Solar Batteries - Voltx Vs AlphaESS Vs Premium Brands

Megatron on 22/05/2025 - 13:36

Hi All,

With the federal battery rebate kicking in, in Jul, I have started re-exploring a battery option as electricity prices in SA are atrociously high and AER have approved another 5.1% increase from Jul.

I am quite overwhelmed by information available online, the brands that are there and variable pricing. So wanting to understand what people's thoughts are on some of these selcted brands -

Voltx Energy and Alpha ESS

Pros & Cons:
- Priced about the same
- Voltx appears to have better warranty than AlphaESS
- AlphaESS has been in the market longer than Voltx
- Both companies suggest that the battery will be at about 80% capacity in 20 years time. Though performance warranty is only 10 years, so that is nothing more than a sales pitch at face value

Premium brands like Sungrow and Tesla

Sungrow is about 0.75x more expensive than Voltx and Alpha while Tesla is 1.3x more expensive after the rabates. So I am not sure if they are value for money compared with Voltx and Alpha.

What are people's experience? Are there any other brands I should be considering?

Home & Garden Solar Battery

Comments

  • Riczter on 22/05/2025 - 13:52

    I'd recommend using Solarquotes.com.au as one of your primary sources of information, they used to be an independent source but they were apparently recently bought out by a company but they still have a wealth of good info, including rankings from installers and reviewers of what the best batteries are, and the best installers to use, so its a good starting point for getting familiar with brands and their reliability. Personally I like the look of Sigenergy and lining up one of their systems for my place.

    Often your best option will be dictated by your existing setup. For example If you already have solar with a 5kw Goodwe hybrid inverter, then your best and most efficient setup is probably going to be compatible branded goodwe batteries so you can use your existing inverter and so they can be DC Coupled. AC Coupled is still an option but often if your inverter is only 5kw then you are losing some solar generation and efficiency, so it depends on what you've got already.

  • 7ekn00 on 22/05/2025 - 14:06
    -3

    Battery chemistry and type are far more important than brand :/

    Expand your research to other battery technologies like "Flow Batteries", etc

    • Megatron on 22/05/2025 - 14:53
      +1

      That seems like looking for an alien currently.. cant see much details and everything seems to says "Could" and "potentially". Other than the theories, what track records do these things have? What data is there to support the "Flow betteries are better"?

      • airzone on 22/05/2025 - 15:40
        +1

        Chemistry is important though. LFP is the ideal lithium chemistry for house batteries, although could be a bit difficult in cold climates without active heating. Some companies (although not many now) are using ternary chemistries.

        I'd personally ignore pie-in-the-sky stuff until there's actual industry behind it.

      • 7ekn00 on 22/05/2025 - 16:04
        -2

        Got three flow batteries out back currently running a three-phase system ;)

        Cheaper, can charge to 100%, can be left at 100% or 0% without degradation, no chance of fire, etc etc

        To "renew" you just refill with their electrolyte solutions (much cheaper after 10 years than buying a whole complete battery again)!

        • sacah on 22/05/2025 - 19:13

          Where did you get the batteries from?

          • 7ekn00 on 22/05/2025 - 19:16
            -1

            @sacah: Redflow liquidation sale :P

            • sacah on 22/05/2025 - 19:55

              @7ekn00: Ah, lucky duck. When I started looking for alternate batteries I mostly found links to Redflow going bankrupt )-:

  • ESEMCE on 22/05/2025 - 15:02
    +1

    Are you comparing like for like?
    The Tesla, as I understand it, is a single unit that does everything, Holds the cells, the Inverters, manages all of the communications and the Islanding tech (so you can power the house through a blackout)

    Other brands tend to split components out. Selling different capacity Inverter units, a separate unit if you want to Island from the grid or not.

    • Megatron on 22/05/2025 - 15:04
      +1

      I am looking at it on the basis of my purpose which is to power the home at a reasonable ROI. I dont have space restrictions so it can be a big bulky unit and as long as it is safe, I wouldnt care. They all have blackout protection and something I may not every need.. we had like 3 blackouts in 7 years where I am.

      • ESEMCE on 22/05/2025 - 15:23
        +2

        They all have blackout protection

        They all have the capability, but for some you have to buy the addon, which will shrink the price difference if you value that feature.

        They all have different power delivery and recharging rates, these are important factors to consider depending on your use case.

        They might also have different actual battery capacities. ie the Powerwall advertises 13kWh, but actually ships with 15kWh.
        Others on the market advertise 8kWh, but are actually rated at 7.6KWh. The joys of marketing!

        I've also only stared on this journey, but these are a couple of the points I've picked up so far!
        Once I've studied up enough, I'll end up approaching a few installers for recommendations and quotes.

        • Megatron on 22/05/2025 - 15:35

          So I have been quoted $4750 for a 20kw Neovolt unit.. $600 extra for blackout protection that ai will not need.. the price is after a $7k assumed federal rebate. A Tesla 13kw unti after rebate is likely to cost more than double that..so in my mind it is a no brainer.

          • ESEMCE on 22/05/2025 - 15:42

            @Megatron: You're miles ahead of me getting prices already.
            Assuming that's the case, I'd tend to agree.

            • Megatron on 22/05/2025 - 17:20
              +1

              @ESEMCE: Just got anothe remail where this guy has provided 5 options, so pretty good to get an idea.

              Neovolt 9.6kW solar battery $3600 including installation

              Alpha Ess 9.6kW solar battery $4200 including installation

              Sungrow Ess 9.6kW solar battery $7838.52 including installation

              Sigenergy 10kW solar battery $9595.4 including installation
              Sigenergy 15.6kW solar battery $9610.68 including installation

              Tesla Powerwall 3 13.5kW solar battery $11,045 including installation

  • w3dge on 22/05/2025 - 15:03

    I've actually got an alpha ess smile g3 based on a state rebate which I've had for a few years. I haven't had any issues with it, and the app is serviceable although I assume it's storing all it's data in China. I bought it based purely on price not because j had any idea.

    things I learnt.
    1. Even buying the cheapest battery I could, Iit was a terrible investment.
    2. Batteries are even worse value if you keep a buffer to cover power drops

    • Megatron on 22/05/2025 - 15:10
      +1

      I know ACT has one of the cheapest energy rates so I can imagine how it would have been a terrible investment. I am unsure how much you spent but I was looking at a 13Kw unit 2 years ago that was costing $9k and I couldnt make any investment sense out of it.

      But now things have changed for us, the federal rebate has now dropped the same battery cost to about $5k.. electricity rates went up by 21% and again set to rise by 5.5% in July.. we have effectively gone from payign 37c a unit peak rate to 48c a unit.. and feed in tarrifs have gone from 10c to 1c. That makes my solar investment look bad so I am trying to correct it by spending more on a battery lol.

      • w3dge on 22/05/2025 - 18:16
        +1

        You've done way more research tha I did originally and yes, we pay low rates while still getting a good rebate for the moment so you sound like a much better position. I also didn't realise until reading this post comments how big the rebate is, I paid about 6.5k installed for 10kw.

        For my usage, I worked out afterwards I needed around 3x my inverter, so 30kw, but I also have two cars that plugin.

        Btw. According to my app, my battery is at 95% condition after roughly 4 years.

  • airzone on 22/05/2025 - 15:35

    I have a 20kwh ESY Sunhome… It's basically the next size up cheapie system. I got it for $8.7k after NSW rebates, but the advertised prices with federal rebates makes me a bit sad now :(

    It's fine, the app's pretty crap, but I built a HomeAssistant integration for it. I looked at VoltX and the numbers were a bit marginal for my use. It really helps if you can dump all your power and solar data out, so that you can model a few what-if scenarios with different power plans and load shifting situations. Mine came back with a 4 - 4.5 year payback, but at it's current run rate, it'll be less. Last month, for example, I paid about $7-8 on peak rate power (6-11am, 2pm-12am) compared to about $200 last year. So far my bills have been 200-300 a month cheaper. I was never going to see any meaningful payback on a Tesla PW or Sonen, but with the federal rebates that may have changed.

    • Megatron on 22/05/2025 - 15:41
      +2

      Good post mate.. i have a very simple calc, we use on average 18kw per day of peak power at 45c.. soon to be 47.5c.

      With a 20kw battery and some scheduling within the battery, I am expecting to save 15kw per day on average.. so about $7 a day.. that is about $2.5k a year so a 3 year ROI.. which was 7 years pre rebates and they didnt make sense then.. now with 3 years or even 4, they do.. in 10 years we will be paying at least double in electricity costs and once you account for that, it is a lot lucrative for us in SA

      • airzone on 22/05/2025 - 15:50
        +1

        Nail on the head… All my calcs are based on todays rate, but in the back of my mind was always price is increasing, not decreasing. I would be surprised if my actual payback doesn't arrive at 3 years..

        Also, do keep into account expandability… A more premium system may operate in parallel.. I don't know about VoltX stuff, but ESY don't support inverters in parallel.

    • mr_alligator on 22/05/2025 - 22:48

      Hi @airzone i am considering an ESY too. Have you had it for a while? Any other issues apart from the app.

      Would really appreciate if you could share the nsw provider details.

      Also i am not sure if this battery is eligible for a VPP rebate yet?

      • airzone on 23/05/2025 - 09:41

        I'm not in a VPP. I think there's a 3rd party service you can use if you want to do the VPP / wholesale route.

        I used Solaris Tech to install. They sub out the work, but the subbie did an excellent job… So much better than the solar install I have (with employed sparkies). The sales guys are much more in touch with reality than their install designer…

        I've had it for about 6 or 7 months - basically the first day the NSW rebate came in. Solaris was still figuring out the process.

        When the system was new, it would occasionally go haywire, but that was tracked down to ESY performing firmware updates. It's been settled for the last few months. Also, I had to put in a ticket to ESY to reduce the floor from 15% to 5% as I don't have any circuits wired as emergency backup.

        • mr_alligator on 23/05/2025 - 10:41

          Wonderful, thanks for getting back.

          Yes I can see that many installers were providing the EYS 20-25kw batteries for circa $9k before the fed rebates were announced. Fed rebates for a 25kw battery would be roughly $9k so theoretically they should be installing the ESY batteries for no additional out of pocket costs. I had already spoken to Solaris tech previously and couple of other installers but to no one's surprise they have now jacked their prices and want an additional $2.5k.

          Re VPP - I am keep to only sign up to claim the state VPP rebate and then change provider as I do not intend to export battery power on a daily basis. I know you can get into Amber through Evergen but when you go to the accrediters website to start an application process for the VPP rebate, the ESY batter is not listed under Amber yet. Hopefully they fix this soon as that will be additional $900 in cash you can claim for a 25kw battery ($450 now and $450 after 3 years).

          • airzone on 23/05/2025 - 10:45

            @mr_alligator: Well it's normal that a government rebate is announced, the vendors are going to want a bigger bite of the cherry. Still, if you can get 25kwh for 2.5k, then you're laughing.

            One word of caution though, the maximum I could install and claim NSW rebates was 20kwh with an outside install on a single-story house with eves. There's a clearance requirement from the top of the unit to the eves, and 25kwh wouldn't fit within that.

            • mr_alligator on 23/05/2025 - 10:48

              @airzone: Thanks for the tips. My only concern is the lack of reviews re ESY. I contacted their office in Greenacre and they were very willing to answer all the questions. Alpha and Neovolt have a lot more reviews online.

              • airzone on 23/05/2025 - 10:52

                @mr_alligator: Yeah when I did my original research, I found that ESY have been in the OEM battery space for about 20 years doing stuff for laptops and phones. Home batteries are new to them though, so I can see the additional risk vs neovolt.

                • mr_alligator on 24/05/2025 - 11:42

                  @airzone: Sorry to ask so many questions.

                  I see that you may be in Sydney too, can you please confirm if you went with a 5kw or 6kw ESY inverter. Conflicting information from providers. Apparently Endeavour in NSW may not allow a 6k inverter on single phase?

                  • airzone on 24/05/2025 - 18:47
                    +1

                    @mr_alligator: ESY inverter is 5.5kw charge, 6kw discharge. I don't know what they need to do to get the paperwork done, however on Endeavour you can apparently have 5kw inverter with no permission, 10kw with automatic permission (need to apply, and need to limit exports to 5kw), and anything else with permission (which is likely to come back OK, just 5kw export limit).

  • Alzori on 22/05/2025 - 17:27

    Hadn't seen the Voltx (or Bytepower) Neovolt option yet, those look like a decent budget option. Seems like if you get e.g. 20kW with that system, you get 2x inverters? Does that mean you get 10kW output power max? The marketing material seems to suggest you buy two full "Neovolt Home Battery Systems" if you want double the power capacity.

    I'm leaning towards the cheaper systems. I'm technically minded enough and stubborn enough to work through issues that crop up, and I'd rather the shorter payback period. Don't really mind the tinkering. Ideologically I'm opposed to Tesla despite their products being pretty nice, and I don't see much value in the other mid-range offerings.

    • Megatron on 22/05/2025 - 18:17

      Pretty spot on with that thinking. I have been quoted one 5 Kw Inverter with 2x 10Kw batteries.

      In my mind, all that means is while you have 20Kw storage, your maximum capacity is 5Kwh. I think 5Kwh is sufficient for most homes.. I checked my energy app and the maximum hourly usage last month was about 4Kwh.. and we have a 10Kw AC and a 5Kw AC which were both running at the same time.

      Happy to be corrected if my understanding is wrong.

      • vorsprung on 22/05/2025 - 18:35
        +2

        Mixing up kW and kWh.

        You will have 20kWh energy.
        With a single 5kW inverter you will have 5kW max power from those batteries.

        Battery is kWh (energy)
        Inverter is kW (power)

        If you have 10+5kW ACs, and they actually draw that much at any given time, the single inverter will not be able to handle that demand. It can only output 5kW. You will instead draw the remaining power from the grid (assuming no solar available).

        I’m getting one of these batteries, but I guess it’s important to be aware of its limits.

        • Megatron on 22/05/2025 - 18:47
          -3

          Nope I am not confused between KwH and Kw, thought I might type incorrectly sometimes, but yes those terms can definitely be confusing.

          Ok so
          - A 5Kw inverter is capable of handling 5Kwh input/output so technically they are same thing
          - A 10Kw AC doesnt mean it will consume 10Kwh. When referring to an AC, the 10Kw is its cooling or heating capacity not power usage. The one I have and I just checked on the fujitsu website, can use a Max of 3Kw power. Now I have validated this as my Powershop app provides me 30 minute breakdown of consumption.. so when I had both 10Kw and 5 Kw aircons on, my maximum usage for the hour was 4.8 Kw

          If you want to validate, google "how much does a 10kw cooling ac consume in power" and it returns "A 10kW cooling air conditioner will typically consume between 2.6 and 3.1 kWh per hour, depending on its efficiency rating (EER)"

          So in technical terms, if I get a 5Kw inverter and 20Kw batteries, it will take minimum 4 hours for a full charge. And the maximum output it can provide is 5Kw per hour. I am no electrician but this is all based on Google research.

          • Alzori on 22/05/2025 - 19:20
            +3

            @Megatron: Sorry to say mate, you do have the units backwards. A Watt is a unit of Joules per second, it's a rate of energy transfer over time, or power. Inverters are measured in kW as a power unit, they don't have a kWh rating because they don't store any energy within themselves, they just convert energy from one form to another up to a maximum rate.

            Batteries store energy. since Watts is a unit of energy/time, if you multiply it by time (as in kW * h, or kWh) you get energy/time*time, the time part cancels and you are just left with energy (after unit conversions). Batteries will have a storage capacity measured in kWh usually.

            Batteries may also have rated charge/discharge rates in kW (as a unit of power). Your maximum charge/discharge rates can be dictated by either your batteries or your inverter.

            • Megatron on 22/05/2025 - 19:34

              @Alzori: Inverters dont have a kWh rating.. correct.. but what is the maxium output per hour you can get out of a 5Kw inverter?

              Think of kW not just as a unit of power but also the rate at which energy is used, and kWh as the total amount of energy used over time. For example, a 1 kW appliance running for 1 hour consumes 1 kWh of energy. So a 5kW inverter has a maximum capacity to convert 5 kW energy per hour.

          • tunzafun001 on 22/05/2025 - 23:23

            @Megatron: You will discharge the battery in full in just under 4 hrs at night. Assuming you don't cook, heat water or watch tv of have a fridge. Also, 100% is not usable and conversion losses through the inverter exists (to get from DC back to AC).
            So more like 3 hours.

            But solar pv generation doesn't just turn off, it tapers off. So your battery will kick in late arvo. If you are using 5kw non stop, the battery will probably be drained about 1.5hrs after sunset.

            But…20kwh is 20kwh. Here, each kWh is 54c. So simple maths.

            Key is to run the AC hard 10 - 3pm. Shut it down by sunset. Fire it up fo an hr later on (if needed). Whole night done under battery.

            • Megatron on 22/05/2025 - 23:39

              @tunzafun001: I have been looking at my usage in powershop app.. our usage from 3pm to 1am is about 18kw average.. heating is used in moderation.. we might have some days when we crank up the heater continuously and hit about 30 kw usage for same period but that would be like once a month. We also have ToU rates so plan is -

              • Battery charged during solar generation or between 10am to 3pm at 24c per kwh
              • Use battery power from 3pm to 1am and save 18kw (saved over $7 of peak usage)
              • charge battery from grid between 1am and 6am at a rate of 18c kwh.. might set it to charge only 10kw as morning usage from 6-10 am is generally less than 10kw

              Even if I ignore everything else, we would still save enough and more in summers when our solar produces 40kwh and feed back to grid about 25 kwh of that at 1c.

              • tunzafun001 on 22/05/2025 - 23:44

                @Megatron: This is a good way to do it.
                Making TOU work for you is key. Especially if a heavy user. Just factor in the cost of a battery cycle. Ie. $5k battery rated at 5000 cycles. $1 each.
                No use saving 80c per cycle. But your numbers seem to crunch… assuming peak rates are horrific like here.

                I'd look at drafts in doors/ windows, insulation, curtains etc. kWh numbers are high.
                On average we use 6.5kwh per night. But don't use AC much (if at all after 6pm).
                Putting the Bunnings 6mm draft tape on all door seals, under doors and getting roller shutters made the most difference. Our insulation is the original 1970 stuff.

                • Megatron on 22/05/2025 - 23:48

                  @tunzafun001: Yeah we have done that except on one front door.. we are in a 1950s doube brick house.. windows, doors and roof have all been changed.. we get pretty good insulation in summers but winters are pretty cold inside.. I think it is more to do with those old vents in the double brick walls.. we have renovated everything except for those vents as wife wanted continuous flow of fresh air haha.

                  • tunzafun001 on 22/05/2025 - 23:58

                    @Megatron: Right, if you have those vents then they are your biggest issue by far.

                    We have basically an identical house. I covered them up when we moved in. I used the inside of cereal boxes (as the white inside is almost identical to our paint color). Cut out rectangles. Glued em on. Made a HUGE difference in winter.

                    They were created as people back in those days couldn't afford Aircon. So they are the "Aircon" for summer and a vent for a fireplace.

                    You don't have those, you don't need them. definitely don't want them. Plenty of fresh air still finds its way in. But can't help you with that battle (other than the above - ie. They were designed for houses with no Aircon).

          • tunzafun001 on 22/05/2025 - 23:39
            -1

            @Megatron: If it helps. I bought a Growatt 13kwh battery (DC coupled) back in 2019. Hasn't missed a beat and is still has 100% capacity.

            I went with DC coupled as there are less losses in conversion (DC solar, DC battery) and it also charges from solar during a black out (AC coupled inverters back then didn't work as they required a grid signal to function).

            Lastly, I didnt pay for emergency back up. But found the hard ware (a simple plug that connects to the EpS output, next to the grid connection plug) in the bin after the installers left. Spent maybe 15 mins making my own RCBO adapter with a caravan input plug, and now have full house EPS backup (not the single circuit rubbish). Can't go into how that is done, but find a friend who is a half decent sparky (older the better) and they will sort it out.
            Key takeaway - an EPS is just a plug coming from your inverter with AC output, that becomes energised when a grid signal is lost.

            Lastly, look at the product, not the brand. Growatt had a bad name. They don't put cooling fans on the inverter. It runs up to 80+C (hence the reason for failures/ bad name). Spoke to tech support (who are excellent to deal with by the way). They said customers dont want fan noise. So they just have a huge heatsink.
            I added 4 PC fans (placed on top of heatsink) that pull air through and up. Powered by a AliExpress special solar panel (ment for a pond pump). Siliconed it next to actual solar panels.
            When its bright, fans dial out. No sun..no fans.
            Now doesn't go above 50C . Will last heaps longer. Fans $10, solar panel $6.

            • Megatron on 22/05/2025 - 23:53

              @tunzafun001: I spoke with a retailer today and he offered Growatt as an option.. but then said Neovolt will be cheaper for a 20kw option due to some crazy battery pricing.

              Does Growatt still has the heating problems or have they fixed them in the current products?

              • tunzafun001 on 23/05/2025 - 00:03

                @Megatron: Don't know to be honest mate.

                Price of Growatt gear has gone up a bit though (I paid $3k installed for ours).

                I will look into Neovolt though (want to get a set up for my tenant). Elderly…they basically have been kicked to the kerb with modern economics.

                Who is selling Neovolt? Never heard of them before. But again, I only care about the product itself.

                • Megatron on 23/05/2025 - 00:08

                  @tunzafun001: Pretty much everyone I have spoken with.. Voltx Energy gave me a pretty good price and the sales rep was pretty reasonable. Voltx and Neovolt are both relatively new but couple of people, real people, in online forums have vouched for Neovolt as usera of it over last 18 months.

                  I am currently waiting for Sunboost to give me a Neovolt quote as I would prefer them over Voltx only because I got my solar from them and they were really good. It also helps that they have been in the industry for 15 years.

                  You can start by reaching out to Voltx via their website and then perhpas find some other retailers locally to you.

                  • tunzafun001 on 23/05/2025 - 00:20

                    @Megatron: Cheers.

                    Do you know if these can still charge from solar during a blackout?

                    Easiest question to ask is, will these work off-grid. My Growatt system isn't an off-grid system, but will happily run off grid.

  • Megatron on 22/05/2025 - 20:09

    Question for someone with knowledge -

    Would a single phase battery work with a 3 phase connection and solar inverter?

    So we have currenty have a "Fronius Symo 5 kW 3 Phase 2 MPPT Grid Connect (Symo 5.0-3-M)" solar inverter.

    We are looking to add on a battery system and the Neovolt guy has priced a single phase battery with a "Three phase smart meter"

    Neovolt AC couple 5kW inverter SPB5k * 1
    Neovolt 10.1kWh battery Bat-10.1P * 1

    A Premium Three-Phase Smart Meter is required for the battery's inverter to ensure even energy distribution across all phases and efficient monitoring of the entire solar system

    Will this work or would cause problems in long run?

    • DoctorCalculon on 22/05/2025 - 21:13

      Would a single phase battery work with a 3 phase connection and solar inverter?

      Yes, but only one of the phases will be backed up.

      • Megatron on 22/05/2025 - 21:47

        But they says the three phase smart meter would distribute even energy across all 3 phases.. or are you referring to something else?

        • airzone on 22/05/2025 - 22:37

          A meter isn't going to adjust the phase angle… They may be suggesting to add their own meter to try and take advantage of the netting between the phases..

          Basically phase 1 imports 5kwh, phase 2 imports 5kwh, phase 3 exports 5kwh….. You're billed for 5 + 5 - 5 = 5kwh.

      • thedeep on 22/05/2025 - 22:49

        Actually because the maximum energy drawn from the battery is approx 20A (5kW / 240-250V), the electrician will only want to connect 2 circuits to make sure too much power isn't drawn.

    • norrisrules on 23/05/2025 - 09:33
      +2

      Consider the scenario:
      Your battery is on Phase A and your air-conditioning is on Phase B. When you turn your air-con on, the power is drawn directly from the grid. Your battery detects the pull from the grid, and discharges an equal amount of power back TO the grid on the battery's phase. Your meter then does net-metering and says the net usage at that point in time is 0, so you get charged nothing.

      So while the grid is active, everything will work as expected. When the grid goes down though, that's when only the single phase that your battery is running on will have power, the other 2 phases will be dead until the grid comes back up.

      • Megatron on 23/05/2025 - 11:38

        Thanks for explaining.. couple of retailers I spoke with, they advised against using a single phase battery with a 3 phase connection.. in their view, it wouldnt work effectively.. the ofcourse have a sale motive so I am failing to understand what the real difference will be between going with the single phase option Voltx provided vs going for a 3 Phase option which appears to be $2k dearer.

        • norrisrules on 23/05/2025 - 12:13

          Not as effective at backing up your house? sure. Other than that, you won't notice any difference in real world scenarios. I've had a battery for 5 years (single phase battery on 3 phase house) and the only mildly annoying thing was that i could only turn the lights on in 1/3 of my house for a 2 hour period. But the battery covers the router and fridge, so not worth the effort/cost JUST to get 3 phase backup.

          The real benefit is shifting peak usage to solar/off peak, and if you can get the right tarrif, you have the chance to discharge the battery up to 2x per day . Charge on solar, discharge at night. Then charge midnight -> 6am and discharge until solar kicks back in. It works especially well for days like today where there's virtually 0 solar generation where i am, but i've still got 100% battery when i wake in the morning.

          • Megatron on 23/05/2025 - 14:33

            @norrisrules: 2 hour period? do you mean a 2 hour blackout period? I am thinking we will be fine as long a they can connect the circuit or phase that runs our power points.

            I am absolutely planning on using the TOU tarrif to best use as night time rate is almost 65% cheaper than peak rate.

  • Barrj46 on 23/05/2025 - 12:06

    To be eligible for the Federal Government battery, the battery must be an approved battery on the Clean Energy Council approved list.

    Voltx don't appear to be on the approved battery list on the CEC website.

    • Megatron on 23/05/2025 - 13:22

      They are, look for Neovolt.. Many people online have confirmed that they had thier installation done by them and STCs passed on.

  • Barrj46 on 23/05/2025 - 12:08

    Backup power during a grid outage
    Most people think that when they get a battery they also get 'backup' power during grid outages.
    That is most certainly NOT the case.

    Most inverters have an additional 'backup box' that is usually installed by the switchboard.
    In addition to the cost of that box, the installing electrician has to almost re-wire the whole switchboard.
    Very time consuming job adding backup and therefore, usually quite expensive.
    Some inverters have the backup circuits in-built and don't need a separate box…
    …even then there's still a lot of install time, and quite often more expensive higher current carrying cables than usual.
    It varies from product to product but allow $2,000 as an average to add 'backup' with your new battery.

    • Megatron on 23/05/2025 - 16:06

      All the options I have looked at, have blackout protection included within the inverter.. there is an additional cost to connect the circuits to backup power through.. most installers have suggested $200-300 for connection 2 essential circuits.. so while not full house backup, still good enough if you can get your power points and lights on it unless someone lives in a area with lots of power outages.

  • Waltervp on 23/05/2025 - 17:24
    -1

    My 5kw solar has covered all our usage so far, my bill is 900 in credit - also thanks to government support. Would it be worth my while to consider a battery for blackout and profit/environmental/future reasons?

    I like my battery to be grid accesible so the grid can use it when needed. Maybe in the future.

    Would be nice to save some money on my electricity account for a rainy day. Would it be taxable income?

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