage Without Solar Panels?

If you’re looking to save on your energy bills, an energy storage battery could be the key to cheaper bills. You can either pair a home energy battery with a solar system and store more of your solar energy, or you could install a battery on its own.

Can you install a battery on its own?

Yes! You can install a battery without solar panels. You will benefit by being able to charge your battery overnight at off-peak rates. You can then use the stored energy in the day.

An important thing to note is that you'll still be buying power from electricity companies, so even if you avoid peak hours, you won't be able to avoid the rising cost of electricity.

For this reason, we strongly suggest combining battery storage with solar panels. Investing in solar panels enables you to charge your battery for free anytime the sun shines.

When your solar panels are unable to generate enough power, such as on cloudy days or at night, you can charge your battery with off-peak electricity prices.

Why get a home storage battery?

You can avoid paying higher peak-demand power rates by charging your battery at off-peak times, like the night. You may then utilise this electricity in the evening to avoid paying peak-demand charges.

Reduces grid strain – Using stored electricity during peak demand not only saves you money but also puts less load on the grid, resulting in fewer power disruptions for everyone.

Reduces emissions – for many rural houses, a power outage means using a fuel-guzzling generator to provide energy.

An alternative to solar panels - if you can’t get solar panels for any reason (for example, your roof is too small or shaded,) you can cut down on your bills by getting a battery.

Will I save money by charging my electric car from my battery?

Whilst you can charge an electric car from a battery, we recommend simply charging your car overnight from the mains. Octopus Energy has a great option for EV users.

Will I save money on an overnight tariff?

With or without a storage battery, you will likely save money by using an off-peak tariff. An important thing to remember is to check you are on a plan which offers off-peak tariff price reductions for energy. Check with your energy supplier before you start looking into a storage battery or start to switch appliances on in the evening.

Octopus Energy has one of the cheapest overnight tariffs.

Can I reduce my bills by using more electricity at night? 

It is all dependent on the tariff you are on. Certain tariffs, such as Economy 7 and newer smart off-peak plans, are intended to save you money overnight since power costs less when fewer people use it.

Using appliances that use more energy, such as washing machines or dishwashers, in the night will add up and save you money on your bill. At the same time, you can charge your solar battery and use appliances in the daytime. 

Growatt VS Tesla Powerwall Batteries

At Smart Energy, we get a lot of enquiries about the Tesla Powerwall battery. The Powerwall battery is a great option and certainly a market leader. However, the Tesla battery has an incredibly long waitlist. It’s not expected to be back in stock for a few years. Because of this, we recommend the Growatt battery to a lot of our customers in 2023.

Growatt use lithium-iron-phosphate (LiFePO4) battery technology, which is one of the most dependable, safe, and long-lasting lithium battery technologies on the market. The module may be purchased separately to extend an existing rack. It is not a stand-alone item. A total of two batteries can be combined (total of 13 kWh).

In Closing

Whether you are interested in solar panels and a battery or just a storage battery, you could save on your bills with home energy storage.

With the rising cost of electricity, it is becoming increasingly important to find ways to save money on energy bills. One of the best ways to do this is by investing in a storage battery for your home. A storage battery can help you store energy during peak hours when electricity rates are low and use it during peak hours when rates are high. This will not only help you save money on your energy bill but also make your home more energy efficient. Furthermore, it can also help reduce carbon emissions as you will be using less electricity from the grid. Investing in a storage battery for your home is an excellent way to save money and be more environmentally friendly at the same time!

Get in contact with our friendly team at Smart Energy to find out more about home energy storage.