Go Green: Home Battery Storage on The Isle of Man

Battery Storage

A Battery Storage system consists of high capacity batteries connected through a power converter unit directly to your mains supply, which allows power shifting and is suitable for both domestic and commercial properties. Power shifting? it is like having your own reservoir (with hydroelectricity generator), but in battery form, power is stored in the batteries for when it is needed.

Exactly how the system is utilized depends on your circumstances:

With solar PV panels: instead of selling unused excess solar generated energy to the grid (at half price), it is stored in your battery system for self-consumption later, ideal when the sun has a break.

Off-peak electricity: Manx Utilities offer half price off-peak electricity, your battery system can charge with half price electricity at night time, during the day the entire property can run on half price stored energy.

Emergency Power for when the grid has issues. Run your fridge and freezer, have lights on, even if your street is pitch-black during a power cut. Energy security, especially important to the elderly or businesses.

A well designed battery system coupled with solar PV enables you to slash or even fully eliminate your electricity bills, become greener, self-sufficient.

Half Price Electricity?

Manx utilities offer two domestic reduced rate off peak tariffs: Electric Vehicle Tariff (which requires an EV registered to your home) and Domestic Comfy Heat (requirement is Air Source Heat Pump electric heating).

Businesses also qualify through either Commercial Plus (which requires an Air Source Heat Pump), or Economy 8 Commercial (to qualify 30% of your overall load is off-peak. Adding a battery which offsets your daily electric usage and charges at night will qualify your business).

Battery Technologies

When choosing which battery technology to supply the IOM, gogreen picked LifePo4 (LFP, lithium iron phosphate). Other battery storage systems are based on NMC (Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt, such as the Tesla Powerwall), we chose not to supply these, why?

LifePo4 batteries have a longer life when compared to NMC

LifePo4 batteries are a more stable battery technology, much less likely to have thermal runaways (a fire)

The materials in LifePo4 are more environmentally friendly than NMC

Watch this video for a test using both battery technologies. We encourage you to do your own impartial research. One final link, to a manufacturer which produces both types of batteries, which includes research on thermal runaway for each type (LFP is a flat line).

When installing batteries within our own properties, we chose the safer LifePo4 technology.

System Prices

Our battery systems are from GivEnergy and are very flexible in their deployment, storage can be added in 8.2kWh chunks, the power generation is supplied in 3kW units. For example, you might have 2 power units, capable of offsetting the home with 6KW of continuous power, an electric oven, kettle and washing machine all on together might consume that amount. If more power is required (for example a tumble dryer was switched on) that would be taken from the grid. Each power generator requires one battery, a maximum of four batteries per generator. Here are some typical systems:

Semi or smaller	Four+ Bed Detached	Business
9.5 kWh Battery, 3kW Generator Ideal for the smaller property, fully offsetting the average usage of 7kWh per day.	19 kWh Batteries, 3kW Generator 11kWh average usage, this system would work well with Solar to store that little extra for a rainy day.	38 kWh Batteries, 6kW Generators For businesses with a sustained load, charge at night with cheap electricity. Significant battery storage to cover power cuts, ensuring continuity of service.
£6514 (including installation and VAT)	£10958 (including installation and VAT)	£21916 (including installation, excluding VAT)

Please note VAT amount chargeable depends on your circumstances.

Refreshingly different, gogreen:

Practice what we preach: the environment is important, we drive EVs not diesel vans,
Publish standard install prices, upfront and open,
Committed to adoption of environmentally friendly products: our prices match UK prices,
Prices quoted have no hidden extra costs,

Call today 07624 434333

Email us info@gogreen.im