Installing a home battery: what is involved?
Where a home battery can go is decided by three datasheet numbers: the weight, the temperature range and the number of phases the inverter needs. We publish all three for the whole catalogue and set them out here.
The figures on this page come from our own catalogue and also appear on each model's product page, so you can check them per product. We name no fixed installation price: it is driven by cable distance and the state of your meter cupboard, and quoting a figure that gets revised afterwards does not help you.
What is involved in installing a home battery?
Three numbers together decide whether a home battery can go in your house, and all three are on the datasheet. The first is weight: the median home battery in our catalogue weighs 129 kg and 182 of the 307 models that state a weight are over 100 kg. The second is temperature. Of the 86 models that publish a range, 47 have a lower bound of 0 degrees or above, so an unheated garage in January is outside the specification for more than half of them. The third is phase: of the 161 inverters that state it, 134 are three-phase and 27 single-phase, and those single-phase models come from 5 brands. A single-phase house therefore has a much narrower field than the catalogue first suggests. None of the three is something an installer can fix on the day: they narrow your shortlist before anyone visits.
Can you install a home battery yourself?
That depends entirely on the type. A plug-and-play battery you connect yourself to an ordinary socket: nothing is changed in the meter cupboard and no engineer is involved. A battery behind a hybrid inverter is a different matter. It is hard-wired in the meter cupboard, a separate circuit is added, and an energy meter or current clamp goes around the main cable. That is work on the fixed installation and you have it done by a certified installer, not because working on your own installation is forbidden, but because after damage or a fire you have to be able to show it was built to NEN 1010. Your insurer and the factory warranty both ask for that.
You can buy the hardware from us and bring in your own installer; we supply all datasheets and installation manuals and the factory warranty stays fully valid. If you would rather hand it over, request a free quotation from our installation partner, who gives a fixed price up front.
Do you need three phases for a home battery?
No, but it does decide which inverter you can choose, and that is the choice that fixes everything else. Of the 161 inverters in our catalogue that state a phase count, 134 are three-phase and 27 single-phase. The single-phase models come from Deye, Fronius, Huawei, Kostal and Solis, and their median power is 5 kW against 11 kW for the three-phase ones. If you have a single-phase connection that is no obstacle to storage, but you choose from a smaller field and end up lower on power. The median maximum AC current across all inverters is 20 A, which in practice means the inverter gets its own circuit in the meter cupboard rather than sharing an existing one.
Whether your connection is single or three-phase is visible from the main fuses in the meter cupboard: one fuse is single-phase, three side by side is three-phase. Upgrading from single to three-phase is requested from your grid operator, costs money and has a waiting list in many regions; ask them for the current terms before buying a three-phase system. We publish no grid-code limits because we hold no source for them, and repeating a figure we cannot verify does not belong on this page.
Compatibility first, phase second. Which battery may run on which inverter depends on what the manufacturer has released, not on what would work electrically. That is listed per combination in our compatibility table, with the reasoning in which inverter works with which home battery.
How heavy is a home battery?
Heavier than almost anyone expects, and that is the first practical limit. Of the 307 models in our catalogue that state a weight, the median is 129 kg, 182 are over 100 kg and 132 are over 150 kg. Per kilowatt hour that works out at roughly 10.8 kg, and that figure scales fairly linearly: a battery of 18 to 30 kWh has a median weight of 249 kg against 115 kg for one of 8 to 12 kWh. Larger capacity does not make a battery relatively lighter, only absolutely much heavier.
| Capacity class | Median weight | Range | Models |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 to 7 kWh | 50 kg | 27 to 155 kg | 79 |
| 8 to 12 kWh | 115 kg | 68 to 180 kg | 56 |
| 13 to 17 kWh | 165 kg | 110 to 263 kg | 46 |
| 18 to 30 kWh | 249 kg | 164 to 348 kg | 69 |
What that means for siting is concrete. Two engineers can still hang a rack model of 50 kg on a wall, provided that wall is masonry or concrete; plasterboard or timber frame needs a steel frame or a floor-standing arrangement. A tower model over 200 kg goes on the floor, and on a wooden upper floor that is a question for a structural engineer rather than an electrician. A loft is almost always the wrong place: the weight has to go up the stairs, it gets too warm up there in summer, and someone has to be able to reach it if there is a fault.
If the wall or the floor is your limiting factor, these are the lightest models we sell in each capacity class. The weight in the caption comes from the manufacturer datasheet, not from an estimate.
Can a home battery go in an unheated garage or shed?
Often not, and this is where most siting decisions go wrong. Of the 86 battery models in our catalogue that publish a temperature range, 47 have a lower bound of 0 degrees or above and 39 have one below zero. Lithium iron phosphate cells must not be charged below freezing without damage; discharging is usually fine. A good battery therefore simply refuses to charge when it is too cold, which means that in the winter weeks when you need the storage most, it does nothing for you. An unheated garage in the Netherlands regularly drops below zero in January.
The published ranges are also not measured on the same basis, which is a warning that is rarely written anywhere. 7 brands publish such a range and they do not mean the same thing by it: one gives the absolute operating limits, another the recommended band within which the warranty and the stated service life apply. A brand quoting 2 to 20 degrees is therefore not worse than one quoting minus 20 to 60; it is answering a different question. Read on the datasheet which of the two it is, and whether it refers to charging or discharging, because those two ranges differ for nearly every manufacturer.
An IP rating says nothing about cold. IP covers the ingress of dust and water, not temperature. An IP65 battery is rain-resistant and can therefore hang outdoors, but whether it may still charge in frost is in the temperature range and nowhere else. Confusing the two is the most common mistake when choosing a location.
Where is the battery allowed to go?
The IP rating decides whether outdoors is possible. Of the 250 battery models with a stated rating, 247 are rated IP55 or higher, meaning resistant to dust and splashing water or rain. That makes an outdoor position technically possible, provided the temperature range allows it and the battery is not in full sun, because overheating throttles the charge power on exactly the days you have a solar surplus. Indoors, a plant room, utility room or garage is almost always better than living space, because of fan noise and because clearance has to be kept around the unit.
| IP rating | What it means | Models |
|---|---|---|
| IP65 | dust-tight, resistant to water jets | 110 |
| IP55 | limited dust ingress, resistant to splashing water | 74 |
| IP66 | dust-tight, resistant to powerful water jets | 63 |
| IP20 | indoors only, no protection against water | 3 |
Beyond that, a few practical requirements apply that each manufacturer sets out in the installation manual we supply with every product: clearance around the unit for cooling, no flammable material stacked against it, reachable for maintenance, and not in an escape route. Ask your installer to have that manual to hand, because the required clearance differs per brand and gets quietly ignored in a cramped meter cupboard.
What has to happen in the meter cupboard?
With a hybrid inverter system, three things are added. A separate circuit with a breaker matched to the inverter's maximum AC current, which at the 20 A median in our catalogue cannot be an existing lighting circuit. Residual current protection of the type the manufacturer specifies, because not every inverter may sit behind every type. And an energy meter or current clamp around the main cable, so the system can see how much you are drawing or exporting at that moment and knows when to charge. That last component is also what separates a battery that only buffers your own solar from one that can trade on a dynamic contract.
If you have an older meter cupboard with too little room or without residual current breakers, that adds work. It is one of the two reasons installation prices vary so widely; the other is the cable distance from the position to the meter cupboard. Both differ per address, which is why we quote per address rather than name a figure that changes later.
When is plug-and-play enough?
When you want no change to your installation and can live with limited power. A plug-and-play battery goes into an ordinary socket, measures your household consumption with a smart meter reader or plug meter, and charges and discharges within that. No engineer is needed and you take it with you when you move. The limit is power: these systems discharge at a fraction of what a hybrid inverter can, so they cover your base load and part of your evening peak, not your whole household. They also do not work as backup power during an outage. For anyone renting, without solar panels, or wanting to see what storage delivers first, that is often exactly right. See the plug-and-play systems.
How long does an installation take?
A standard installation of a battery behind an existing hybrid inverter is generally half a day to a day. If the inverter is new as well, a day is realistic and sometimes two, depending on cable distance and whether the meter cupboard needs building out. Your power is off for part of that time. After installation the system is commissioned and linked to the manufacturer's app, which is also when the firmware is updated; with several brands a particular firmware version is a condition of the battery combination being released, which is listed per combination on the compatibility page.
Frequently asked questions
May I connect a home battery myself?
A plug-and-play battery yes: it goes into a socket and nothing about your fixed installation changes. A battery behind a hybrid inverter is hard-wired in the meter cupboard and should be installed by a certified installer to NEN 1010. That is what your insurer and the factory warranty will ask for in the event of damage.
Can a home battery run on a single-phase connection?
Yes. Of the 161 inverters in our catalogue that state it, 27 are single-phase, from 5 brands, with a median power of 5 kW and a maximum of 16 kW. So you have a smaller choice and lower power than with three phases, but storage is perfectly possible. An upgrade is requested from your grid operator.
Can a home battery be mounted outdoors?
If the IP rating allows it and the temperature range permits. 247 of the 250 models with a stated rating are IP55 or higher, so resistant to splashing water or rain. But IP says nothing about frost: 47 of the 86 models with a temperature figure may not charge below 0 degrees. Check both, not just the IP.
How much does a 10 kWh home battery weigh?
In our catalogue a battery of 8 to 12 kWh has a median weight of 115 kg, ranging from 68 to 180 kg. That is too heavy to lift alone and usually too heavy for a plasterboard wall without a frame. Reckon on roughly 10.8 kg per kilowatt hour.
What does installing a home battery cost?
We do not name a fixed figure, because it differs per address: the cable distance to the meter cupboard and the state of your consumer unit account for most of it. You request a free quotation and get a fixed price up front. What the hardware itself costs is in what does a home battery cost.
Do I need solar panels for a home battery?
No. With solar panels you store your own surplus; without them you buy cheaply on a dynamic contract and use it in the expensive hours. That second route stands or falls on the battery's efficiency, which we work out in dynamic energy contract and a home battery. What size you need is in which home battery do I need.
See all home batteries, with weight, IP rating and temperature range on the product page.