A well-installed, properly sized home battery can protect you from blackouts and rising electricity tariffs. When the grid goes down, your battery can automatically kick in, keeping your lights and essential appliances running. If your electricity retailer hikes your tariffs, with a big enough battery and solar setup, you won’t have to worry.

However, home batteries, especially high-quality ones, are not cheap. If you’re considering investing in a battery for your home, it’s crucial to be well-informed. Here are the biggest mistakes people make when buying home batteries. Avoid these, and you’ll be on your way to getting an excellent system that works trouble-free for many years.

Mistake #1 – Opting for the Cheapest Battery

Cheap quotes for batteries usually mean low margins for installers, leading to rushed installations with inferior quality products and little-to-no after-sales support. This can be dangerous. Lithium-ion batteries store large amounts of energy and generate heat when charging and discharging. If not managed correctly, “thermal runaway” can occur, leading to significant fires. Don’t compromise on safety to save money. If you can’t afford a decent battery and installation, it’s better not to buy one at all.

Mistake #2 – Insufficient Solar Capacity

Many people buy batteries to store their excess solar energy, but I often see battery owners with too-small solar systems. These systems don’t generate enough excess solar to charge the battery with the end result in once again buying energy from the grid to charge the battery, severely impacting savings. Most family homes in Australia need a significant solar system to fill a typical home battery throughout the year, including the Top End dry season and our wet season overcast days. I recommend at least 10kW of solar where possible.

Mistake #3 – Overpaying for a Subpar Battery

Paying too little and getting a poor-quality battery is bad, but paying too much for a poor-quality battery is worse. Some companies charge exorbitant prices for small or inferior battery, often promoted through aggressive sales tactics.

Mistake #4 – Limiting Options to Tesla Powerwall

I love Tesla. The Tesla Powerwall is a great battery, but it’s suuitability with our Power Water grid connection requirements is limited. To read more about Inverter sizing and limitations – Read THIS

Mistake #5 – Not Ensuring Blackout Protection

Not all home batteries provide backup during a grid failure. Some batteries won’t recharge from solar panels until the grid is back. These design considerations are crucial when purchasing a battery.

Additionally, some battery inverter combinations only allow for “some circuits” to be back up which can be severely limiting in grid outage.

Mistake #6 – Preparing for Time of Use Tariffs with Jacana Energy

Time-of-use tariffs charge different rates depending on the time of day. While we don’t yet have them on the Power Water network, they are coming in the not to distant future.

Charging your battery from solar during the day and using the stored energy during peak times can save money. Imagine a afternnon time of use tariff of $0.55c per kWh and the impact on yor energy bill. Makign sure your battery can be programmed to negate this is good future planning and will add a significant ROI to batteries that can acheive this.

Mistake #7 – Misunderstanding Modular Batteries

Modular batteries can be expanded by adding more modules, over time battery modules can become obsolete.

Buying a larger unit upfront often provides more value for money than starting with a smaller modular battery.

Mistake #8 – Confusing Power and Energy

A battery’s power input/output (kW) and energy storage capacity (kWh) are different. Ensure the battery you buy has enough power and energy storage capacity to meet your specific needs, whether it’s getting through the evening peak, the whole night, or backing up your entire home

Next Steps

By avoiding these common mistakes, you can ensure you get a reliable, efficient home battery system that meets your needs and lasts for many years.