A Case Study – Overcoming the “enemy of action” to save you money with Brimstone Energy
Are you getting the most from your solar panels?
Solar panel and battery technology has developed massively over the last 15 years. While early adopters continue to benefit from 25-year government Feed-in Tariffs (FIT), most aren’t storing what they’ve generated. But improved technology means you can now multiplying the savings from your existing system by retrofitting a battery.
Our question to you is, “Are you getting the most from your Solar Panels?”
The answer we hear most is, “I’m not sure.”
At Brimstone Energy, we want everyone to benefit from low-cost, sustainable energy. And where you have solar panels already, we know you can save even more money, reduce your dependency on the grid, and further benefit the environment.
How?
Retrofitting a battery will make a big difference to you. In short, it will power your washing machine and boil your kettle when you need it later in the day, rather than losing your energy to the grid when the sun’s shining.
You may be unaware of this option, or your may have dismissed it as too complicated or expensive – these thoughts are common. But the good news is, improving your system is well within your reach and we can make it happen for you.
We know it helps to hear from customers who have walked the path already, making the way a little clearer for you. We recently retrofitted a GivEnergy battery for Angus Hone who lives in Wimpole, on the Cambridgeshire/Hertfordshire border.
Read Angus’ story of working with Brimstone Energy…
Tell us about your existing solar panel system?
Back in 2010, we installed an sixteen-panel, 4kWh system at the bottom of our garden. It’s been a real success and paid us back many times over with savings from electricity generated from the sun.
That’s a bit different – most people don’t put their solar panels in their garden!
Absolutely. We were lucky to have a space we could use to maximise exposure to sunlight, so we placed our inverter in a garden outbuilding and ran the cabling to the meter at the back of our house. Of course, they worked just the same as a set of standalone solar panels on a roof by letting us use the electricity we needed, and exporting any excess back to the grid.
Why did you want to upgrade your existing solar system and retrofit a battery?
I’d previously worked in the solar panel industry, which meant I knew the benefits of not relying on the grid for your electricity. Without batteries my panels alone meant I would still rely on the grid for electricity.
“…leaking energy back to the grid”
In terms of “why,” we’re all aware of the cost of power increasing, along with the supply risks associated with external factors like conflicts and energy import costs – we saw the chance of reducing our reliance on these things even more.
We had this great system, but lots of the energy was being exported back to the grid… and we weren’t getting to use it ourselves. Then at night, when the panels weren’t generating electricity, we were having to import and pay for it. It felt as if we were leaking energy back to the grid during the day, which we’d have liked to use later when we needed it.
I’d kept an eye on how battery storage had developed, so wanted to see if adding a battery to our existing system made sense. If we could store the electricity we were generating, we would add an additional source of energy to our home. We were also aware of future proofing the property by improving the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) and increasing the value of the house if we ever wanted to sell.
I have an accountancy background, so as you can imagine, I did the calculations. The costs and savings of retrofitting a battery made sense – it was time to move things forward.
You’ve got a solar panel and accountancy background… did you have any hesitations?
You’d think I might, wouldn’t you? But no, I was sure adding a battery to my solar panels was the way to go. While the panels were, “Doing their job,” they weren’t doing as much they could with all the new technology available.
My experience helped me do my homework and make sure the decision was the right one.
The main decision was to weigh up where to put the battery. Would we put it indoors, in the garage, or outside? How would we best connect with the existing system?
The plans all needed thought, and a good team like Brimstone Energy, to get things right.
What research did you do and who did you get advice from?
The best thing you can can do is ask lots of questions to get peace of mind and clear direction on any solar and battery project.
You need to answer the question, “Does adding a battery make sense for me?”
For me, it was a case of chatting with friends who had recent experience of installing solar panels and battery storage. I wanted to get a range of opinions to let me calibrate my own thinking. I didn’t rush this.
Hearing from people in people in the industry was also important, so I went along to the Solar and Storage Live event at the NEC and spoke to lots of solar and battery companies. I was interested in warranties, the differences between UK and overseas companies, as well as their experience of retrofitting batteries to work with existing solar systems.
Did you face any barriers as you planned for your new battery storage?
There is a huge amount of information about solar and batteries available… probably too much, and lots of it is unhelpful, meaning people get a bit stuck. For many, the easiest option is to do nothing. I understand this stance, but it does mean people are missing out.
Retrofitting a battery into an existing solar panel system does present different challenges to starting from scratch. We also had to factor in our panels being around 50 metres from our home, with the cabling coming into our annex first, before reaching the meter at the back of the house.
“…perfection is the enemy of action”
This all presented a choice about whether we’d integrate fully into our home, involving significant groundwork and disruption, or use the existing cabling. These decision moments are the points where people can stop, give up and say, “It’s too hard.” Seeking perfection is the enemy of action, so you must be determined to overcome this temptation.
We needed to weigh all these things up, which highlights why the company you work with is very important.
So, tell us about the retrofitted battery system
We decided to use the existing cabling and piggyback onto our electricity meter, meaning we now use excess energy to charge the battery first, rather than sending it away to the grid. This is exactly what we wanted.
“…we’ve now future proofed our home and our energy needs”
We’ve got an AC-coupled, 13.5 kWh All in One, GivEnergy battery sitting next to the meter at the back of our home. To house the new tech, we’ve built a small, roofed shelter which looks like it’s always been there.
This stored energy is now ours to use when there’s no sunlight. It’s a great solution for us, as we’ve now future proofed our home and our energy needs as we wanted to. In the future, the GivEnergy battery technology also lets us add more batteries by “daisy-chaining” extra units if we ever need to.
How do you feel about your battery system now it’s all done?
We’re delighted – Matt and Brimstone have delivered what I wanted.
I like checking the GivEnergy app as it’s information rich and I can see savings in real time. Our bills are lower right now, and we’ll see payback within five years following the initial costs. A compelling reason on top of the environmental reasons. The house is improved and the system is an asset should we sell in the future, so I can’t see any downsides.
In the summer it’s like being given £5 a day, as the full battery provides all our electricity during the night… with any excess still being sold to the grid. We keep saving through the winter because we can charge up the battery during the night at a cheap rate on our dual rate Octopus tariff. We get to use this energy during the day, so we don’t have to import from the grid at a high rate – the battery does the heavy lifting for us.
How did you find Matt and Brimstone Energy?
My research saw me leaning towards getting a GivEnergy battery – they looked like a great option. On the GivEnergy website, I used their “Find an Installer” tool and came across Brimstone Energy as an accredited partner, along with two other local companies.
Without trying sound like Goldilocks, the first contractor was engaged and sold the vision, but lacked technical knowledge. The other had technical knowledge but didn’t come across enthusiastic and on board with my vision for the “why.”
When Matt came, he brought his electrician and ticked both boxes. I knew I had Matt’s attention and he understood why I was doing this, as well as being clear in his technical understanding. After follow-ups and staying responsive to my questions, one word sums it up… trust. I trusted Matt to take on the project.
Tell us about partnering with Matt and Brimstone Energy on the project
Matt promises, “Trust, Integrity and Quality.” I saw this from the beginning, which meant we were able to share ideas. He listened to what we needed, and we were able to collaboratively find solutions.
He remained patient as we threw different ideas back and forth, always giving measured and honest input. Once we were set, Matt was efficient and professional in getting the battery installation done in a day.
Would you recommend Brimstone Energy?
Yes, and I already have!
What you say to others thinking about retrofitting battery storage.
Chances are, you might not know where to begin.
First up, you need to ask lots of questions to get peace of mind, remembering to have a long-term perspective. Solar panels and battery storage is a long-term investment that pays in terms of money, peace of mind, energy security and, of course, in doing “the right thing.”
This approach will let you settle on “why” you’re doing it, so you can prioritise just two or three main goals.
For us, it was storing the energy we were generating, using the existing system we had, and future proofing our energy needs.
Once you’ve done this, you can block out lots of the other sales noise and weigh up every decision clearly against your priorities.
Then start.
Find a contractor you can trust, like Brimstone Energy, who’ll listen to you and find the solutions to build the system you need. We’re glad we did.
From Matt, Founder of Brimstone Energy
Wow, what a great reflection of our work together.
We loved working with Angus and putting together a blueprint for what others can do by retrofitting battery storage to make the most of existing solar panels.
Why not take a look at another case study, showing a solar panel and battery installation starting from scratch.
And if you have any questions of need some advice, do get in touch. We’d love to help.
