Home Battery: Everything You Need to Know
A home battery allows you to store energy generated by solar panels for later use. This means you're no longer entirely dependent on your energy supplier for electricity, potentially lowering your energy costs.
But how exactly does this work, and what does it mean for the future of energy consumption? In this article, we explain everything about the operation, costs, and benefits of a home battery.
What is a Home Battery?
A home battery, also called a home battery, is a large rechargeable battery that allows you to store the electricity you have generated yourself with solar panels.
Instead of using the power immediately or feeding it back into the grid, you store it for later use. This allows you to use the energy more efficiently and be less dependent on the electricity grid.
Typically, you use 30 to 50 percent of the electricity you generate with solar panels. Adding a home battery can increase this to 60 to 80 percent. This means you can use more of your own, free energy, further reducing your electricity bill.
How Long Can You Go Without Grid Power?
The amount of time you can operate without grid power with a home battery depends on your electricity consumption and the size of the battery. Some home batteries offer sufficient capacity to power your home for hours.
There are even models that can provide you with energy for up to several days. So it's important to choose the right battery size based on your energy consumption.
How much does a home battery cost?
The price of a home battery depends on the type and size of the battery. A common rule of thumb is that the cost is approximately €750 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of storage capacity. A 5 kWh home battery, for example, will cost around €3,750. Besides the purchase price, there are also installation costs, depending on the installer.
Just like with solar panels, you can reclaim 21% VAT when purchasing a home battery. This means an immediate savings of 21% on the purchase price, although many suppliers often advertise the price inclusive of VAT.
How to Charge Your Home Battery Without Solar Panels?
While solar panels are the most obvious way to charge your home battery, they're not the only option. In the Netherlands, the sun doesn't always shine, especially during the winter months. Fortunately, you can also charge your home battery with electricity from the grid, when the electricity price is lowest.
If you have a dynamic energy contract, you can take advantage of lower rates, such as off-peak or night rates, to charge your battery. This can be especially beneficial with a variable contract, where you can take advantage of the lowest electricity prices. By charging the battery when prices are low and using the energy when prices are high, you can further reduce your energy costs.
Should You Buy a Home Battery Now?
While it's still possible to purchase a home battery, it's important to understand that it's not always the best financial choice. It depends on several factors, such as the net metering scheme and the feed-in costs that energy companies sometimes charge for solar energy.
The net metering scheme ensures that you receive compensation for the electricity you feed back into the grid, but this scheme will decrease in the coming years. This could make it more attractive to store your solar power yourself instead of feeding it back into the grid.
In addition, it is possible that the government will introduce new, favorable regulations for home batteries between 2024 and 2030, which will make investing in a home battery more attractive.
Similar to other countries, such as Belgium, where you can buy a home battery at Ikea, for example, subsidies or tax benefits may be introduced in the Netherlands in the future that make purchasing a home battery financially more advantageous.
The Electric Car as a Home Battery
An alternative to a separate home battery is your electric car. An electric car's battery is often many times larger than a home battery. For example, the battery in a Nissan LEAF has a capacity of 62 kWh, which would be enough to power an average household for several days.
Although bidirectional charging technology, which allows you to use your electric car to power your home, is still in its infancy, it is a promising alternative.
Cars like the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 already offer the option of using their batteries to power your home, and in the future, these systems are likely to become increasingly user-friendly and accessible.
Conclusion
A home battery can be an important step toward more sustainable and affordable energy consumption, especially if you generate a lot of solar power. However, the costs and savings aren't always balanced at the moment.
However, technological advancements and future regulations could enhance the benefits of home batteries, making them an even more attractive investment in the near future.
Also consider your electric car as a potential source of energy storage. Combining solar panels, home batteries, and dynamic energy contracts offers countless opportunities for energy savings and sustainability.
