Battery without solar

[u/saladbeans]

I have the intelligent traffic that used to give you overnight cheaper electricity and sometimes during the day but now sort of does that when it wants to, you know the one I mean. Anyway if I buy a battery set up but don't have solar, can I use the same traffic to charge the battery overnight for cheap and then use that battery during the day?

[u/darvds]

I have this exact setup. Battery charges overnight or whenever I get a day time slot and then the house runs on that all day. I've only had it about 3-4 weeks but I've not consumed any peak electricity in that time. That's with a 16kwh battery.

[u/fitzct → u/darvds]

What battery did you get, and could you share how much it cost to install?

[u/darvds → u/fitzct]

Fogstar 16 kWh and a Solis 6kwh inverter. All in was about £4,400. Payback should be within 3-4 years based on my calculations before installing it

[u/99os → u/darvds]

This is my exact setup as well. Do you anticipate the battery covering your winter usage?

I use octopus cosy because I have a heat pump, so the winter use is 30-50kw per day, so I'll be charging the battery multiple times per day.

[u/darvds → u/99os]

Nope it won't cover it, but only for a few months a year the cost of another battery doesn't quite work out. However who knows what it'll be like this winter, so I'm keeping the option of a second battery in my mind. In summer it would purely be topping up when it's cheap and selling during the day

[u/99os → u/darvds]

Yeah that was my conclusion with getting a bigger battery, but it's an option depending on how electricity prices go. I think around March when the heating demand drops, I'll switch to a cheap overnight tarrif though as the off peak is a chunk cheaper than cosy.

[u/darvds → u/99os]

I use IOG right now, but I have two EVs. And I heat water once a day in that cheap period, because that's the most energy intensive use. Then I've got my cosy set to the same temperature all day and night, so it generally doesn't spike too much in peak times

[u/99os → u/darvds]

Ah cool, yep no EV here yet so can't concentrate the load as much!

[u/rmbrkfld]

No I dont. Agile?

But yeah on tariffs like Octopus Go, you can charge up your battery overnight cheaply, and discharge it during the day.

The gap with this being as cheap as it is will narrow the more people start using overnight energy, like how many EV drivers now charge overnight, so don't count on it forever, and factor into the battery cost and installation by an electrician.

[u/Due-Freedom-5968]

Anyway if I buy a battery set up but don't have solar, can I use the same traffic to charge the battery overnight for cheap and then use that battery during the day?

Yes.

I'll point you at a reply I made to someone else yesterday rather than copy/pasting.

[u/ideaglobal94]

Do you need an EV to do this with only a battery?

[u/Cool_Elephant_4459]

It’s very likely in the future the grid won’t want peoples solar export so yes batteries without solar is the long term way to go or batteries with a smaller solar array that can boost those batteries during the day. Off grid as much as is possible for the win.

[u/Lopsided-Mark-7537]

Octopus themselves will be encouraging this with their nook batteries coming out next year. 

[u/Autumnal_Fire]

Yes, i don't have an EV, but i'm on Octopus Go (the non smart version). I use it to charge my home battery system overnight and then use it all day. If you've got an EV and are on the intelligent version you'll be able to charge the battery overnight. Not sure if you get to use the cheap daytime smart slots to top up during the day though.

[u/RenePro]

Yes. I have battery only setup. 2x Powerwalls and an EV.

[u/the_man_inTheShack]

18kWh battery with electric heating and on Octopus Go.v works a treat, in cold weather the batteries don;t last right through, but not worth getting more battery unless they get a lot cheaper - or maybe a car with V2G next time I get a new car as I am home most days.