NXTGEN Energy » Solar Batteries

Solar Batteries

Q: How long does a 5kWh solar battery last?

Typically, 5kWh solar battery storage can last approximately ten hours when you’re only running a few appliances, such as your TV, fridge, and even a few lights. However, it will drain quickly if you add the use of heavy-duty appliances, such as air conditioners, washing machines or dishwashers.

Q: What is the difference between IP20 and IP65?

IP65 and IP20 are ratings that indicate the level of protection that a solar battery storage has against dust and water ingress. IP stands for Ingress Protection, and the two digits represent the degree of protection against solid particles (such as dust) and liquid (such as water). The higher the number, the better the protection.

Imagine never having to rely on the National Grid for your electricity needs ever again with your very own Solar Battery Storage System installed by the solar energy experts at NXTGEN Energy. We are MCS Certified Battery Storage Installers. This makes us 1 of only 10 solar solutions companies based in Essex that can now install your solar battery storage to MCS Certification Standards.

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Solar Battery Storage

A solar battery is a device that can store the electrical energy produced by solar panels. Solar Panels are devices that convert sunlight into electricity using the photovoltaic effect, but they only work when the sun is shining. A solar battery allows you to save some of the electricity produced by your solar panels for later use, such as during the night or on cloudy days. This way, you can reduce your dependence on the National Grid for your energy production and make the most of your renewable energy source.

A solar battery can also help you avoid paying high electricity rates during peak hours, or even earn money by selling excess electricity back to the National Grid. By adding a solar battery or two or three to your solar panel PV system, you can increase your energy efficiency and environmental benefits and ultimately save more money. We are MCS Certified Battery Storage Installers and only 1 of 10 companies in Essex with an MCS Certificate to install battery storage on to your solar system.

About Our Solar Battery Storage

We won’t settle for second best so neither should you. This is why we don’t align ourselves with a battery unless it meets our high standards. Be assured that all of our Solar Batteries are:

Solar Compatible: Our Solar Batteries work in harmony with Solar Panels technology so you can store your excess solar power.
Safe: Our Solar Batteries have full electrical and temperature protection for your safety.
Smart: You can use an app to monitor and control your Solar Battery Storage with your smartphone on Apple iPhones or Google Android phones.
MCS Certified Battery Storage Installers: We are now MCS Certified for Battery Storage, so we can install your solar batteries to MCS Standards.

Ways To Install Your Solar Battery

Retro Fitting

A battery storage system can help you store the excess electricity generated by your solar panel system. This way, you can use your own renewable energy whenever you need it, even when the sun is not shining. If you already have a solar panel system installed, you can add a battery storage system to it. This is called retro fitting. To do this, you will need an AC coupled control management system, which is a device that regulates the flow of electricity between the Solar Panels, the battery, and the grid. This ensures that the battery is charged and discharged properly and safely.

Upgrading Your Storage

A solar battery upgrade can help you store more of the electricity produced by your solar PV system. If you already have a solar PV system and a battery storage system, you can add another solar battery to increase your storage capacity. This can help you meet your energy needs more easily and use less electricity from the National Grid. By storing more of your own renewable energy, you can become more energy independent and save more money on your electricity bills.

Choose Your Perfect Solar Battery

At NXTGEN Energy, we provide a wide range of high-quality solar batteries at affordable prices. The prices include installation and VAT for any location in the UK. We do not charge any extra fees for our services. We can install solar batteries as an upgrade to your existing battery system or as a retro fit to your solar panel system. You should be aware that the VAT rate for installing a battery with a solar panel system is 0%, but the VAT rate for retro fitting a battery storage system is 20%.

Garage Install of Growatt Inverter and Growatt Battery Photo

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What is the difference between IP65 and IP20 Solar Battery Storage?

IP65 and IP20 are ratings that indicate the level of protection that a solar battery storage has against dust and water ingress. IP stands for Ingress Protection, and the two digits represent the degree of protection against solid particles (such as dust) and liquid (such as water). The higher the number, the better the protection.

IP65 means that the solar battery storage is dust-tight and can withstand water jets from any direction. This rating is suitable for outdoor installation, without shelter, as it can resist harsh weather conditions.

IP20 means that the solar battery storage is protected against solid objects larger than 12.5 mm, such as fingers, but not against dust. It also has no protection against water. This rating is only suitable for indoor installation, in a dry and clean environment.

Therefore, the difference between IP65 and IP20 solar battery storage is that IP65 can be installed outdoors or indoors, while IP20 can only be installed indoors in a clean and dry environment. IP65 also offers better protection against dust and water than IP20.

Solar Battery Secrets – Force Charging

You can save more money when using your Solar Battery Storage with a technique called Force Charging

Force charging is a feature that allows you to charge your solar battery storage from the National Grid eletricity supply, instead of from your solar panels. This can be useful if you want to take advantage of cheaper electricity rates during off-peak hours like Economy 7 where your day rate maybe 45p per kWh whereas your night rate may only be 18p per kWh, or if you want to ensure that your solar battery is fully charged for your household use the next day.

Force charging can be enabled or disabled using a controller device that is connected to your solar inverter and your solar battery storage or through a smartphone app on Apple iPhones or Google Android phones. You can also set a daily or weekly schedule for force charging, such as during the night or early morning, depending on your electricity tariff and usage patterns.

Force charging can help you save money and reduce your carbon footprint by using more of your own renewable energy and less of the grid electricity.

Solar Battery Storage FAQs

Looking for more information on Solar Battery Storage – here are some of the common questions we’re frequently asked.

If you still have questions, feel free to reach out to us on 01268 928 690, via our Contact Page, or via email at info@nxtgen.ltd and ask, we are here to help.

How much battery storage do I need for my solar?

What size solar battery do you need? The average 3-bedroom household needs 6kWh solar battery storage. If you live in a house with one or two bedrooms, you’ll likely need solar battery storage with 2-4 kWh of capacity. And if your household has four or five bedrooms, start by looking at 9kWh solar batteries.

How long does a 6kWh solar battery last?

Typically, 6kWh solar battery storage can last approximately 12-hours when you’re only running a few appliances, such as your TV, fridge, and even a few lights. However, it will drain quickly if you add the use of heavy-duty appliances, such as air conditioners, washing machines or dishwashers.

What happens to solar power when batteries are full?

Should the solar battery storage become full, it will stop absorbing power from the solar panel system. The solar panels will continue to generate voltage, but that voltage will not be used or stored until there is available energy demand in your home, or there is battery space.

What is the difference between IP20 or IP65?

IP20 and IP65 are ratings that indicate the level of protection that a solar battery storage has against dust and water ingress. IP stands for Ingress Protection, and the two digits represent the degree of protection against solid particles (such as dust) and liquid (such as water). The higher the number, the better the protection.

Matt Alexander’s Solar Energy Success Story

A 5-Star Review of NXTGEN Energy’s Products & Services

The work’s been done to an incredibly high standard. The cabling is really neat, the system is performing fantastically well, and we can’t believe how much money we’ve saved already. So, generally a big thank you to Stuart, Kelly and everyone at the NXTGEN team, who have done a really, really good job from start to finish.

We really couldn’t be more pleased.

Matt Alexander

NXTGEN Energy Customer, Essex, UK

Commercial Solar Panels Installation New Photo

Commercial Solar Panel Installations

Commercial solar panels are a smart way to reduce your energy bills, lower your carbon footprint and secure your future energy supply. By installing solar panels on your roof or land, you can generate clean and renewable electricity to power your business operations. You can also benefit from the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) which pays you for the excess electricity you export to the grid. Commercial solar panels can help you save money, protect the environment and enhance your reputation as a green business.

Residential Solar Panels Installation New Photo

Residential Solar Panel Installations

Residential solar panels are a great way to generate your own clean and renewable electricity at home. By installing solar panels on your roof, you can cut your electricity bills, reduce your carbon footprint and receive payments for the excess energy you export to the national grid through the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) scheme. Residential solar panels can help you save money, protect the environment and become more energy independent in these times of a cost-of-living-crisis. Now is the time to go solar!

Marcin Gajdowski

21:36 08 Apr 24

I am very happy with the solar panels and battery system. Excellent customer services, Instalation. Highly recommend

Martin Yeung

11:14 31 Mar 24

Fantastic experience from start to finish ! Bobby was extremely helpful and always available to answer any questionsThe guys that came to fit were polite and tidied up after themselves, we couldn't have asked for more.From start to finish it was done within a week... so no hanging about like waiting weeks or months and getting stressed.. so all in all, im very happy to have chosen NXT GEN

Martin Pattinson

15:09 26 Mar 24

We initially used NxtGen for our consultation and this went really well. NxtGen then subcontracted to Cozy Energy, which again was fine. The installation went well. It was then that things started to go awry. Cozy failed to supply us with a guarantee, MPAN or MCS certificate. Over a period of approximately six months, we were promised that "this was being dealt with", or "someone would get back to us", but nothing was resolved. It was then that we re contacted NxtGen and they could not have been more helpful. Whilst it did take a while, all of the issues have been resolved and Kelly at NxtGen could not have been more helpful. I would thoroughly recommend NxtGen.

Luke Brassington

11:27 26 Mar 24

Really happy to give the NxtGen team a 5-star review.Stuart on the sales team was fantastic in the build up, Kelly in the office was always there to support and the team who did the install were fantastic (and even interacted with my very interested children)Very happy with the whole process

Rob Jones

07:59 14 Mar 24

After some initial hiccups, really pleased with the service from nxtgen, specially Kelly who smoothed everything out

Malcolm Tait

10:51 08 Nov 23

Very good customer service all the way and they provide a great all round solar installation provision. Glad we used them from start to finish and after care👍.

Silnicorp Web Design

15:56 17 Oct 23

Excellent price and service. Would recommend for sure.

frank eden

08:24 02 Oct 23

If your in the market for a Solar installation then I can really highly recommend Nxtgen.We researched the technology and got several quotes from other companies most of which were located much closer to us.Nxtgen came out on top on price , specification and delivery.Once we made the decision to proceed the whole process took less than a week from placing the order to complete installation.The scaffold was erected at the front and back of our house on the Wednesday,on the Thursday the installation team arrived at 8.30 sharp , having driven from Essex to Oxfordshire, (which is about a 3 hour drive) and after a quick cup of tea the 3 chaps got straight to work, by the end of the day the whole system was in place and commissioned and up and running. To install 6 panels on front roof plus 6 panels on the back roof CW birdguard with the inverter and battery in the loft,They tidied up and left around 7 in the evening with another 3 HR drive in front of them I have to say they did a fantastic job , I take my hat off to them, they are a credit to Nxtgen.Darren and Kelley from the Sales and admin team at Nxtgen are very helpful and accomodating and made the whole process very easy with prompt responses to any queries we have had along the way,although it's early days and the system only 2 days old the savings are already racking up.Well pleased , I'd post 6 stars if I could, well done Nxtgen

Ash V

09:13 14 Jul 23

A wonderfully efficient installation with a genuine pre-quote discussion of my needs prior to offering advice on the best solution to meet them. Very happy with the service.

10:37 15 Jun 23

I chose NxtGen to install our solar and battery system having received 12 quotes from various companies and couldn’t be happier with either the service or the resulting system.I work in the renewables industry and so came to my own project with a reasonable amount of knowledge, not that I made that clear to any of the installers who called me back.I had spoken with 7 installers by the time Stuart at NxtGen called me, and it was immediately obvious that I was speaking to someone knowledgeable, honest and who was genuinely interested in designing a system specific to my own needs and preferences.Having reviewed all 12 quotes, NxtGen was jumped out above all others based on knowledge, helpfulness, quality of the kit being offered and even price. I wouldn’t have picked a quote based purely on price, but the fact NxtGen was also the most competitive of the 12 I had received meant a great deal.I was kept informed throughout the whole process, Stuart responding quickly and usefully to all my email queries. Once contracts had been signed, Kelly picked up the baton and gave me regular updates on our DNO notification, all the way through to the installation.With DNO approval in hand, we waited just 10 days for the scaffolding to be put up, which was done within a couple of hours and to a very high standard. Plenty of care was taken to protect our new patio, and I was left confident in a job well done.Installation happened just a few days later, and again, it couldn’t have gone any smoother. The 3 installers were all helpful, knowledgeable, friendly and keen to do a good job. The work has been completed to a very high standard, with all wiring very neatly finished and the panels tightly aligned to the exact centre of our roof. The inverter and batteries were also installed incredibly neatly, with all cables hidden. The installers did a great job tidying up on the day and the left us with nothing other than a very positive experience.I was genuinely hopeful that the brilliant first impression I got when I spoke with Stuart would be reflected throughout the entire install, and so I’m beyond delighted that proved to very much be the case.Stuart, Kelly, the scaffolders and the installers should take a great deal of pride in being part of such an excellent team.Thank you to the whole team, I couldn’t be happier and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend NxtGen.

Jill Harrison

18:09 08 May 23

We had Stuart as a project manager who was super. We had solar panels and a house battery fitted and they are excellent. The process was quick and professional and Stuart was super responsive to any questions or emails I sent. The electricians were also excellent. Thank you

Alastair Aston

12:26 24 Apr 23

Great experience on a 7KW solar installation in Hampshire. I sought quotes from many installers beforehand and this was one of the most reasonable. (theres a lot of opportunists out there who'll happily charge a few K more!) Really good decision - Sean managed the whole process end to end, great communication & a quality job that looks great and delivers ample power. Much recommended to anyone taking their first step on the Solar journey.

Joe Fletcher

17:36 04 Apr 23

Like most people I sat other fence for aged, I only wish I had jumped months ago. NXT GEN were by far te out competitive qoute that fulfilled my requirements.Sean arranged installation quickly without any hassle or pressure, the installation was done in one day by a very knowledgeable skilled team who just got on with installing the system.Totally happy with how it's been so far as it's only been 6 days sonce installation yet I've already seen substantial savings on electricity costs.My advice would be just give NXT GEN a call when seeking quotes.

Ronald Wagg

15:58 30 Mar 23

With the energy crisis starting to bite (autumn 2022). We did some research on the various options available we decided that we wanted to install solar panels to ease our energy bills. We obtained three quotes. Nxtgenenergy ticked all of the boxes as far as we were concerned and did happen to be the cheapest. We were helped all the way from quotation to the final installation by Stuart and Sean and at no time did we feel under any pressure. As the system was only installed two days ago we have yet to discover the full potential of the system, but we are encouraged by the performance seen so far. I will be honest and say that my prime concern is to save money, I am sure that my installation will not save the planet. From the projections given to me by Stuart I may be able to achieve a return on my investment of up to 10% per year compared to the small returns I could get if I kept my money invested elsewhere.I look forward to monitoring the system performance over the coming months / years.

Derek Southgate

20:26 23 Jan 23

Really positive experience with Nxtgen. In danger of becoming a solar power evangelist. We needed our roof replaced as well and they handled everything. New roof is first class and I can't stop looking at the app to see how much we are generating. Sean made the system selection clear. Already considering another battery!

Victor Simonis

15:06 05 Sep 22

I dealt with Sean at NXTGen over a six month period due to a complicated installation. I only have praise for Sean who kept to his word throughout the entire job which is now running satisfactorily. I recommend this company amidst the many that are in the same business knowing you will be supported through the planning and installation stages.

Clive West

13:00 24 Aug 22

In looking to install solar and battery this year, Nxtgen were by far the most responsive and helpful company. They had a lot of options compared to other companies, which is good but worth swatting up before so you know whats, what. Ended up with a good sized system, inc battery storage, installed quickly at a good price that so far is working well. This is impressive as demand is so high for this at present, some companies wait lists are months and months!

Geoff Doggett

14:19 25 Jul 22

I had a solar installation planned and installed in March 2022. The quotation was accurate and understandable and so I went ahead. The installers were quick and did a good job including the electrical work and inverter/battery installation. The system has been working well according to the app I have. I wholeheaartedly reccommend Next Generation - they are experienced and their customer care is excellent. Good to know I am in safe hands in the future!

Rick Exton

10:23 25 Jul 22

Great system installed and working perfectly as expected. System design was changed at my request numerous times effortlessly. On day of install engineer suggested better location (loft) for inverter and battery pack meaning no unsightly cables were seen. Great customer service throughout. Getting MCS certification was a bit slow but not the fault of the company. I would definately recommend. Great company and top spec system at a good price.

Dawn Morton

09:17 22 Jul 22

From start to finish this company's professional standards were excellent. Once the acquisition of the materials had been confirmed, the installation and customer service was fantastic and would highly recommend.