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Battery installation - what's involved?

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4.8K views 76 replies 15 participants last post by  haf  
J
#1 · (Edited)
With the 6-hour Intelligent Octopus Go night rate falling to 7p/kWh from 1st July, I am tempted to get a battery installed to make use of this cheap energy. I do not have solar panels and have no immediate plans for that.

So what would be involved to install a free-standing battery to make use of the cheap overnight tariff so that I can use the stored power during the day, what are the supplier options and what would it cost.

In addition, would it contravene Octopus' fair use policy?

I've not done the sums, but it may be that the costs involved far outweigh any savings to be made.
 
Discussion starter · #14 ·
Thanks for all the replies! It all sounds pretty complicated. To the poster who mentioned it. I already have a 100A main fuse. I've shied away from having solar installed as I doubt I could break even on the expenditure in the time left I have on this earth. :) However, Solar Together have started another local scheme so it might be worth registering for that. When the first scheme came out I was having a new kitchen installed, and I decided even with free finance if paid off in 9 months (win win), I wanted to clear the balance before taking on something else. That has now happened.
 
Discussion starter · #27 · (Edited)
Jeremy Harris said:
Just to clarify, the main fuse rating is a red herring. Our battery inverter/charger system only draws an absolute maximum current from the grid when charging of 13A, not much more than a kettle. It never sends power to the grid, has a safety system that prevent it doing this. Because of this the DNO couldn't have cared less.
Click to expand...
Red herring or not, PodPoint wouldn't give me the full 7kW until the DNO upgraded my 60A fuse to 100A. Until that happened, they restricted it to 3.6kW. The upgrade was another story. They couldn't just swap out the fuse as the housing was old and the new fuse wouldn't fit, so needed replacing. One of the guys' licence to work on the incoming main had just expired and he needed to renew it, so they had to schedule another visit. :)
 
Discussion starter · #54 ·
Looking at the costs involved plus factoring in my electrician to do all the work, I've come to the conclusion that it's a nice idea but just not financially justifiable. That's based on the fact that my total spend on electricity, including the standing charge, over the last year (I just added it all up) was a little over £1,000. Actual outgoings with referrals (though I don't expect many more, if any) was less than that.

Thanks for all the advice etc. - my post seems to have provoked an interesting discussion as a by-product!
 
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