Battery storage for home solar systems: Compare system prices

By Jeff Sykes on

Battery storage is the next step in the evolution of home solar energy systems. More and more Australian households are considering batteries – in combination with a solar PV system – as a way to increase their energy independence and reduce their energy bills. Unfortunately, however most shoppers do not yet have the confidence to proceed with a purchase due to lack of information and market transparency. On the back of the success of our free & informative Solar Quote Comparisons, Solar Choice is helping to make it easier than ever for shoppers to compare prices for home battery storage systems.

How we got here: Home batteries follow in the footsteps of home solar

Until recently, solar batteries were deployed primarily for stand-alone applications in remote areas of the country where a grid connection was either prohibitively expensive or simply unavailable. In fact, the same could have been said about solar PV until about 8 years ago, when it was just crossing from niche into the mainstream. Now, about one in every ten homes in Australia has solar panels on its roof, and it’s widely seen as a ‘no brainer’ investment for any ordinary, grid-connected home with some unshaded roof space and a bit of daytime energy demand.

Two of the main things that have helped to bring about the rise of solar are a) the fact that rooftop solar system prices are significantly lower today than what they were even just four years ago, and 2) that retail electricity rates (from the grid) have been steadily rising. Australian households now have a taste of energy independence, and they like it. But with solar on its own only providing energy during the daylight hours, there is an inherent limitation to how much homes can rely on their solar panels to meet their energy needs. With costs coming down on a trajectory similar to that of solar PV, battery storage is becoming an increasingly appealing way for homes to fill this gap – whether on grid or off grid.

Solar Choice can help you to meaningfully compare solar battery prices

Since well before home battery storage became a hot topic, Solar Choice has been working to educate our readers about this increasingly popular but often poorly understood technology. We’ve published countless articles on the topic of battery storage, and have also developed a number of calculator tools to help our customers make a well-informed decision for themselves. Additionally, in August of 2015 we launched Australia’s first battery storage system comparison service. Below we’ve laid out some of the ways that we are endeavouring to make the battery storage market more understandable, bringing you closer to making a decision about how to proceed.

1. We can help you get ‘battery literate’

Comparing battery product value isn’t just about comparing prices; different batteries will perform differently over their lifetimes, and quality & longevity really matter.  We recommend that you start your battery storage education with our Batteries & Energy Storage: Learn the Basics page (which has links to many of our other battery-related resources), and make sure you understand the basic specifications used for talking about battery storage.

You can also learn more about battery storage in your state via the links below:

2. We have a number of battery-related tools you can use to explore for yourself

Once you’re familiar with some of the basic terms, advantages and potential pitfalls of battery storage, we recommend playing with some of our battery storage sizing & payback tools. Below is a list of the most useful ones that we’ve put together for visitors to our site:

3. We can provide you with quotes from installers in your area

Solar Choice has been providing free & impartial quote comparisons for rooftop solar systems since 2008, having helped over 105,000 homes and thousands of businesses make a well-informed decision about going solar. On the back of this success, we launched quote comparisons for battery storage in August of 2015. Our battery quote comparisons show pricing, sizing and basic information about the system on offer in a side-by-side, easy to compare format. To receive battery storage quotes through our system, simply fill out the Quote Comparison Request form to the right of this page (if you already have a solar system, select ‘Battery Storage Only’; otherwise, choose ‘Solar Energy’).

Ready to shop for solar & batteries? Compare solar & battery quotes from installers in your area.

© 2016 Solar Choice Pty Ltd

Compare quotes from up to 7 pre-vetted installers in your area now.

Since 2008 our knowledge and sophisticated software has allowed over 300,000 Australian households and businesses to make a well-informed choice on their solar & battery installer.
Jeff Sykes
Latest posts by Jeff Sykes (see all)

Related Posts