Solar Battery Storage: Cut Energy Bills with Up to 100% Self-Consumption

Yes. In many cases solar battery storage delivers excellent value in Melbourne. With rising electricity prices, low feed in tariffs and the ability to use stored energy during peak times, batteries help reduce your reliance on the grid. For households or businesses with variable daytime usage, the benefits accumulate over time.

Cost depends on battery capacity, brand, installation complexity, and compatibility with an existing solar system. Before rebates, a typical 10 to 13 kWh battery plus installation may cost tens of thousands of dollars. With new rebate schemes, the effective cost can be significantly lower.

Often yes. When paired with solar panels in Melbourne, a battery lets you store excess energy for use at night or during cloudy days. This increases self consumption, reduces grid imports, and boosts your return. It also offers backup power during outages. Whether it is worthwhile depends on your electricity usage, tariff structure and battery cost versus savings.

Solar batteries store surplus energy generated by your solar panels during the day. When solar production is insufficient, such as at night or on overcast days, the battery discharges to supply your home or facility. A battery system is managed via an inverter or hybrid inverter, which regulates charging, discharging and ensures battery health.

Yes. New federal and state initiatives offer support. From 1 July 2025 a Cheaper Home Batteries Program provides a rebate of about 30 percent off the upfront cost of eligible battery systems across Australia, including Victoria.
In Victoria the previous interest free battery loan under the Solar Homes Program is no longer open, but homeowners may still stack federal rebates with other state incentives.

High quality lithium batteries generally come with warranties of 10 to 15 years. Many continue to operate beyond that with gradually declining capacity. Actual life depends on usage, depth of discharge, temperature and maintenance.

Yes. In most cases you can retrofit a battery to an existing solar PV system. The new battery must work with your inverter or may require an inverter upgrade. Installers will assess system capacity, wiring and energy flows to design it correctly.

To select a suitable battery size, review your average daily energy use, peak loads, timing of usage, solar production pattern and future needs (for example EV charging). A properly sized battery balances cost with storage capacity so you avoid paying for unused capacity.

It can. Some battery systems allow backup operation to power essential circuits during power outages. Not all systems support backup mode – it depends on the battery, inverter and how the system is wired.

Savings depend on how much solar energy you already generate, how much you consume during non solar hours and your electricity rates. A battery can reduce imported grid electricity, especially during peak times. Over its life a well designed battery system can deliver a strong return on investment.