1 月 . 22, 2024 11:56 Back to list
Home battery storage without solar
Home battery storage without solar is a great way to start your clean energy journey. Typically, customers assume that you need to invest in a full solar array before you can buy an energy storage solution. This is a misconception.
In truth, while solar and storage are ideal partners, you can still cut costs and carbon emissions alike using just a battery. With that in mind, here’s a handy guide to using home battery storage without solar.
01 How does home battery storage without solar work?
A home storage battery will store green energy for later use in your home. So, you can run your home on low-cost battery power, rather than drawing from the grid during peak hours.
In homes with renewables, the battery will take its charge from the available renewable source. (Typically solar, though some homes use wind or hydro turbines.) But what happens if your home doesn’t have renewables for the battery to take its charge from?
In this case, the battery will simply charge from the grid when the cheapest, cleanest energy is flowing through the wires. So, the battery will charge when energy costs are low (usually overnight). Then, it will discharge when energy costs are high – saving you money, and reducing the demand on the grid.
This process is called “load shifting”. The home battery storage without solar works to shift peak energy into the cheaper off peak period. Or, rather, to allow you to use energy during peak times – without paying peak charges.
02 How do smart tariffs work?
Home battery storage without solar goes hand-in-hand with smart tariffs. Smart tariffs – also known as time of use tariffs – offer different prices for energy at different times of the day. So, you get cheap energy prices during off-peak hours. (Such as when fewer people are using energy overnight, or when renewable energy generation is peaking.)
Being able to take full advantage of smart tariffs, then, requires you to stop drawing from the grid during peak hours. Your home storage battery makes this possible.
With smart tariffs and a battery storage system combined, you can charge cheaply, switch to battery power, and effortlessly shift your electricity use during peak hours.
03 How do GivEnergy batteries integrate with smart tariffs?
Our batteries come with built-in smart technology that primes the system for agile tariffs and smart grid trading (including Octopus tariffs, Economy 7 meters, etc).
This technology means that your home storage battery will take advantage of smart tariffs to charge and discharge intelligently.
So, algorithms ensure the smartest, cheapest management of the charge and discharge cycle. The battery takes advantage of cheap rates automatically. No need for you to lift a finger or manually tell the system what to do.
Even without solar energy, then, our smart tariff integrations mean you can power your home cheaply and sustainably.
04 Will I still need an inverter if I have home battery storage without solar?
An inverter is what makes your battery storage solution smart. So, even if you don’t have solar installed, you’ll still need an inverter as part of your energy storage package. It will:
- Communicate between the grid and your battery
- Feed in data to your energy management software
- Convert current from DC to AC, for safe use in the home
In short, without an inverter, your storage battery will be ‘dumb’ and won’t function as you need it to. You’ll need one as part of your setup.
05 What are the benefits of home battery storage without solar?
Home battery storage without solar allows you to capitalise on the general benefits of energy storage systems, without the entry barrier of solar panel costs.
So, you can expect:
- Reduced energy bills
- Reduced home carbon emissions
- An energy supply better protected from disruption
- Cheap energy day and night
- More energy independence
- Tighter control over your home energy usage
- The flexibility to choose when you buy and use energy
- Visibility into your energy data
Essentially, home battery storage without solar is a great way to enter the clean, low-cost energy game – without needing to pay the added cost of a full solar array.
06 Can I add solar to my setup later down the line?
You may choose to start off with home battery storage without solar. But what if you want to upgrade your setup by installing renewables later down the line? In this instance, it’s pretty straightforward to add solar PV if you already have a home battery in place.
Your choice of solar panel won’t affect your GivEnergy energy storage setup – it will work with any solar array. The only thing you’d need to factor in if you’re considering solar would be your inverter setup.
As we covered a little earlier on this page, an inverter is the computer or ‘brains’ part of a battery storage system. So, any battery storage system needs, as a minimum, a battery inverter.
Homes that also have solar installed, however, will need a battery inverter plus a solar inverter. (Essential for safely converting current back and forth from the solar panels, to the battery, to the home.)
At GivEnergy, we offer AC coupled inverters (a battery only inverter), hybrid inverters (a battery plus solar inverter in one solution), and we also integrate with third-party solar inverters. This means that, if you choose, your options are completely open when it comes to adding solar at a later date.
07 What battery capacity do I need?
In general, your needed home battery capacity depends on variables such as:
- The size of your property
- The number of residents in the household
- Your energy usage, considering any high-consumption needs such as EVs, hot tubs, swimming pools, etc
However, looking more specifically at home battery storage without solar, it’s a good idea to factor in overnight charging cycles when choosing your battery capacity.
Without solar, your battery will charge using off-peak grid rates. Typically, you’ll get the absolute cheapest rates within a 4 hour window overnight. (As a minimum.) So, that means you’ll want a battery that can fully charge within 4 hours. That is, during the super-low rate window.
However, you’ll likely want that same fast-charging battery to provide ample power for your home throughout the evening.
With that in mind, then, many customers without solar opt for a high-capacity battery. For example, the Giv-Bat 9.5 is a popular choice. This battery capacity will give you plenty of power – enough for the average household. Plus, 100% depth of discharge (DoD) means that you can completely empty the battery before recharging with no damage to the system. So, 100% of the energy inside your home battery is useable.
Ultimately, the Giv-Bat 9.5 is just one great option of many. We offer multiple battery sizes, as well as the option to scale by adding more batteries to your setup in future.
Your GivEnergy installer will be able to recommend the best home battery for you after learning more about your needs and setup.
08 Do I need to manage my home battery?
Once installed, your battery storage system will just work. So, if you prefer, you can set it and forget it. The system will set to ECO by default, ensuring that it works dynamically to maximise your self- consumption. Plus, inbuilt algorithms mean that your battery will charge and discharge intelligently – automatically taking advantage of cheap rates.
All this means that, once set up, there’s no need for you to lift a finger or manually tell the system what to do.
However, you can also take a more hands-on role if you prefer. For example, you can set schedules and timers to configure your energy usage around your lifestyle. You can make continuous changes and optimisations via the portal. You can adjust on the fly via the app. And, for the more technical user, you can even use the GivEnergy API to set custom automations.
So, you can be as hands-on or hands-off with your system as you like.