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The role of battery storage in maximising your returns

By Volt Renewables

We hope you find this article helpful. Remember that examples provided are for illustration purposes only and may not reflect your unique circumstances.

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Snapshot

Solar energy is increasingly becoming a popular option for homeowners looking to reduce their reliance on the grid and save on energy bills.

However, one aspect of solar power that often goes overlooked is the transformative role of battery storage. If you’ve considered solar panels but were concerned about only benefiting during daylight hours, battery storage is the key to unlocking the full potential of your system.

In this article, we explain how battery storage works, how it maximises the return on your solar investment, and why it’s an essential addition to any modern solar system.

What is battery storage?

In simple terms, a battery storage system allows you to store the excess energy your solar panels generate during the day for use later when you need it most, typically in the evening or at night. Traditionally, without a battery, any energy generated during the day that your household doesn’t immediately use gets sent back to the national grid. While this provides a small return, often around 2p per unit, it’s a fraction of the 23-25p per unit that you’d typically pay to buy electricity from the grid.

By installing a battery, you can store that excess energy instead of selling it back at a low rate. Then, once the sun has set and your household starts to use more electricity (whether for lighting, heating, or powering appliances) you can draw from your stored energy instead of relying on the grid. This shift significantly improves the overall effectiveness of your solar system.

How battery storage increases your savings

The most important benefit of battery storage is how it changes the economics of your solar system. Without a battery, any energy you don’t use immediately gets sent to the grid for minimal financial return. With a battery, however, you’re essentially turning your home into its own mini-power station, allowing you to store electricity for your own use when you need it most.

Let’s break down the numbers:

Without a battery: You might sell your excess solar energy to the grid at around 2p per unit during the day, while later buying back electricity at 23p per unit in the evening.
With a battery: Instead of selling at 2p per unit, you store your energy. When you use that stored energy in the evening, it effectively costs you 0p per unit compared to the 23p per unit you’d pay the grid. Over time, these savings add up significantly.

This is why battery storage dramatically shortens the payback period for your solar panel system. For a system that might wake 0 years to see a return on your investment, you could see payback in as little as 4-6 years when the solar panels are combined with a battery.

On top of this, the ability to store energy also means you are less vulnerable to rising electricity prices, helping to future-proof your home against fluctuating energy costs.

Energy independence and reliance on the national grid

Another major advantage of battery storage is energy independence. In the past, solar panels could only contribute a portion of a home’s electricity needs, and households would still have to rely on the grid during non-daylight hours. Battery storage changes that equation.

With the right system, you can store enough energy during the day to cover your electricity usage in the evening, when energy consumption typically spikes. For many homeowners, this means not just reducing their reliance on the grid but, in some cases, eliminating the need to buy energy from the grid entirely, especially during the spring and summer months when the days are longer.

In addition to maximising savings, this increased energy independence provides peace of mind. During power cuts or grid outages, a battery storage system with the appropriate configuration can continue supplying electricity to your home, keeping essential appliances and systems running.

Takeaway thoughts

If you’re investing in solar energy, adding battery storage is the next step in maximising your system’s efficiency and savings. It not only improves your financial return but also offers greater control over how and when you use your energy. Instead of selling back your solar power for pennies and then buying it back at a premium, a battery allows you to keep the energy you produce, lowering your energy bills, reducing your reliance on the grid, and increasing your home’s resilience.

Switching to solar has never been easier. With transparent pricing, expert installation, and long-term savings, a solar system from Volt Renewables is a smart investment in your home’s future.

Get your personalised quote today – no pressure, just clear, honest pricing tailored to your energy needs.