Jason Howlett is Group CEO of UK-based energy storage specialist, GivEnergy. We asked him about the role battery storage can play in making homes more sustainable.
Tell us a little about GivEnergy.
GivEnergy is the UK’s best-selling residential energy storage brand. We also manufacture commercial energy storage systems, EV chargers, and a range of energy accessories such as smart plugs.
As a purpose-led organization, we’re committed to making sustainable energy accessible and affordable for all. For example, one of our most recent projects involved working with one of the largest social housing associations in the north of England – to provide home battery storage systems for 27,000 social homes.
Why should homeowners with solar panels invest in a battery storage system?
Installations of residential solar PV panels have boomed in recent years. However, to make the most of these installations, solar panels need battery storage systems.
Look at hourly electricity demand in the United States and you’ll notice it tends to spike around late afternoon and early evening. Unfortunately, this is not necessarily when solar PV systems generate high amounts of energy, especially in winter.
That’s where battery storage comes in. With the ability to store energy, homeowners can use clean energy generated from solar when they need it most.
A study published in Applied Energy looks at homeowners with solar and battery storage, versus those with standalone solar panels. The results show that the former reduced electricity imports from the grid by up to 84%. Meanwhile, the latter only used 30-40% of the energy generated by their solar panels.
Unfortunately, latest figures from Bloomberg NEF suggest only 13% of the 3.9 million residential solar installations in the US have battery storage systems. That suggests there’s still work to do to help homeowners understand the role of battery storage.
Do you need solar panels to have a battery storage system?
While solar plus battery storage is the ideal choice, standalone battery storage is an option for those without the means – financial, practical, or otherwise – to install solar.
Here’s how it works.
Consumers in the United States, UK, and elsewhere can now pay for their electricity via a time-of-use tariff. In short, electricity is priced differently at different times of the day. It’s cheaper during off-peak hours, and more expensive during peak hours.
Unfortunately, shifting the bulk of your electricity usage to off-peak hours, such as overnight, is not realistic for most consumers. However, by charging your battery during off-peak hours, you can store cheaper energy to use during more expensive peak hours.
This not only helps consumers to avoid more expensive electricity prices, but can also help reduce strain on the grid during times of high demand.
Are governments doing enough to facilitate uptake in home battery storage?
We’ve seen plenty of positive steps in recent months and years. In the UK, all home battery installations are now VAT (value added tax)-free. In the United States, the Inflation Reduction Act offers tax credits for home battery systems with a capacity of at least 3kWh.
However, governments need to go further. We need policies that see battery storage, along with other green tech (heat pumps, EV chargers, solar panels, etc.) standardized in homes, especially new builds.
The Octopus Energy Zero Bills Homes in the UK demonstrate how comprehensively sustainable homes can be achieved.
