Home batteries for flats: Big benefits in small spaces
There has been a common misconception that home batteries can only be installed with solar or in large houses, and not as a standalone system in a flat. However, that is no longer true and home batteries can help people living in flats save £100s on their electricity bills every year. In this article, we explore how much you can save and which batteries are most suitable for flats.
The topic in a nutshell
Even without solar, a battery makes a lot of sense. Most battery systems pay back after just 5-8 years.
Modern, modular systems squeeze a lot of power into a system that fits into most storerooms.
They are not yet certified for the UK grid and can serve only individual devices.
Owners of flats can benefit from batteries just as much as owners of houses
Many people assume that home batteries are only useful if you have solar panels or a big house. In reality, you can still save just as much on energy bills with a battery, even if you live in a flat without solar.
All it takes is using cheap-rate electricity and storing it for later use. With electricity tariffs in the UK offering low off-peak prices, a battery lets you charge up on cheap overnight electricity and avoid paying high rates during peak hours (see our other article on the best tariffs for batteries).
The cheapest off-peak rates allow you to power your home at about just 6 p/kWh. This is about 75% less than your regular tariff at about 25 p/kWh. If you consume about 8 kWh per day, this gives you savings of about £1.5 per day or about £550 per year.
This is an excellent investment, paying back in just 5-8 years!
Space concerns? Batteries are smaller than you think
Living in a flat, you might worry about where to put a battery. It’s true that some home batteries come as separate inverter and battery units – often a wall-mounted inverter plus one or more battery modules. These setups require a bit of space (like a utility cupboard or a garage wall).
However, modern batteries are getting more compact and all-in-one. You might be surprised: many units are about the size of a small radiator, and can be installed in a closet or mounted on an apartment wall.
For example, the Alpha ESS Smile B3 or B5 are small residential battery systems designed with space in mind. With their 3 or 5kW inverter and between 3 and 20 kWh of storage, they are powerful but also compact: They come in a single slim unit (roughly 73 cm tall, 64 cm wide, and just 25 cm deep) – about the same height and width of a washing machine but much less deep.
There are also “plug-and-play” battery options emerging – compact units from brands like Hoymiles or Anker that you can simply plug into a standard wall socket, without the need for hardwiring. However, no AC-coupled plug-and-play solution is yet certified for use in the UK, so they’re not officially approved to connect to the mains.
They’re a glimpse of a convenient future, but come with limitations. For instance, most plug-in batteries can’t export electricity back to the grid, meaning that you can’t earn any export revenues. In addition, they are currently not capable of powering your entire household consumption, but only individual appliances. Therefore, a professionally installed battery system is the way to go for flats in the UK for now.
Get started with Capture
If you’re intrigued by the idea of adding a battery to your flat, Capture Energy is here to help you make it a reality. We offer a personalised service to plan the optimal system for your home, considering your electricity consumption, available space for the installation and budget.
Once your battery is in place, our software Capture AI starts maximising your savings. We automatically optimise the battery to charge when electricity prices are the lowest (or even negative), discharge when prices are higher and get paid for stabilising the electricity grid.
Ready to get started? Fill out the Form below.
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