Store electricity and use it when it counts
Home battery storage for properties in Sunderland and across the North East, sized around how and when you use electricity. Added to an existing solar installation, specified with a new array, or installed on its own to work with a time of use tariff.
Four practical reasons to store
Store your own generation
Electricity generated during the day is held in the battery rather than exported, then used in the evening.
Shift when you buy electricity
On a suitable time of use tariff, a battery can be charged during lower cost periods and discharged at peak times.
Smoother household supply
Storage helps cover short high demand periods without drawing everything from the grid at once.
Retrofit to existing solar
Most existing solar installations can accept storage, subject to inverter compatibility and electrical arrangement.
Installed and properly commissioned
- Assessment of consumption pattern, tariff and existing electrical arrangement
- Battery and inverter selection with compatibility confirmed
- Safe siting of the battery with ventilation and access considered
- Installation, electrical connection and protective device work
- Commissioning, monitoring setup and system walkthrough
- Handover documentation including commissioning records
When storage is not the answer
If your electricity consumption is low, your tariff offers no meaningful price difference across the day, or there is no suitable location for the equipment, a battery may not be worthwhile.
We would rather tell you that at assessment stage than sell a system that will not earn its place in the property.
Capacity matched to your usage
Entry storage
Smaller households
A modest battery capacity covering evening base load for lower consumption properties.
- Usable capacity
- Inverter
- Monitoring
Standard storage
Most households
Capacity sized around your daily consumption and tariff so more of your generation, or lower cost electricity, is actually used.
- Usable capacity
- Inverter
- Monitoring
- Documentation
Solar and storage
New combined systems
Battery storage specified together with a new solar array as a single, matched system design.
- Array size
- Usable capacity
- Inverter
- Monitoring
Usable capacity, equipment and pricing are confirmed in your written proposal after a technical assessment. Performance depends on tariff, consumption and system design.
How storage works with solar and your existing system
Storage is only useful if it matches your electricity use, your tariff and the equipment already on the property.
Charging from solar PV
Generation that would otherwise be exported is diverted into the battery first, then drawn back out when the house needs it and the panels are no longer producing.
Charging from the grid
On a suitable time of use tariff a battery can also be charged during lower cost periods. Whether that helps depends on your tariff and consumption, so we check both before recommending it.
Adding storage to an existing system
Most existing solar installations can accept a battery, but not all. The route depends on the existing inverter, its age and configuration, and the condition of the installation.
Inverter compatibility
Storage can be added with a hybrid inverter replacing the existing unit, or with separate battery side equipment alongside it. The right approach is confirmed at assessment, not assumed.
Capacity and household usage
Useful capacity is set by how much electricity you use, when you use it and how much generation is available to store. Oversized storage sits idle and undersized storage runs out early.
Monitoring
Monitoring shows generation, charge, discharge and import so you can see whether the system behaves as designed rather than guessing from bills.
If you do not have generation yet, see solar panel installation or solar and battery systems specified together.
What happens after I request a battery quote?
- 01
You send the details
Tell us your address, whether you already have solar, and roughly how much electricity you use and when.
- 02
Tariff and consumption review
We look at your consumption pattern and tariff, because those decide whether storage is worth installing and at what capacity.
- 03
Technical assessment
The electrical arrangement, any existing solar and inverter, and possible battery locations are checked on site.
- 04
Compatibility confirmed
We confirm which battery and inverter arrangement suits your system, and tell you plainly if your existing equipment limits the options.
- 05
Installation
The battery is sited, connected and protected, with the work carried out by a specialist allocated to battery storage.
- 06
Commissioning and handover
The system is commissioned, monitoring is set up, you are walked through how it operates, and you receive the documentation.
Battery storage questions answered
Can I install a battery without solar panels?
Yes. A battery can be charged from the grid on a suitable time of use tariff and discharged at peak times. Whether it is worthwhile depends on the price difference between periods and how much electricity you use, which we assess before recommending it.
Can I add a battery to an existing solar system?
Usually, but not always. It depends on the existing inverter, its age and configuration, the condition of the installation and the electrical arrangement. We check compatibility before proposing anything, and if it is not viable we say so.
How do I know whether my existing solar system is compatible?
We review the existing inverter and installation as part of the assessment. Some systems accept battery side equipment alongside the current inverter, others need a hybrid inverter, and a small number are not practical to retrofit at all.
Can battery storage be expanded later?
Some products allow additional modules to be added and others do not. If future expansion matters to you, tell us at the assessment stage so the initial specification allows for it.
Do I need solar panels to install a battery?
No. A battery can be installed without solar and charged from the grid on a suitable time of use tariff. Whether that is worthwhile depends on your tariff and consumption pattern, which we assess first.
What size battery do I need?
Capacity is sized around your daily electricity consumption, when that consumption occurs, your tariff and any solar generation. This is confirmed at assessment rather than assumed.
Where is the battery installed?
Batteries are typically sited in a garage, utility area or other suitable location with adequate ventilation, access and protection. The location is agreed during the assessment.
Will a battery keep my power on during a power cut?
Only if the system is specifically designed with backup functionality, which requires additional equipment and configuration. Standard installations do not provide backup power, and we will confirm what your design includes.
How long do batteries last?
Service life depends on the product, usage pattern and warranty terms. We provide the manufacturer warranty and performance information for the specific product proposed rather than a generic figure.
Can a battery be added to solar panels installed by someone else?
Usually yes, subject to inverter compatibility, the condition of the existing installation and the electrical arrangement. This is checked before anything is proposed.
A Managed Delivery Approach
Warm Homes Net Zero Ltd operates through a managed delivery network supporting retrofit, renewable energy and home energy improvements. Coordination, evidence and quality control stay with us from enquiry to handover.
A structured customer journey
Every enquiry follows the same route, from first contact through to handover, so nothing depends on who happens to pick it up.
Appropriately matched specialists
Work is allocated by measure, location, recorded competency, certification requirements and availability rather than convenience.
Clear scope and quotation
Scope is set from what the property needs, and the quotation reflects that scope in writing before any work is booked.
Managed coordination
Scheduling, access and occupant communication are coordinated centrally by Warm Homes Net Zero Ltd, not left to the installer.
Evidence and documentation
Photographic and documentary evidence is captured against the property and the measure as the work progresses.
Completion and handover
Completion is checked against the requirements set for the measure, then the documentation is compiled and handed over.
Ready to Explore Your Options?
There is no instant online price, because a sensible specification depends on the property. Here is what happens instead.
- 01
Tell us about the property
Send the postcode, property type and how you currently use electricity or heat the home.
- 02
We review the enquiry
The details are reviewed against the measure you are interested in and coverage in your area.
- 03
Technical suitability is assessed
Where required, a survey or technical assessment confirms what the property can genuinely support.
- 04
A delivery route and quotation
A suitable delivery route and a written quotation are then developed for the confirmed scope.
Request a storage assessment
Tell us about your property, tariff and any existing solar, and we will confirm whether battery storage makes sense and at what capacity.
Related Services
Solar panel installation
Generation sized from a survey of your roof, shading and electricity use.
Solar and battery systems
One matched system where the array, inverter and storage are specified together.
Request a battery quote
Send your details and we will confirm what your property and existing system can support.
Technical surveys & design
Standalone surveys, technical assessments and design support, without committing to an installation.