Guides and advice

Battery storage and EV charging, explained

Plain-English guides on home batteries, tariffs, EV chargers and aftercare, written by the Solar Heaven team.

A home battery lets you buy electricity when it is cheap, store it, and use it when it is expensive. It is one of…

Octopus Agile prices change every half hour, so the saving depends on when you charge and when you use power. A battery charges when…

A battery is usually measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh). A larger battery stores more power, but only saves money if you use that power.

You do not need solar panels to use a home battery. A battery can charge from the grid overnight on a cheap tariff and…

These are three different routes into home storage:

A 7kW home charger can fill most electric cars overnight on an off-peak tariff. Fitting it at the same time as a battery means…

Before you accept a quote, check:

Battery and inverter warranties are set by the manufacturer, and they vary by brand and model. Installer workmanship is usually covered separately.

It depends on the system. A battery with an emergency power supply (EPS) or backup gateway can run essential circuits, such as lights, the…

Reviews help, but they need reading carefully. Look for:

An inverter can cost a lot to replace, and a battery is the component most likely to need attention as it ages. A maintenance…

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