AI-Powered Home Batteries

People use much higher-than-average power in the evenings and renewables are harvesting most power at other times (mostly overnight for wind, and peaking around noon for solar). Because of this a lot of the renewable power has to be curtailed (switched off) as there is no one to use it all and then gas peaker plants have to be switched on in the evening. Energy companies have rolled out smart tariffs to encourage people to use more of the excess renewables and sometimes even pay customers at these times. These rates change every 30 minutes and by monitoring this we can charge our customers’ batteries with renewable energy and then power their own homes or export to other homes in the neighbourhood. Installing these batteries in people’s homes and keeping the energy local also means we can utilise the existing grid better and avoid or delay grid upgrades that would be required for the energy electrification transition. Even if you already have a green electricity tariff, this is based around trading of certificates and you’ll still be receiving a lot of your power from gas power plants at peak times (unless you have a battery).

Absolutely not. Whilst batteries are currently most commonly paired with solar in the UK, they are really great running on their own as long as they are controlled in a smart way such as this. All our batteries can have solar added to them later, keeping that option open. However, there are many households that can’t install solar (e.g. apartments) so a battery is a great alternative.

We have developed a Machine Learning model called a Deep Recurrent Neural Network. You may have seen videos of AI algorithms that can play computer games without being given any instruction, just feedback in the form of a score. This is the approach we took with Battery Badger. We let it “play” hundreds of thousands of games, charging and discharging batteries in a simulation based on historical data, giving it feedback in the form of an electricity bill. Eventually the AI learns to make great decisions and is hard to compete at as a human. We can then fine-tune this general mode to each individual customer installation based on data we receive about energy usage patterns and battery characteristics. Our calculator will let you compare performance of our model to some simpler time-based, and grid-price-based algorithms.

Planning consent is not required to install a battery as they fall under permitted development rights. You may need to seek approval from the relevant authorities if you live in a conservation area, listed or building of historical interest.

Your network operator will probably need to be notified prior to your battery being fully energised. We’ll handle all this, however, and it’s all part of our standard installation procedure.

Yes, to make use of our smart battery optimisation technology you’ll need to be on a tariff where the rate changes over the course of a day so that the battery can be charged up when the price is low and discharge when the price is high. Our calculator will help you compare and select the best tariff.

Yes, for the electricity company to know how much to charge you on your smart tariff, you’ll need an SMETS1 or SMETS2 smart meter which takes and sends meter readings every half hour. This can be installed when you switch tariffs but it will delay you from making full use of your battery. We would recommend switching over to your new tariff and confirming that your meter is reporting correctly before purchasing your battery.

Yes, work undertaken is covered by a 2 year workmanship warranty, backed by HIES. All our batteries have a minimum of 10 year warranty from the manufacturer.

Usually installation is completed in one working day. More complex installations, however, may take slightly longer.

We arrange with installers in your local area to carry out the work. Typically this happens within two weeks.

Yes, you’ll need to have it uninstalled and reinstalled by an approved technician.

Make sure to check the IP rating to determine whether it can be installed externally as well as internally. Your installation engineer will discuss your preferred location with you ahead of the work. If you have any specific requests, please contact us ahead of ordering. New guidelines have recommended that batteries are not installed in main loft spaces due to their weight.

No, your battery belongs to you and you are in charge of how it is controlled. If you decide you would rather set your own timers or use features provided by the manufacturer then you are free to do so. Our evidence shows that our optimiser will reduce the payback period significantly and we provide our service for free until the battery has paid for itself. From then on you can continue to use the service for a low monthly subscription fee.

The OFGEM guidelines approve of installing a battery system to a property which is receiving payments from the FIT scheme. However, we don’t recommend using our battery and optimiser technology as you can’t claim SEG (smart export guarantee) for battery power exported to the grid if you’re already receiving FIT payments. Doing so could breach your FIT agreement.

It depends on which battery you choose, but yes it is possible. Regulations require the home to be switched into an off-grid or “island” mode, physically separating it from the grid to avoid harming people who are fixing the grid. Our Tesla Powerwalls come with this feature but check for others. In general the UK has a very reliable grid compared to other countries so it’s not considered such a big issue but can be useful for some.