No, you do not need solar panels to benefit from a battery. You can have a battery installed without panels and take advantage of cheaper charging times. For most energy providers, this is during the night between 01:00 and 06:00.

Solar panels turn sunlight into electricity using special cells. These cells create direct current (DC) electricity when the sun hits them. Then, an inverter changes this DC electricity into the alternating current (AC) electricity that powers your home.

Solar PV systems have no moving parts other than the inverter, and as such have very long life spans. The inverter should last for more than 10 years, and may cost £1,000 or less to replace, depending on the model required to support the panels installed. An extended, 10-year warranty is often offered by the installer prior to fitting or can be directly arranged with the inverter manufacturer upon completion of the installation if required. This extends the warranty from the standard 5 years up to 10 years in total. Panels should last more than 25 years with performance guarantees in place to ensure a satisfactory level of performance for at least the first 20 years in most cases.

Daylight is all that is required for solar panels to produce energy to be used in the home. Even when it's cloudy, foggy, overcast and in winter, solar panels capture whatever sunlight is available.

Instantly! You can expect to save anywhere from 50% to 70% off your energy bill the minute you switch on your new solar system.

A battery storage system can be installed in your home and store excess/surplus energy generated by a solar PV system or purchased from the grid. A battery solution allows you to rely less on the grid during high rate electric periods, use stored energy to power appliances in your home, and even charge an electric vehicle or vehicles that you may own. By using stored energy, you can make savings on electrical bills and depend on renewable energy more often.