Customer stories: Making the switch to our Solar Storage tariff
Left: Robert and Sally with their sonnenBatterie, which was installed in their living room; Right: The Barker’s solar PV panels on the roof of their house in Sigglesthorne, Yorkshire.
Robert has a keen interest in renewable home generation technology, and how battery storage can help him maximise his PV system and complement his existing home set up. He’d researched Tesla, Powervault, Moixa and Puredrive battery storage options in the past, but was most intrigued by the superior features and possibilities for future development of the sonnenBatterie offering.
Robert told us “I did a fair amount of research which led me to the conclusion that sonnen is the most innovative and forward thinking provider out there, especially the sonnen Community collaboration that they have rolled out in several areas around the world.”
He completed the sonnen online survey to assess his eligibility for a sonnenBatterie install, which required details of his current solar PV system, photos of the proposed battery location, and information about existing equipment (such as distances for cabling). This was followed up by a Zoom video call from the sonnen approved installer to discuss his options in greater detail and provide him with a quote. The installation of Robert and Sally’s sonnenBatterie was completed in just one day, and they were then able to make the switch to the Shell Energy Solar Storage Tariff.
To date, the Barkers have already noticed the positive impact this switch has had on their energy bills - in September, their grid consumption was down year-on-year by approximately 200 kWh. The Barkers used 81.3% of the electricity they produced and stored during the month, and the remaining 18.7% was fed back into the grid. Being able to monitor their energy usage online and via the sonnen app, in real-time, and having greater control of their consumption, has also resulted in behaviour changes around their home.
Robert and Sally now alternate washing and baking times to make full use of the available energy stored in their sonneBatterie, and they’ve also made the decision to replace their light bulbs with more energy efficient LED variations to save even more. Since making the switch and installing their sonnenBatterie, they’ve also upgraded their solar inverter (which was eight years old) to a Solar-Edge to improve the performance of their PV panels and overall set up.
The combination of their PV panels, sonnenBatterie and our Solar Storage Tariff has also given the Barker family more peace of mind when it comes to their carbon footprint and overall impact on the planet. This was a big step for them towards their goal to reduce their reliance on gas, and instead only use electricity generated from renewable sources. The Barkers have since installed electric underfloor heating and an electric immersion heater, and they hope to replace their gas boiler soon to have fully electric heating, and plan to move away from cooking with gas too. And once this is all in place, Robert would also like to purchase a pure electric car one day.
In future, the Barkers hope to further maximise their storage capacity to eliminate their use of gas entirely. Robert said “I am hoping that, before long, there will be more energy tariffs available that will enable me to supplement my solar energy, allowing me to charge my battery at a lower off-peak rate and fully utilise its capacity in the winter months, in exchange for feeding back into the grid at peak times. When that is an option, I would certainly install more batteries and increase the capacity to its maximum 15kW.”