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Every year we ask installers in the SolarQuotes network which batteries they would trust in their own family homes. We ask two questions to tease out the best batteries in Australia for both big-spenders and the budget conscious.
In 2023 we added a third question:
Interestingly, the same three brands took the podium for all 3 categories – just in a different order.
Tesla wins for a third straight year with the Powerwall. Tesla Powerwall 2 is a brilliant home battery with 13.2 kWh of storage in a sleek, compact housing and a built-in battery inverter that will AC couple as a retrofit to almost any grid-connected solar power system in Australia.
Tesla’s monitoring app is a joy to use, and the optional time-based control algorithm maximises battery savings on a time-of-use tariff and works brilliantly.
The Powerwall’s home backup just works and sets the standard for all other battery and battery inverters.
Surprisingly, Tesla’s share of ‘best battery’ votes has declined over the three years we’ve run this survey.
I suspect this is due to some installers frustrated with Tesla raising the price over those 3 years. Elon Musk morphing into a complete wazzock over this time probably doesn’t help, either.
Happily for Australian buyers, the cost of Powerwall may have peaked. With last week’s price cut, you can fully install your first Powerwall from about $16,500.
I suspect Tesla will find ways to keep reducing the Powerwall’s price, and I expect a step change in price with the Powerwall 31. If Tesla can manage to build a Gen 3 Powerwall that beats other batteries on $-per-kWh, they are going to fly off the shelves even faster than they do now2. Other home battery manufacturers should be worried.
BYD’s stackable, cobalt-free LiFePo4 ‘B-Box’ is a great home battery and is directly compatible with the fantastic Fronius GEN24 hybrid inverter via DC coupling.
BYD batteries start at 5.1 kWh and go up to 66.2 kWh. Expect to pay about the same as a Tesla Powerwall per kWh if you are adding to an existing Fronius GEN24 powered system, and more if you need to buy a separate battery inverter.
Because BYD batteries require a third-party battery inverter, any functionality in terms of backup, tariff optimisation and monitoring software comes down to the inverter manufacturer or third-party monitoring/control app.
Giant Chinese inverter manufacturer Sungrow recently released their home battery solution in Australia and it’s been a hit. The stackable energy storage solution starts at 9.6 kWh and can be expanded with 3.2 kWh modules. You’ll need a Sungrow inverter to control the battery and can choose AC or DC coupling.
A 12.8 kWh Sungrow battery and Sungrow battery inverter retrofitted to an existing solar system starts at about $14,000 installed at the time of writing.
Sungrow has a great reputation for good value, well-supported hardware and is a great choice if you want to save a few thousand dollars over a Tesla.
I’m getting a Sungrow battery retrofitted to a 6.6 kW system this month. I’ve decided to replace the existing Fronius solar inverter3 with a Sungrow hybrid, so I can get some good personal experience with Sungrow hardware4.
The ‘best value batteries’ podium contains all the ‘best’ winners but in reverse order. It shows how cautious good installers are around battery brands, mostly sticking with the same three even if asked to quote a budget solution.
Lithium-ion home batteries have only been installed in Australia in any volume since 2015. It’s a relatively new market, and good, dedicated, well-resourced Australian support is critical.
Here are the battery brands with the best support:
Knock me down with a feather – it’s the same 3 brands!
For a ‘budget’ brand, Sungrow also gets big props for their helpful Australian support that is better than many ‘premium’ battery brands’ support efforts.
It’s good to see BYD doing well with their Aussie home battery support – bear in mind that if you need help with your BYD you may also need to deal with the battery inverter vendors’ support.
See all SQ recommended solar battery brands here.
Also check out more from the SolarQuotes Installers'' Choice Awards 2023 – Best Solar Panels | Best Solar Inverters | Best Home EV Chargers.
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