• • • SMART BUILDINGS & IOT • • • Why energy storage is set to become
part of the furniture for smart homes With renewable energy installations reaching record highs, we spoke to Jordan Brompton, co-founder and CMO of myenergi, about why energy storage is rising up the priority list for homeowners looking to optimise energy use and streamline spending
when they need it most, users are seeing libbi as the antidote to ‘lumpy’ renewable energy generation.
A home with renewable energy generation is already making great strides towards cost savings, a lower carbon footprint and less reliance on grid supply. However, a home that features the myenergi ecosystem has the potential to use and store power in the most efficient way possible. As we move ever closer towards the smart home of the future, it’s clear that battery storage will play an important role.
No renewables? No problem! It’s important to mention, however, that you don’t necessarily need microgeneration to benefit from energy storage. After all, home batteries can be optimised around a time-of-use or agile tariff, allowing you to buy and store power when rates are cheap and either deploying it within the home at peak times, or selling it back to the grid at a profit.
A
ccording to data from the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS), 2023 was a record-breaking year for domestic renewable energy installations in the UK. Upwards of 220,000 systems were fitted and connected during the period, more than any other year on record.
Given the volatility of energy prices, exacerbated by ongoing global conflicts and supply insecurity, microgeneration holds great appeal to many. Homeowners are increasingly taking power into their own hands and investing in solutions to minimise reliance on grid energy, while reducing their carbon footprint and saving money on their utility bills alongside.
Why timing is everything While the sustainable and environmental benefits of self-generating energy at home has always been an attractive proposition, the falling cost of solar installations is making it far easier and more accessible than ever before for many homeowners. Indeed, according to Which? a typical 3.5kWp solar PV array (enough to provide just plenty of power for a family of four) can now be purchased and installed for as little as £5,500. With the average annual energy bill for a three to four-bed property sitting at around £1,936 per year, the payback period is far shorter than many may think. However, generating renewable energy at home is not without its limitations. Reliant on specific weather conditions, solar and wind have peaks and troughs that alternate throughout the day, season and year. PV panels, for example, only generate
power during the daytime, when most users are at work, and generate energy most optimally in direct summer sunshine. However, the vast majority of the UK’s domestic energy consumption is between 4pm and 7pm – when people are at home; cooking, washing and watching TV. This means that renewable generation and household energy use are greatly misaligned. As a result, the average homeowner with PV installed only self-consumes around 45 per cent their self-generated energy, with the leftover electricity exported to the grid. Not only is this inefficient, but it also means that homeowners must buy the energy back again during peak times, at a far higher price. But it doesn’t have to be this way. After all, new innovations in energy storage capability are increasingly allowing consumers to take more control of their generation and consumption.
Brimming with energy? Save it for later!
At myenergi, we’re big believers in energy independence and maximising the consumption of self-generated energy. To do this, we’ve pioneered a next-generation range of eco-smart home energy devices. Alongside zappi, an EV charger that allows users to power their car with self-generated renewable electricity; and eddi, our clever power diverter that sends surplus energy to heating devices; we’ve recently launched our own modular battery storage system, libbi. Providing a simple way for users to capture surplus green electricity and access it immediately
What’s more, recent changes to government legislation means that home batteries like libbi benefit from zero-rated VAT, meaning that potential buyers can invest in the latest technology at a highly cost-effective price point. So, even for homes that do not generate their own green electricity, battery storage should be a serious consideration. Not only do they help users to save money, but they also help to balance the grid in times of peak demand too.
If more homeowners harnessed the potential of battery storage, we could transition towards a far cheaper, robust, resilient and less pressured energy system. Of course, self- consuming self-generation is the most environmentally friendly and secure option, but simply storing and deploying power offers numerous benefits too.
Are home batteries the new norm?
As the technology evolves and prices continue to fall, homer energy storage will become more and more commonplace in the smart properties of the future. As domestic renewable installations continue to rise, government tax incentives are expanded, and more time-of-use energy tariffs enter the market, we expect the use of intelligent energy storage solutions to continue gaining popularity, eventually becoming a standard fitting for all new builds and renovations. For more information about myenergi, or its latest range of eco-smart home energy tech, visit
www.myenergi.com/zappi-ev-charger/.
32 ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING • DECEMBER/JANUARY 2025
electricalengineeringmagazine.co.uk
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