What is home solar battery storage?

In a nutshell, home battery storage, or a solar battery, allows you to store electricity for use at a later time. Many UK homes have solar PV panels which generate electricity during daylight. By adding a battery to the system, you can now use this energy in the evenings and:

  • Reduce your energy bills by using your own generation even when the sun sets
  • Save by charging on cheap overnight electricity and using the battery during the expensive hours, if you’re on a time of use tariff, such as Economy 7, and
  • Earn money when you join our Grid Services.

And it’s good to know that when you add a battery to your solar PV any existing feed-in-tariff or Smart Export Guarantee payments are unaffected.

Watch video: Solar battery storage for home - EDF

Why buy home battery storage from us?

We've teamed up with Powervault to link the home battery storage to EDF Grid Services. This means that as well as storing your solar energy for use later in the day, you can also support the UK's growth of renewables in the energy network by helping balance the grid. You can read more about it here. You don’t have to be an EDF feed-in tariff or energy customer to buy the solar battery from us. You could also choose to pay in monthly instalments and enjoy your solar battery from just £66 a month. Our price is all-inclusive:

  • Battery with 10 year warranty
  • Standard installation, done in a day
  • EDF Grid Services
  • Powervault Portal to view your energy generation, storage and use in real time. 
Powervault solar battery being installed by Powervault installer

What are EDF Grid Services?

Our Grid Services let you earn more from your solar battery. We'll pay you every year for ten years for occasional access to your battery to help support the growth of renewable energy on the grid.

Being UK’s biggest generator of low-carbon electricity, we're working towards a low-carbon future. To become a Net Zero society we need to increase our renewable energy generation and reduce our carbon emissions. As renewable generation is intermittent, the energy system needs help to maintain the frequency and voltage balance. This is where batteries come in. As well as investing in large scale, low carbon generation and energy storage, we're building a network of small-scale batteries, which help balance the grid. We pay you an annual amount to occasionally use your battery.

Read more about Grid Services

Why choose a Powervault 3 for your home battery storage?

Our solar battery experts have specifically chosen the Powervault 3 battery. 

  • It comes with a built-in hybrid solar inverter which can replace your old one now or be ready for switch over when your original inverter fails, saving you the cost of a new one.

  • It's available in a wide range of capacities to suit your needs and it’s modular so you can add more capacity later.

  • It's compatible with all solar PV systems abd can be fitted to existing or new installations.

  • It's future-proofed – future functionality such as EV charging can be downloaded remotely so it continues to support your personal journey to net carbon zero.

How much does the Powervault 3 solar battery cost?

We offer two sizes of Powervault 3 which are suitable for most homes – 4kWh and 8kWh. You can choose with or without the Grid Services. The annual payments only come with the Grid Services packages. If you were to buy 8kWh battery with Grid Services, you'd receive equivalent to £1000 off the price.

 

 With Grid ServicesWithout Grid Services
Battery capacity4kWh8kWh4kWh8kWh
Price inc. VAT£5,599£7,999£5,599£7,999
Battery with 10 year warranty
Yes, it's included
Yes, it's included
Yes, it's included
Yes, it's included
Standard installation 
Powervault portal
Yes, it's included
Yes, it's included
Yes, it's included
Yes, it's included
Hybrid solar inverter 

Grid Services income

(split into ten annual payments)

£500£1000
 Buy Powervault 3 with Grid ServicesBuy Powervault 3 without Grid Services

It's possible to upgrade to larger systems, find out the prices in the Ts&Cs document. If you're unsure which battery size to choose, get in touch for one of our experts to help you out. 

Ways you can pay for your solar battery

First, we'll need you to pay the £500 deposit. Once you've paid that, there are three ways to pay for your Powervault 3:

  • In full, prior to installation, by card
  • Spread the cost over 12 months with interest free credit(1)
  • Spread the cost over longer terms with competitive rate credit(1).

Review your payments and APR using our loans calculator

 
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Pay a £500 deposit by card or BACS.

See how much you’d pay monthly with finance for the balance

Select your preferred size battery and number of monthly payments below

This is for illustrative purposes only. Prices include standard installation. Some additional works may be needed. These will be identified during your survey and a full quote will be provided before you commit to purchase or taking out a loan. If you require additional works for installation, these can be included in your finance application also. All loans are subject to status and terms.

Loan summary

Cost of battery

£0

Deposit

£500

Total cost of finance

£0

APR Representative

0%

Interest

0%

Monthly Payment

£0

Illustrations of spreading your costs over 12 months and 120 months

4kWh battery with our 9.9% credit offer spread over 120 months:

Price of battery£5,599
Cash price£5,599
Deposit£500
Balance of payments£5,099
Duration of agreement120 months
120 monthly payments£65.91
Annual rate of interest (fixed)9.9%p.a.
Representative APR9.9% APR
Total amount payable£7,909.20

4kWh battery with our 0% credit offer spread over 12 months:

Price of battery£5,599
Cash price£5,599
Deposit£500
Balance of payments£5,099
Duration of agreement12 months
12 monthly payments£424.92
Annual rate of interest (fixed)0.0% p.a.
Representative APR0.0% APR
Total amount payable£5,599
Buy Powervault 3

How much could I save with the Powervault 3?

The savings will depend on many things such as the size of your PV system and your home's energy use. The solar battery system is very flexible and you can set a schedule to suit your energy use pattern. As an example, this illustration shows a four-bedroom family house in South East England, with a south-facing 2.4kWp solar PV system, 4kWh Powervault 3 battery, and an E7 electricity tariff. 

Solar battery saving graph - Powervault

Day 1 - The house is powered by solar generation during the day any excess is used to fill the battery first. Any remaining energy is then exported to the grid. The house then runs off the battery in the evening. On this particular day, it used its own electricity until 3am, when it switched to the grid. 

Day 2 - The battery is topped up with one hour of cheap overnight grid electricity, which is then used to power the house in the morning instead of using peak rate electricity from the grid. During the day the house runs off the solar, putting any excess into the battery, which is then used in the evening. 

 

Need help? Contact us

If you're not sure which option is best for you, we'll be more than happy to discuss your requirements and guide you through the process. Our Tech Team are very knowledgeable and will help you decide. They're a busy team so to save you waiting on the phone, please fill out the contact form below, including best day and time to contact you and they'll give you a shout!

Contact tech team

More technical information

There's a lot more information about our Powervault 3 home battery storage, including dimensions and weight. You can also read more about Grid Services. 

More technical info

Your questions answered

Who can I talk to about technical details?

Our Tech Team are on hand to talk through technical details and answer your questions. They’re a busy team so to save you time, fill in this short form and they will call you back at a time to suit you.

Does installing a battery affect my Feed-in Tariff or Smart Export Guarantee payments?

If you're on a Feed-in Tariff (FiT) scheme, you should continue to receive your payments in full. If you're on a Smart Export Guarantee, you may continue to receive your payments in full but this can vary from one provider to another. In both cases, it's best to check with your FiT/SEG provider. 

I don’t have solar PV, can I have a battery?

Yes, although it will take you a lot longer to pay back if you’re not storing solar generation. If you’re thinking about installing solar PV and want a battery too, talk to our Tech Team so we can liaise with your solar installer.

Who will install my battery and how long does it take?

Powervault 3 expert installers will do all the work. A standard installation usually takes a few hours. If you have specific needs then our experts will discuss these with you and if there are any additional works required they will confirm the cost ahead of final payment.

What’s a suitable location for the Powervault 3?

The Powervault 3 can be installed in most internal locations, such as garage, utility room, basement or under the stairs. It's not suitable for external locations and we don't recommend installation in loft spaces. Powervault 3 will be floor mounted and fixed to the wall for stability. The physical dimensions are listed in the technical specification. An additional 20cm is required on all sides for access and ventilation. Your Powervault 3 will need to be connected to the internet at all times. See the Standard Installation section of the Ts&Cs for more details.

Will I see any change to my energy bill?

If you currently export excess solar generation you will be able to store this for use later when the sun is not shining. This in turn will reduce the amount of energy you draw from the grid and, therefore, reduce your electricity bill. If you have Economy7 tariff, you can charge up your Powervault 3 on cheap overnight rate electricity and use it during the higher rate hours. How much you save on your energy bill will depend on your individual solar PV system and energy usage pattern.

Do I get a reduced rate of VAT for a solar battery?

No. Batteries by themselves are not eligible for reduced rate of VAT. If you are installing solar PV at the same time, talk to our Tech Team. They can liaise with your installer to apply the reduced rate for the combined system if you qualify. 

What's included in the standard installation package?

Full details of what’s included are listed in the Charges & Installation section of the Ts&Cs. Installation is available in mainland UK and Isle of Wight. We currently don't install in Scottish Highlands and Islands, Northern Ireland, Channel Island, Isle of Man or Isles of Scilly. 

For deliveries to more remote locations, or more complicated installations we'll pass on the additional costs we incur. You can see more details in the Installation section of the Ts&Cs. 

Will you need to do a survey to see if my home is suitable?

The Tech Team will ask you some questions and you will need to provide some photographs of the area where you'd like your Powervault 3 to be fitted. In most cases we send an engineer to visit your home and check all the finer details before you commit to an installation. We don't charge for this visit. If additional work is required, that's outside the Standard Installation package, we'll quote you before you commit to the installation.

What are the dimensions of the batteries?

The 4kWh battery is: H97cm x W100cm x D25cm.

And the 8kWh battery is: H127cm x W100cm x D25cm.

An additional 20cm is required on all sides for access and ventilation.

Do I have to replace my existing inverter now?

No. The Powervault 3 can be installed in different configurations either replacing your old inverter now, or leaving the new one ready for when your old one fails. Switching to the new inverter later will involve a small amount of work from a qualified electrician (and associated cost), but save you the cost of the new inverter later. Our Tech Team will talk you through the options.

I’m not currently on a E7 meter or tariff, can I switch?

You need to talk to your energy supplier as there are regulations about switching to E7 meters. Even if you are not on E7, you should still be able to make substantial savings by storing your solar generation for use later in the day.

I have a smart meter, does this have any impact on installation of a battery?

Having a smart meter doesn’t have any impact on the installation of the battery itself. OFGEM have also confirmed that customers with solar PV + battery + smart meter would receive deemed export feed-in-tariff payments. They are in the process of updating their published guidance on this matter. Talk to your feed-in-tariff provider if you have more questions about this matter.

Can I have a battery installed if I have a wind turbine?

Yes. Talk to our Tech Team about your specific requirements.

I have a solar diverter that heats my hot water; can I have a Powervault installed?

Unfortunately not, but we’re working on a solution for this.

Talk to an expert

If you have any other questions about Powervault 3 or installation requirements, please complete the call-back form below and our Tech Team will call you back. Please note they're unable to advise you on anything to do with your EDF Energy account or tariffs. 

All questions must be answered, unless marked (optional)

Battery storage for your business

Businesses can generate additional revenues from energy flexibility services. If you install a commercial scale storage system, your business could save money by shifting energy use from high cost to low cost periods. 

Find out more