Check the home
Your installer assesses equipment compatibility, battery location, cable routes, electrical supply and any network requirements.
FROM DELIVERY TO DAILY USE
Home battery installation.
Know what your quote includes.
Compare the complete equipment and fitting scope before choosing a home battery. This guide covers installation quotes, adding storage to existing solar and the questions to ask before work starts.
Before your installation.
Confirm the full scope
Receive the named contracting business, equipment list, installation scope, total price, payment terms and cancellation information before accepting.
Agree the practical details
Confirm delivery access, installation timing, any temporary power interruption and the preparations needed at home.
WHAT YOUR QUOTE SHOULD EXPLAIN
No hidden assumptions.
A standard installation needs a defined scope. Small fittings may be included; significant extra work must be assessed before you commit.
Explore my installation ↗Check the inclusions
- Exact equipment models and usable battery capacity
- Delivery charges and access requirements
- Battery mounting, cable allowance and electrical work
- Testing, commissioning and app setup
- Any required certification and network paperwork
- Equipment and workmanship warranty contacts
Work that may need a separate price
Long cable runs, trenching, consumer-unit upgrades, scaffolding, structural work and power-cut backup circuits. These are not automatically included in the proposed packages.
How to compare battery installation costs
Quote checklist reviewed 17 October 2026
Start with the same equipment and scope in each quote. A price labelled "standard installation" is only useful when the supplier explains what that includes for your home. Use this checklist to ask each business for an itemised, complete customer total.
| Cost or responsibility | What to request in writing |
|---|---|
| Battery and inverter | Exact models, usable capacity and what existing equipment will stay. |
| Fitting and materials | Labour, mounting, cable-route allowance, protection equipment and any excluded work. |
| Delivery and access | Delivery charge, unloading arrangements and who moves the equipment to its installation position. |
| Additional work | Separate prices or an assessment requirement for longer cable routes, electrical upgrades and backup functions. |
| Commissioning and handover | Testing, settings, app setup, agreed paperwork and named support contacts. |
| Final total | All agreed work and applicable VAT, with unresolved items clearly marked rather than assumed free. |
A lower headline price may exclude more work
For an invented comparison, Quote A lists equipment at £3,500, fitting at £1,200 and delivery at £100: £4,800 before any unresolved extras. Quote B lists £4,900 for the same equipment and includes a cable-route extension priced at £250 separately in Quote A. If you need that extension, A becomes £5,050. B is then £150 lower, assuming all other scope and VAT treatment match.
These are arithmetic examples, not our prices or market averages. An unknown cost is not zero. Ask for a revised written total after the site assessment rather than choosing on the first number alone.
See our home battery equipment and installation price breakdown, including the unconfirmed allowances in our own package example. If you already have panels, use the existing-solar battery checklist below.
ADDING STORAGE TO EXISTING SOLAR
Can I add a battery and keep my solar panels?
Often, yes. The starting point is your current inverter and how the battery will connect, rather than replacing the panels automatically.
By Zero Bill Energy · Researched 30 September 2026
Ask for a design that identifies which existing equipment stays, what changes and why. A low battery price is only useful once the proposed equipment works with your home.
Two ways your installer may approach it
| Approach | What it means | Question for your installer |
|---|---|---|
| Keep the solar inverter; add AC-coupled storage | A separate battery inverter connects on the AC side of the home's electrical system. This can allow the existing solar inverter to remain. | How will the two systems measure and manage energy together? |
| Use a compatible hybrid inverter | A hybrid inverter handles both solar and battery functions. A replacement may be proposed where the existing inverter cannot provide those functions. | Why replace the existing inverter, and which battery models are approved for the proposed unit? |
Manufacturer examples illustrate these arrangements: GivEnergy describes its AC-coupled inverter for existing solar or an AC supply, and its hybrid inverter as combining solar and battery functions. These examples explain system design; they are not a statement of our stock or an endorsement of a particular model.
Request written confirmation of the exact inverter and battery combination. Matching brand names or voltage labels alone is not enough to establish compatibility. If you already have a hybrid inverter, ask whether adding a supported battery is possible before accepting a quote that replaces it.
Already receiving Feed-in Tariff payments?
Tell the installer before they design the retrofit. Ofgem's guidance for FIT generators says your FIT licensee must be notified when battery storage is connected to an accredited installation. Accurate measurement of eligible generation and, where applicable, export remains important for payments. ROO-FIT installations have additional Ofgem notification requirements.
Ask your installer to explain the proposed metering arrangement and check it with your FIT licensee before proceeding. Do not rely on a blanket promise that every battery installation leaves payments unchanged.
Who handles the network paperwork?
Your quote should name the person responsible for checking the local electricity network operator's requirements for the combined solar and battery system. Ask which application or notification is needed and whether anything must be agreed before installation. UK Power Networks' Smart Connect service is one regional example of an installer submission route; your home may be served by a different operator.
Prepare these details for a useful first assessment
- The make and model of your existing solar inverter, from its label or installation paperwork.
- Your solar array size and installation date, if known.
- Your electricity tariff and whether you receive FIT or export payments.
- Available generation, export and household consumption records across different seasons.
- Your preferred battery location and whether you want power-cut backup assessed.
Read labels only where safely accessible; there is no need to open electrical equipment. A full electricity bill is not needed for an initial question.
Will storing solar always be better than exporting it?
Compare the electricity bill you avoid with the export payment you give up, allowing for losses. For an invented example, storing 5 kWh of surplus at 90% round-trip efficiency delivers 4.5 kWh later. At an avoided import rate of 28p, that is £1.26 of avoided cost. If exporting those 5 kWh would have earned 15p/kWh, you give up 75p, leaving 51p before other costs. These are not current tariff offers or a savings forecast, and this example assumes export is paid on the actual kWh exported.
Use your own contract and consumption figures. The example does not model deemed export, battery wear, standby use or the installed purchase price. It also does not count the same stored electricity as both solar and grid-charging savings.
Ask us to assess a retrofit
Tell us you already have solar, include the inverter model if known, and explain what you want the battery to do. Compatibility and installation scope must be confirmed before a final offer.
Discuss my existing solar ↗Next: understand equipment and installation costs or explore battery brands.
After installation.
A useful handover
Ask your installer to explain the operating modes, monitoring app, safe shutdown procedure, documents and support contacts. Keep your final quote and commissioning records.
Equipment and installation support
Your agreement must distinguish the equipment warranty provider from the business responsible for installation workmanship. Zero Bill Energy’s exact coordination and support arrangements will be confirmed before launch.
Will my battery power the house in a blackout?
Only if the system is designed and installed for that purpose. A battery on its own does not establish backup capability. Supported circuits, output limits and switching equipment need to be agreed.
10-year battery warrantyManufacturer terms apply
Solar panel protectionProduct and performance cover explained
Understand your cover ↗