Can You Install Home Battery Storage Without Solar Panels in the UK?

You don’t need solar panels to benefit from home battery storage in the UK. Whether your roof is unsuitable for solar or you're simply not ready for the full investment, battery systems can still help reduce your energy bills. By using off-peak tariffs and smart energy management, you can store cheaper electricity overnight and use it during expensive peak hours. They can also provide emergency backup during power cuts. This guide explains how standalone battery storage works, the costs, and why it might still be a smart move, even without solar.

Yes, while most homes tend to install battery storage with solar panels, you don’t have to install the panels. It all depends on your needs and budget. Also, some homes are not suitable for solar panels if the roof is too old or there is too much shade from nearby trees or buildings. In that case, you might still want to install batteries to take advantage of off-peak tariffs and provide emergency home backup. Given that most households use the most energy during peak periods when electricity costs are the highest, you can save money on your electricity bill, even without solar panels.

Your batteries will be installed outside your home or in the garage, depending on where you have room. You may also need an inverter to convert the DC energy stored in batteries into the AC power that homes and most appliances need to run. However, quality batteries like the EcoFlow Power Ocean (Single-Phase) already have a built-in inverter, so there’s no need to worry about that. Finally, your installer must also run a communication cable between the battery and the supply meter. 

After that, the primary difference is that instead of storing solar energy in your batteries, you would be storing grid power instead. However, in order to save money using this method, you must be signed up for a time-of-use tariff so that you can import electricity late at night when rates are cheaper. This is called load shifting because you shift your peak energy to the off-peak hours and use battery storage to run your household during peak hours when energy is most expensive. With quality systems, you can typically use an energy management app on your smartphone to set your system to buy power during off-peak hours and rely on battery storage during peak hours, seamlessly saving you money with no additional effort.

Even without solar panels, there are several benefits of using battery storage. Let’s take a look:

One of the biggest benefits of battery storage is the ability to purchase electricity from the grid late at night during off-peak hours, when the rates are the cheapest. Off-peak tariffs can be significantly cheaper than peak hours, sometimes by nearly half.

To take advantage of this, you must sign up for a time-of-use import tariff, such as the Economy 7 tariff, which provides seven off-peak hours every night, or another similar option that might be available in your area.

Quality battery storage systems will also come with an app that you can use to set your system to import at night and rely solely on battery power in the early evening and other peak hours. That way, everything will be done in the background without you lifting a finger, and you will easily save about £299 per year.

The other primary advantage is that when set up correctly, batteries can give you significant energy independence even without solar panels. When the grid goes down and your neighbourhood goes dark, you can keep your lights on when your system is set up to function as an emergency power supply (EPS). Fortunately, products like the EcoFlow Power Ocean (Three-Phase) are already designed to function as an EPS, you just need to let your installer know that that is what you want and they will connect it to a dedicated EPS socket, specific circuits in your home, or your entire house for a whole-home backup solution. 

Most quality battery storage systems are designed with expandable capacities in mind. Products like the EcoFlow Power Ocean (Single-Phase) start at 5kWh capacity but are expandable up to 45kWh by simply stacking them on top of each other for seamless integration. That way, you can always start with a single battery and then add more as your budget allows or if your needs increase, like if you have a growing family or purchase an electric vehicle.

Another advantage is for people who know they want to add solar panels or other renewable energy systems later. For the most part, it’s easy to tie in energy production to an existing battery system. Still, purchasing a solar battery storage system with a built-in inverter and battery management system designed for solar use is a good idea to make it easy to retrofit your home with renewable energy.

With smart features like apps that allow you to monitor your energy use and the capacity of your battery, you will have much more control over your home energy use. Awareness of where you use electricity is the first step to creating a more efficient home. For instance, you’ll be able to quickly identify appliances that are using more than they should or other areas you can target for upgrades and future savings. You will also be able to see how much you import, how much you use, how much it’s costing you, and the total savings you've earned. You can also monitor the times you use energy to better manage your peak vs off-peak usage.

It’s important to note that this additional control to help you maximise your savings is entirely optional. You can also skip it and simply let your system run in the background without your oversight.

How much your battery storage without panels might cost depends entirely on the size of your home and how much energy you need. The larger the home, the more energy you use, the larger the battery system you need. So, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. Still, the average cost of solar batteries for a UK home is between £2,000 and £12,000. 

You can use online calculators using kWh of usage from your electricity bill and your location to estimate better what it might cost for your home and your family.

The primary disadvantage is that without solar panels, you are unlikely to break even on the cost of your system, and you’ll still be vulnerable to energy price increases. However, it’s still beneficial for those with very high usage during peak tariff hours and those prone to extended power cuts.

Yes, you can always retrofit your battery storage with solar panels later, or vice versa. Just be sure to buy battery storage products compatible with solar panels to ensure easy integration into your system later.

Due to the high cost of electricity in the UK, you may not break even without solar if you still purchase grid power. However, not all homes are suitable for solar, and batteries alone will still reduce your electrical bills, provide some energy independence, and can be used as emergency backup for power cuts.

Home battery storage without solar panels won’t suit everyone. That said, it can be a wise investment for households with high peak-time energy use, unreliable grid access, or long-term renewable goals who can’t afford to pay for the entire system up-front. They allow you to load-shift to cheaper night rates, gain emergency backup, and you can expand your system later. Products like the EcoFlow Power Ocean (Single-Phase) offer innovative features, expandable capacity, a long lifespan, and easy integration with solar. If solar panels aren’t for you, at least not today, you can still start saving and gain energy independence with battery storage systems.