Home Solar Batteries Tips for New Builds and Renos

Just as you wouldn’t choose to skimp on the quality of your new home build, it is crucial to select a solar installation company that carries the necessary experience, reliability, and reputation to ensure your comprehensive solar panel and battery system is installed to meet industry standards and compliance regulations.

Solar batteries, used to store energy generated from sunlight, are a rapidly growing smart technology that helps expand access to clean, cost-effective, independent, and sustainable electricity worldwide. Companies like VoltX Energy’s range of solar batteries in Australia and Sunrun in the United States are helping homeowners take control of their finances and environmental impact in a global market where the cost of living expenses and global warming are soaring out of control.

1. Plan for Pre-Wiring

If your goal is to have all cables from your solar installation hidden, this step will often have to be completed before internal walls are sheeted. It is vital to remember that solar DC cables are very different from other wiring in your home. They cannot be protected using a safety-switch or circuit breaker, and the only time the wiring isn’t live is when there is no sunlight or the switch installed beside the panels is switched off. Due to these factors, installing solar DC cables is subject to stringent regulations to mitigate the risk of future damage.

To ensure your setup meets these strict regulations and your panels and battery storage systems operate at full efficiency, it is strongly recommended that your initial pre-wiring be completed by your chosen solar installer rather than your builder. This will guarantee it is legally compliant and fully functional.

2. Solar Battery Type Selection

There is a wide range of solar batteries available on the market today, each with its own advantages, drawbacks, costs, and applications. When considering residential energy systems, most installations utilize electrochemical storage batteries, using either lead-acid or lithium-ion chemistry.

Similar to those used in electric vehicles and laptops, lithium-ion batteries are the most common type of solar battery technology installed today. Within the range of these batteries, there are various forms to choose from. However, for optimal performance and maximum safety, lithium iron phosphate technology is the best choice.

Alternatively, some solar batteries can be powered by lead-acid chemistry, a technology that more closely mimics automobile batteries. These batteries are typically cheaper than lithium options, but have a short lifespan and tend to be less efficient.

3. Storage Capacity

The rated capacity of a solar battery measures how much energy it can store, typically measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh) or amp-hours (Ah). To determine the storage capacity your household needs, first establish your energy goals and how much of your property you want to run on stored solar power.

If you want to go off-grid as much as possible, you will need to have ample storage to keep your power usage as sustainable and cheap as possible. On the other hand, if you are mainly interested in installing battery storage as a solar backup during power outages, a smaller reserve may be sufficient to run the most essential things in your home.

4. Optimize Your Roof Design

While you may not want to design your entire home around a solar installation, making a few small changes, specifically to the design of the roof, will maximize the efficiency and capacity of the system you ultimately choose to install.

If possible, design the northern roof orientation to have a clean roofline. This will allow you to install long, straight rows of solar panels. Any installation of antennas, satellite dishes, and other similar items should be done on a southern roof to avoid filling space that can be used for panels in the future. Try to understand where potential shaded areas may come from so you can plan to mitigate their impact. And finally, avoid placing skylights and ventilation pipes in prime locations where solar panels would be better suited.

5. Cost & Expected Lifespan

The cost of your power system and its expected lifespan are two crucial factors in determining whether the investment is worthwhile. Installing solar battery storage systems requires a fairly hefty upfront cost, and it is important to compare this high price with its performance over time to determine whether it is a worthwhile addition.

In most instances, the lifespan of a solar battery is recorded in a ‘cycle count’, a term used to refer to the number of complete charges and subsequent discharges the system can manage before the total capacity limit falls below a certain level. The expected lifespan can also be gauged by the manufacturer’s warranty period. This is a crucial consideration when comparing systems with similar performance and cost to ensure you are investing in a product with a longer expected lifecycle.

For any household utilizing solar energy, either to lessen their reliance on the electrical grid or to ensure a reliable backup option for power outages, selecting and installing the correct solar batteries is a vital component of creating a comprehensive and efficient system.

Most installation companies opt for lithium-ion batteries, specifically lithium iron phosphate technology, which offers superior performance and safety. But the exact number of batteries you’ll need largely depends on your energy goals and household demands. Furthermore, during the design stage of your new home build, it is important to consider future panel placement on your roof and complete pre-wiring during the building phase.