1 | Feed-in taxes make self-generation still more important
All right, balancing remains, but there is still a good chance that self-generated solar power will soon be fed back with a fixed or variable contract. Already five energy suppliers charge feed-in fees, and the rest are expected to follow soon. As a rule, the more power you feedback, the higher the charges you pay for it. By storing some of your solar power in a battery and using it again later, you reduce the amount of power feeding into the grid.
2 | Business can get a large part of the investment back
If you are a business owner, you can claim various deductions, significantly reducing the investment in a battery. You can of course reclaim the VAT. Moreover, you can depreciate the home battery, which means that annually – for five years, for example, the period during which you have warranty – you can deduct a fixed percentage of the investment from your profit.
There is also the Small Scale Investment Allowance (KIA) and the Energy Investment Allowance (EIA). Those schemes allow you to deduct another 28 and 45.5 per cent of the investment. Depending on your profit and thus in which tax bracket you fall, you can recover most of the investment this way.
3 | Certainty of truly green electricity
Besides financial reasons, there is also a more emotional reason to buy a home battery, with or without net metering. Whereas an average household with solar panels uses about a quarter to a third of its self-generated electricity itself, with a home battery this can rise to about two thirds. Thus, even when the sun is down, you often use largely carbon-free power from your own Ecoplant. That feeling of less dependence on the power grid and thus on fossil fuels can also be a good argument for going for a home battery.
4 | Home batteries pay off even without solar power
Finally, retaining the net-metering scheme for the time being creates ‘even more pressure on the electricity grid’. After all, the number of roofs with solar panels will continue to increase in the coming years. Grid overload was precisely one of the main reasons for wanting to phase out the balancing scheme. With a home battery deployed to help stabilise the electricity grid, consumers can contribute to the solution. The resulting fees run so high that you can recoup a home battery in five to six years, regardless of whether or not the balancing scheme continues.
With a home battery that responds to surpluses and shortages of green power on the grid, you not only achieve the highest efficiency, but also help the energy transition. You literally ensure that CO2-free generated power is available at more times of the day.
