Here are the costs of a home battery

Factors That Determine the Price of Home Batteries

The purchase price of a home battery consists of various components. It’s a common misconception that you’re paying solely for the “battery”; it’s actually a complete technical system that must work seamlessly with your existing PV system and the power grid.

The total investment is determined by four main factors:

• Capacity (kWh): The larger the storage capacity, the higher the price of the battery module. The key is to choose a capacity that matches your daily surplus of solar power.
• The inverter: A home battery operates on direct current (DC), while your household appliances use alternating current (AC). So you need an inverter is needed. Do you already have a hybrid inverter? If so, that will significantly reduce the cost. If a new (or additional) inverter needs to be installed, the investment will increase.
• Chemistry and lifespan: Virtually all modern systems use lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4). These cells are safer, last up to 6,000 cycles, and retain their capacity far better than older lead-acid or standard lithium-ion batteries.
• Installation work: Modifying the meter box, running cabling, and configuring a smart energy management system (EMS) via software determine the installation costs.
  
  

Average cost per capacity

To get a realistic picture of the investment, we look at the actual prices per capacity class. A good rule of thumb for the required capacity is 1 to 1.5 kWh of storage per kWp of installed solar panel capacity.

Please note: The product prices listed are for the hardware only and do not include the specific installation costs for your utility cabinet. Prices may vary based on current inventory and market fluctuations.

Installation Costs and Subsidies

We can professionally install a home battery for you. Installation costs depend on the specific conditions in your home. Your battery will be ready for use within one day. Plug-in solutions do not require an installer: you can simply connect them yourself.

What does the installation involve?

For a standard home battery installation, one of our technicians will expand the meter box with additional ground-fault circuit interrupters, install a smart energy meter (if not already present), and run the necessary heavy-duty cabling to the battery’s location. This also includes configuring the software so that the battery knows when to charge (for example, when electricity prices are negative or there is a surplus of solar power).

Subsidies and Tax Benefits

There is currently no national purchase subsidy for home batteries for private individuals. However, there is a very attractive tax benefit: the VAT refund. If you combine the home battery with a dynamic energy contract, the tax authorities consider you an “energy supplier” because you are trading electricity on the energy market. This allows you to claim back the 21% VAT on the entire purchase and installation. This immediately saves you hundreds to thousands of euros on the initial investment.

Claim your home battery’s VAT refund hassle-free

Since claiming a VAT refund can be quite complicated, Off Grid Power Station takes care of the entire process for you. For VAT refunds, we work closely with our partner De Centrale, a specialist in VAT refunds and subsidies.

1. Take the VAT test (before making a purchase): Before you make your final purchase of a home battery, you can complete De Centrale’s VAT test. Based on your answers, we’ll immediately determine the easiest way for you to successfully claim your VAT refund.
2. Installation of your home battery: Our team will ensure that your home battery is installed and configured expertly and professionally.
3. De Centrale handles the refund: As soon as the battery is operational and the invoice is ready, De Centrale will initiate the process with the tax authorities. You don’t have to do anything yourself, and you’ll receive the financial benefit directly into your bank account.
   
   

Payback Period and Savings

The return on investment for a home battery used to rely solely on storing your own solar power for use in the evening hours. Today, the revenue model has become twofold, partly due to the rise of dynamic energy rates and the phasing out of the net metering program.

How do you recoup your investment?

1. Increasing self-consumption: Without a battery, you consume on average only 30% to 35% of the solar power you generate directly. The rest flows back into the grid. With a home battery, this percentage rises to 70% to 80%. This means you’ll need to buy significantly less expensive electricity from the grid.
2. Trading on the dynamic market: Do you have a smart energy management system? If so, the battery automatically charges during the cheapest hours of the day (or even when the electricity price is negative) and feeds power back to the grid or to your home during peak hours, when the electricity price is highest.
   
   

Why Choose Home Batteries?

The decision to install a home battery is partly an economic consideration, but other factors also play a role. It offers a degree of independence that can’t be achieved with solar panels alone.

Pros and Cons

Advantages:

• Maximum independence: You’re less vulnerable to rising energy prices and grid operator fees.
• Reduced strain on the power grid: By storing electricity locally, you help prevent grid congestion (overload of the power grid) in your neighborhood.
• Benefit from market fluctuations: Earn money while you sleep by letting the battery trade smartly on the imbalance market.
• Backup during power outages: Many modern systems offer an emergency power supply, ensuring that essential devices continue to operate if the public grid goes down.

Disadvantages:

• Upfront investment: The purchase costs are still substantial.
• Space requirements: A battery system and inverter are quite heavy and take up physical space on the wall or floor (though there are compact plug-in options like the Marstek Venus).
  
  

Is a home battery a good investment for you?

A home battery is particularly cost-effective if you meet one or more of the following criteria:

• You have solar panels and regularly generate more energy than you consume directly during the day.
• You’re facing high feed-in tariffs from your current energy provider.
• You’re willing to switch to a dynamic energy plan to take advantage of fluctuating hourly rates.
• You use a lot of electricity in the morning and evening hours (for example, due to a heat pump or charging an electric car).
  
  

Would you rather see the systems in person first? Visit our showroom in Vught, where our specialists are ready to provide personalized advice and demonstrations. With over 10,000 satisfied customers and a customer rating of 9.1+, you’re guaranteed expert advice tailored to your situation. We also deliver quickly and directly from our own inventory.