A home battery is a unit that temporarily can store power, for instance the one generated by solar panels on your rooftop. It is a kind of large rechargeable battery that is placed behind the electricity meter. Households with solar panels on the roof generate solar power during the day, but if that power is not used, you supply it directly back to the power grid. With a home battery, your surplus (or part thereof) of solar power is stored for later use. How much you can store depends on how much capacity your home battery has. They come in different sizes, from 2kWh to 20kWh for households.
"}},{"componentType":"promotionalBanner","icon":{"transformBaseUrl":"https://assets.ing.com/transform/bc98b812-1d22-4f9a-8c54-0a560ae59f41/Circle-Keys-9","type":"image","width":64,"original":"https://assets.ing.com/m/de63ea5d47373bc/original/Circle-Keys-9.svg","extension":"svg"},"body":"Discover the costs and benefits of making your home more energy efficient.","date":{},"textLink":{"url":"/en/personal/mortgage/sustainable-living/upgrade-check","text":"Start the Upgrade Check"}},{"componentType":"sectionTitle","title":"When to consider a home battery?"},{"componentType":"paragraph","richBody":{"value":"You can consider a home battery if you want to store power from your own solar panels. During the day you sometimes generate more solar power than you need and you would prefer to use this power in the evening or at night.
If you have a dynamic energy contract, you could also use a home battery to trade on electricity markets. You charge the battery when electricity is cheap and consume it or supply it back when the electricity price is high.
"}},{"componentType":"sectionTitle","title":"Home batteries for self-generated solar power?"},{"componentType":"paragraph","richBody":{"value":"Research from 2023 by CE Delft (a consultancy agency in sustainability and environment) showed that the payback period of home batteries can be long, with and without net metering (salderingsregeling). As far as Milieu Centraal is concerned, a statement about the payback period is currently uncertain because many factors play a role.
Do you want to use more of your own solar power? Then charging an electric car doubles your self-consumption on average. Other smaller steps involve using your dishwasher or washing machine. 'Smart charging' makes charging your electric car cheaper.
"},"textLinks":[{"url":"https://www.milieucentraal.nl/duurzaam-vervoer/elektrische-auto/elektrische-auto-slim-laden/","text":"More on smart charging (Milieu Centraal)"}],"alignedImage":{"position":"right","transformBaseUrl":"https://assets.ing.com/transform/69f38021-46af-40ee-a223-83dd5a67100b/Portrait-of-woman-standing-by-window","original":"https://assets.ing.com/m/7211cb6c820dfcac/original/Portrait-of-woman-standing-by-window.jpg","extension":"jpg"}},{"componentType":"sectionTitle","title":"Is a home battery bad for the environment?"},{"componentType":"paragraph","richBody":{"value":"Solar power is a sustainable solution to replace electricity generated with fossil fuels. Because the supply of solar and wind energy is very variable, batteries will be one of the solutions to match the supply and demand of sustainable electricity. With a home battery you can store self-generated solar power, but its production puts such a burden on the environment that Milieu Centraal advises against purchasing it. The home batteries that are now sold are so-called lithium-ion batteries of the LFP type. A lot of raw materials and energy are required for the production of these batteries, which causes a high climate impact and environmental pollution.
Batteries are part of the solution in the energy transition, but in what form and for whom is difficult to estimate as they also have an environmental impact.
"}},{"componentType":"sectionTitle","title":"Frequently asked questions"},{"componentType":"accordion","accordionList":[{"title":"Does a home battery make you self-sufficient in electricity?","richBody":{"value":"No, even with a home battery, your solar panels do not make you self-sufficient in electricity. The home battery is too small for that. In addition, you generate much less solar power in the winter because there is less light and the sun is lower.
"}},{"title":"Where can I find the CE Delft report?","richBody":{"value":"Research and consultancy agency CE Delft has conducted research into home batteries. You can find the report below.
"},"textLinks":[{"url":"https://ce.nl/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/CE_Delft_220408_Thuisbatterijen-in-de-energietransitie_Def.pdf","text":"CE Delft - Home batteries in the energy transition"}]},{"title":"Where can I find more information about home batteries?","richBody":{"value":"Do you have more questions about home batteries? Then go to Milieu Centraal. There you will find more information about home batteries and overload on the electricity network, the costs and other ways to use solar power yourself.
"},"textLinks":[{"url":"https://www.milieucentraal.nl/energie-besparen/zonnepanelen/thuisbatterij-zonne-energie-opslaan/","text":"More on home batteries (Milieu Centraal)"}]}]},{"componentType":"linkList","iconTitle":{"title":"More about sustainable living"},"textLinks":[{"url":"/en/personal/mortgage/sustainable-living/financing-sustainable-renovation","text":"Financing"},{"url":"/en/personal/mortgage/sustainable-living/government-subsidies","text":"What subsidies are available?"},{"url":"/en/personal/mortgage/current-mortgage-rates/the-energy-label-and-your-mortgage-interest-rate","text":"The energy label and your mortgage interest rate"},{"url":"/en/personal/mortgage/sustainable-living/energylabels-for-homes","text":"Energy labels explained"},{"url":"/en/personal/mortgage/your-mortgage/building-fund-account","text":"How does a building fund work?"},{"url":"/en/personal/mortgage/mortgage-types/buying-a-sustainable-house","text":"Mortgage for a sustainable home"},{"url":"/en/personal/mortgage/sustainable-living/more-green-around-the-house","text":"More green around the house"},{"url":"/en/personal/mortgage/sustainable-living/home-battery","text":"Home battery"}]},{"componentType":"paragraph","title":"Good to know","richBody":{"value":"The English text of the website is a translation of the Dutch original version. This translation is intended for the customers convenience only. In case of any discrepancies between the two versions, the original Dutch version shall prevail. The mortgage offer and contract will be signed in Dutch. Also, all further communication after signing the mortgage contract will be in Dutch. You acknowledge and accept this. If any assistance or clarification is needed, we recommend contacting your mortgage advisor or to call our customer service via the ING app.
"}}]},"complementaryZone":{"flexComponents":[{"componentType":"sectionTitle","title":"Also interesting"},{"componentType":"cards","cards":[{"componentType":"serviceCard","cardType":"service","cardSize":"small","title":"Tips for solar power","intro":"Want to save on your energy bill? Check out these 3 tips.","image":{"transformBaseUrl":"https://assets.ing.com/transform/dd55db46-70fd-4d6b-be3c-990232303fd9/Father-helps-young-daughter-as-she-plugs-the-electric-family-car-in-to-charge","type":"image","width":5700,"original":"https://assets.ing.com/m/604885ff8302f30e/original/Father-helps-young-daughter-as-she-plugs-the-electric-family-car-in-to-charge.jpg","extension":"jpg"},"link":{"url":"/particulier/hypotheek/duurzaam-wonen/meer-zonnestroom-zelf-gebruiken"}},{"componentType":"serviceCard","cardType":"service","cardSize":"small","title":"Government subsidies","intro":"Check which subsidies there are, and where to apply.","image":{"transformBaseUrl":"https://assets.ing.com/transform/ad83ddc7-b3fe-448a-8f9b-f76ffd6dc54b/Large_Web-and-Screen-Three-young-girls-peek-over-ledge-smiling","type":"image","width":1920,"original":"https://assets.ing.com/m/5b51ed4362897aa4/original/Large_Web-and-Screen-Three-young-girls-peek-over-ledge-smiling.jpg","extension":"jpg"},"link":{"url":"/en/personal/mortgage/sustainable-living/government-subsidies"}}]}]}}}