If you’re looking for ways to become more energy independent and save on your energy bills, but don’t have the finances or a suitable roof for solar panels, there’s good news: you can still install a home battery storage system.
Many UK homeowners aren’t aware that a home battery doesn’t need to be paired with solar to provide real benefits. When most people think of home battery storage, they automatically associate it with solar panels, as storing excess energy from the sun seems like the obvious use case. But even without solar, a battery can help you manage your electricity more efficiently, reduce reliance on the grid, and potentially save you money.
In this blog, we’ll explore how home batteries work independently of solar energy, the advantages they offer, and why they might be a great fit for your home.
What is Home Battery Storage?
Home battery storage, also known as Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), lets you store electricity from the National Grid or Renewable Energy Sources like Solar and Wind. This stored energy can then be used later during periods of high demand or critical downtime, giving you greater control, reliability, and flexibility over your energy usage.
The UK offers a wide range of home battery storage solutions, from large containerised units for commercial properties to standalone 5kWh and 10kWh solar batteries ideal for domestic use.
Modern battery storage technology, particularly Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO₄ or LFP) batteries, enables homes and businesses to use renewable energy even when the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing. Importantly, you don’t need solar panels to benefit from a home battery. LFP batteries can store electricity directly from the grid, allowing you to charge during off-peak hours and use energy when demand or prices are higher. This makes standalone battery systems a practical solution for saving money on your energy bill, increasing energy independence, and providing backup power, even without an on-site renewable source. Additionally, LFP batteries generally have longer lifecycles compared to other lithium-ion chemistries, making them ideal for repeated charging and discharging over many years.
What are the Benefits of Home Battery Storage without Solar Panels in the UK?
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Home battery storage can reduce your energy bill
If you’re a UK homeowner looking for smart ways to cut your energy bills, installing a home battery storage system is an excellent option. By storing cheaper, off-peak electricity from the Grid, you can significantly reduce your energy costs. Time-of-use Tariffs , Smart Tariffs such as Economy 7 and Octopus Go, offer a set number of off-peak hours each day when electricity is much cheaper to buy from the Grid, due to a lower demand. With a standalone battery storage system, you can easily schedule your battery to charge during these off-peak periods, usually from midnight to early morning, via your paired app, helping you save money effortlessly via a process called “load shifting”.
Beyond reducing your bills, this approach also eases the strain on the National Grid by shifting your energy usage away from peak times, which helps prevent power outages. Plus, any surplus energy stored in your battery can often be sold back to the Grid during peak periods, potentially cutting your costs even further.
This graph illustrates how a battery storage system can be charged and discharged throughout the day, using the Octopus Flux Tariff to take advantage of off-peak, cheaper rates.
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Provide your home with a backup power supply
Many homes in rural or remote locations that experience regular power-cuts, often rely on a generators for backup power. However, installing a standalone home battery system, can be a much greener alternative to fuel generators, especially if you are on a 100% green energy tariff.
To learn more about the benefits and differences between home batteries and generators, check out our blog on batteries vs generators.
Battery storage systems can continue to work even when the Grid goes down, provided your installation includes an Emergency Power Supply (EPS) or a Solar Gateway. Adding an EPS means that in the event of a blackout, your stored energy can power essential circuits, keeping appliances like your fridge, cooker, or PC running. If you include a Solar Gateway, you could even enjoy full-home backup. While most solar inverters offer EPS, only a few manufacturers provide a gateway, with Tesla and Sigenergy among the most popular in the UK. How long this power lasts will depend on the size of your battery and the appliances you need to run.
As the UK prepares for more blackouts this year, due to potential shortages of gas and electricity supplies, there is no time like the present to install a home battery storage system with backup capabilities.
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Increases your energy independence
Do all Home Batteries Work with Smart Tariffs?
Whist the majority of home batteries all you to force charge from the Grid via manually scheduling through an app, only a select few premium battery storage manufactures take this further. intelligently manage this process for you. Using built-in smart technology powered by algorithms and AI, certain home batteries can take advantage of cheap rates and dynamic tariffs automatically, helping you save more effortlessly.
For Example, solar batteries which “Work with Octopus Energy” include, Tesla Powerwall, Enphase, Fox ESS, and Givenergy.
How much money can you save with a batter-only installation?
So let’s take a look at the figures shall we? If you were to install a 6.5kWh Growatt battery, to charge to full on the current Octopus go off-peak rate (November 2022) of 12p per kWh it would cost you 78p. However, if you was to consume 6.5kWh during peak hours, it would cost you nearly 3 times as much. This means you can save £1.43 a day, or £521.95 a year by installing home battery storage.
What are the Disadvantages of Home battery storage without Solar?
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You're Still Reliant on the Grid
With a stand-alone battery system, you are still reliant on the National Grid as you are charging your battery from their energy supply. This means that you are still tied to wholesale energy prices, and the type of electricity they provide. However, if you were to install solar panels with a battery system, you will only be reliant on the abundance of sunshine available, which luckily doesn’t cost a thing. By cutting your ties from the National Grid, instead of lining the pockets of millionaires with your monthly energy bill, you will be cutting down on your carbon emissions for everyone to benefit from.
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No Real Green Benefits
Without solar panels, a battery-only system is unlikely to reduce your carbon footprint, as it simply stores electricity from the Grid, which may still be generated from fossil fuels, depending on your tariff. By contrast, installing Solar panels enables you to generate your own renewable energy. As a low-carbon technology, a typical home with a solar PV system can save the UK around one tonne of carbon emissions per year. What’s more, by producing your own clean energy, you’ll be less reliant on the Grid and help ease demand on the UK’s energy supply. All whilst make the most of the free, abundant power of the sun.
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Limited Savings Without Solar
When you combine home battery storage with solar panels, EPVS (Energy Performance Validation Scheme) validates savings of up to 90% on your annual consumption. In comparison, a battery-only system will only provide savings of up to 15%. Making solar with storage the ideal combination for maximising energy savings.
Another financial benefit of installing battery storage with solar panels is the ability to sell surplus energy back to the Grid. At certain times of the year, a solar panel system will generate more electricity than your household can use, even with a battery. Under the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG), you can earn up to 30p/kWh for the electricity you export. While it may not seem like much on its own, it’s yet another way a solar panel system helps cut your energy costs.
To learn more, check out our guide to the best export tariffs.
How much Does A Standalone Home Battery Storage System Cost?
Installing a home battery without solar panels typically involves pairing a solar battery with an AC controller. The cost of a standalone home battery system can range from £4,000 to £11,000, depending on the battery’s capacity, manufacturer, technology, and your chosen installer. In the UK, battery-only installations currently benefit from 0% VAT, making them more affordable now than ever.
For a detailed breakdown of costs including installation, visit our Home Battery Storage page below, or contact our team today for latest prices.
Can I add Solar Panels to a Battery only system at a later date?
Yes, adding solar panels or even a wind turbine to an existing home battery system is relatively straightforward for any qualified installer, and is known as Retrofitting.
While a battery-only installation requires an AC controller, a Solar and Storage system uses a different type of solar inverter known as a Hybrid inverter. If you’re installing a battery now but plan to add solar panels later, it’s worth considering future-proofing your system by opting for a hybrid inverter from the start, which can be the most cost-effective approach.
Thanks to the flexibility of modern products, you can also expand your home energy storage system in the future, allowing you to increase your storage capacity as your energy needs grow.
Is it better to get battery storage with or without solar panels?
With energy prices continuing to rise, and the UK facing potential power cuts due to supply shortages and peak demand, it’s no surprise that more homeowners are considering home battery storage without solar panels, as well as solar and storage. Whilst our recommendation is always getting battery storage with solar panels, we understand that not every home is suitable for solar panels, or alternative means of renewable energy.
A standalone battery can still help reduce your energy bills, but the value depends on how you plan to use it, the battery capacity and your energy usage, as to whether it is worth the investment.
If you’re a UK homeowner interested in exploring the costs and benefits of home battery storage, get in touch with our award-winning team today on 01322 479369.
