Solar battery storage: get a vetted installer quote

A solar battery stores spare power from your panels so you can use it later. It can make your system more useful, but it also adds cost and complexity. Ask first whether you need one. This page explains what our referral covers, your options, and where a battery has limits.

What the referral covers

We are an independent guide. We are not an installer, a lender, a broker or a government service. We do not sell batteries or fit them, so we gain nothing from the size you pick.

What we offer is a consent-based enquiry referral. You choose to send a short form, and your enquiry goes into a central lead dashboard. The operator can then match you with a vetted, MCS-certified installer. We never contact an installer automatically.

Your matched installer writes its own quote and signs its own contract, although we vet it first. For the wider picture of how a quote works, see our solar panel installation service. This page focuses on the battery side.

New system with a battery, or add one later

You have two main routes. You can fit a battery when you buy panels, or you can add one to a system you already own.

Fitting both at once is usually simpler, because one team owns the whole job. One installer designs the whole system, one visit does the work, and you get one set of warranties to check. It also lets the installer pick an inverter that suits a battery from the start.

Adding a battery later still works. Your existing inverter may or may not suit the new unit, so the installer will need to check. HMRC says retrofitting storage to existing systems falls under the 0% VAT relief. A standalone battery that stores grid power also qualifies.

The choice comes down to budget and timing. Some people start with panels and wait to see how their use changes. Others add storage straight away because evenings are their busiest time at home. Our guide on whether solar batteries are worth it goes deeper on retrofit.

Sizing a battery from your usage

Size a battery from your own use, not from a sales brochure. MCS says to think about two things: how much energy the battery can store, and how much it can deliver at once. Those are its capacity in kWh and its power in kW.

Start with your bills. Ofgem now sets a typical medium electricity use at 2,500 kWh a year from 1 July 2026. That works out at roughly 6.8 kWh a day, which is our arithmetic. Your own figure may be much higher or lower.

Next, look at when you use power. A battery helps most when you use plenty in the evening and overnight. If you are out all day and use little at night, a big battery may sit mostly unused.

Also match the battery to your panels, because a small solar array may not fill a large battery on a dull day. Our guide on how many solar panels you need helps you size the panels first.

Tariffs and what a battery can do with them

A battery lets you shift when you use power. In the simplest case, it stores sunny-day surplus for the evening. Otherwise that surplus would go to the grid.

Export pays, yet the rate is not the same as the price you pay to import. Ofgem’s price cap averages 26.32p per kWh for electricity from October to December 2026. SEG rates are set by each supplier, so they differ. Our Smart Export Guarantee explainer shows how to compare them.

Some tariffs charge less at certain times, and some batteries can charge from the grid then. That can add value, but only if the rates and your habits line up. We do not quote tariff prices here, because they change often. Ask an installer to show the sums using your real bills.

To claim SEG payments, you must show your installation and installer are MCS certified. GOV.UK sets out the rules for the scheme.

The MCS battery standard

MCS has a standard for batteries called MIS 3012. It covers MCS installers who supply, design and install battery storage systems up to 50kW. MCS launched it in November 2021.

Ask every installer whether it works to MIS 3012 for batteries. Also check the business on the MCS installer search. Solar certification alone does not tell you the installer is set up for storage, so ask the question.

Grid connection with a battery

A battery changes your grid connection. Under the MCS solar standard, the 16 A per phase limit is the total output of all generators. A 3kW solar system plus a 3kW battery on one single-phase supply therefore falls under G99, not G98.

G99 has more steps than G98, so your installer should handle it. See our guide to G98 and G99 for how the two routes differ.

Safety and where the battery goes

A home battery holds a lot of stored energy, so where it goes matters. Common spots include a garage, a utility room or an outside wall. The right place depends on the unit and your home.

We cannot tell you the rules for your battery, because they depend on the make and model. Ask the installer to explain why they chose the spot. Ask which manufacturer instructions and MCS requirements apply, and get that in writing.

Cost, VAT and help

Batteries add a lot to the bill. However, the DESNZ cost figures in our solar panel costs guide leave batteries out, so storage comes on top.

HMRC applies a 0% VAT rate to installing batteries from 1 May 2023 to 31 March 2027. From 1 April 2027 the rate reverts to 5% under current rules. That date could affect when you buy, since the rate is due to rise under current rules.

Low-income households in England may get help. DESNZ guidance lists solar PV and domestic batteries under Warm Homes: Local Grant. Battery installs could resume from 2 February 2026 after a pause. Check eligibility with your council first, and see our grants guide for the wider picture.

Honest limits

A battery is not right for everyone. It will not cut your bills to zero. It will not run your whole home in a power cut unless the installer sets it up for that. Ask about backup before you buy.

Batteries also lose a little energy when they charge and discharge. Their life is limited, so a battery may need replacing before your panels do, while panels often keep going. Be careful with any quote that promises a fixed saving or payback.

Where to look next

Solar yield and local rules differ across Great Britain. See our guides for solar panels in Leeds, solar panels in Glasgow, solar panels in Cardiff and solar panels in Southampton. You can also browse all the town guides for solar panels.

If you want real prices, you can request battery and solar quotes. A quote does not oblige you to buy, and we make no promise about savings.