What is a home battery?
A home battery is an energy storage system that stores electricity and releases it back to your home later. Storage capacity is expressed in kWh (energy), and the charge and discharge power in kW (power). Together, both determine what the system can do for you in practice.
Why store energy?
Solar panels generate power when the sun shines; consumption in a home is often higher later in the day. With storage, you use a larger share of your own generated electricity yourself, instead of exporting it. If you have a dynamic contract with hourly prices, the system can also charge and discharge based on the price per hour.
How much this saves in your situation depends on your consumption pattern, your contract and the chosen configuration. We do not make general promises about this; we prefer to calculate using your own figures.
Combination with solar panels
A battery can be placed next to the solar inverter or on its own circuit in the consumer unit. Placement next to the inverter allows direct monitoring of PV production, making the control more precise. If there is no space, or no solar panels, a dedicated circuit is the way to go.
EMS and smart charging and discharging
An energy management system (EMS) determines when the system charges, discharges or exports. This is based on measurement data, and with a dynamic contract also on hourly prices. Exactly which controls are possible differs per system — we determine that during the design phase.
Single-phase, three-phase and the consumer unit
Your connection partly determines which system is suitable. With three-phase, the distribution across the phases plays a role; with single-phase, it is the available power. A battery also needs its own protected circuit. We assess the existing consumer unit and advise whether an extension is sufficient or replacement is the wiser choice.
Back-up and emergency power
Back-up during a power cut is not an automatic feature of a home battery. Many systems actually switch off during a grid fault, because no voltage may be fed back onto the grid. Back-up requires a suitable system, a separate back-up circuit and correct grid separation. Often a limited circuit is chosen (lighting, internet, fridge) rather than the whole home.
Installation, monitoring and safety
We handle the placement, the electrical connection, the configuration and the commissioning. We pay attention to the installation location, ventilation, cable routing, protection and correct metering. After completion, we explain the operation and monitoring.