The problem a battery solves
Panels generate in the middle of the day; households use most of their electricity in the morning and evening. Without storage, a typical home uses only 35% to 50% of what it generates and exports the rest for a fraction of the import price. A battery shifts the daytime surplus into the evening and lifts self-use to 70% or more.
The value of that shift is the gap between your import rate and your export rate. Paying 25p to import and receiving 5p to export means every stored kWh is worth about 20p; on a 15p export tariff the same kWh earns 10p. That single gap is most of the answer to whether a battery is worth it for you.
The cases where a battery earns its keep
Strong cases: households out all day, where nearly all generation would otherwise export. Time-of-use tariffs, where the battery charges cheaply overnight in winter as well as storing solar in summer, working twice as hard. And homes heading towards an EV or heat pump, where evening demand is about to rise.
Weaker cases: high daytime occupancy that already uses most of the generation, generous export tariffs that shrink the import-export gap, and tight budgets where the battery spend would buy more panels instead. Batteries also carry a working life of ten to fifteen years, so a payback close to that is a poor bet.
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Get every quote priced both ways, with and without the battery, and compare total costs against your own usage pattern rather than a brochure household. The Smart Export Guarantee rate you can get belongs in the sum too, because a good export tariff weakens the battery case and a token one strengthens it.
Batteries can also be retrofitted, so panels now and storage later is a legitimate route; sizing the inverter with that in mind keeps the door open. When you are ready, compare solar and battery quotes with the job priced both ways from the start.
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Up to three trusted, MCS-certified installers quote for the work. Free, no obligation.
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