How much do solar batteries cost?

Solar batteries help you make the most of your solar panels because they store excess power generated by your system so you can use it later on. Even though it's expensive, investing in solar battery storage means you’re getting maximum value out of your solar energy system and never have to rely on the energy grid.

Batteries can significantly increase the overall cost of your solar system – sometimes even doubling the price of a solar panel installation or existing solar system. If you’re considering whether or not to install energy storage in the form of batteries, it's essential to understand the primary factors that influence the cost of batteries and the labor to install them. Finding a reasonably priced installer is also a crucial part of your total battery cost.

A typical home battery will usually cost between $8,500 to $10,000, not including installation. If that seems like more than you had in mind, here’s what goes into those numbers, and what you can expect to pay for a selection of the most popular batteries on the market today.

On the EnergySage marketplace, a typical home battery will usually cost between $10,000 and $20,000, fully installed. Still, that number can vary widely based on several factors.

Here's what you can expect in terms of starting prices for some of the more popular solar batteries available (for models we don't have standalone pricing for, we've included estimated total costs, including installation):

A few key factors determine how much your energy storage system will cost: the equipment you install, the electrical work required for your installation, and what installer you work with. 

The most significant cost factor of a battery installation is the equipment itself: what battery are you installing, and how many do you need? What chemistry does the battery use to store energy, and does it have its own inverter? While equipment costs typically account for 50-60% of the price of an energy storage system, the installation itself plays a significant role in the overall cost of the system.

Factor 1: The quality of your batteries

Like solar panel costs, the first thing to consider with the batteries you're installing is the product quality you select. While storage products on the market today meet rigorous safety testing requirements, there are still variations in the overall quality of energy storage systems. Expect to pay a higher price for higher-quality products.

Factor 2: The number of batteries you need

Each storage installation is unique, and everyone's energy storage needs are different, but your options for the size of your energy storage system are less flexible than for solar panel systems. It's easy to add or subtract a single solar panel from a system design to fine-tune an installation's capacity. It's more challenging to fine-tune the size of the battery. As a result, storage costs will vary significantly depending on the kilowatt-hours of energy you need to store and, thus, the number of batteries you need to install.

Factor 3: The chemistry of your battery

There are a few different types of batteries available for home and business owners on the market today. The most common ones typically use some form of lithium-ion chemistry to store electricity. The two most common types of lithium-ion batteries are nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) and lithium-iron phosphate (LFP). Each chemistry has different characteristics: NMC batteries tend to be more power dense while LFP batteries tend to last longer–which also means they have different costs. On the EnergySage marketplace, LFP batteries are often 30-50% more expensive than NMC batteries. Two of the highest quality LFP batteries on our marketplace are Enphase IQ and FranklinWH aPower, for example, and Generac PWRcell and the LG Energy Solution Prime are some of the best NMC batteries available.

Factor 4: Does your battery have its own inverter?

Batteries store direct current (DC) electricity, but your home or business uses alternating current (AC) electricity. An inverter converts the DC electricity stored in your battery to usable AC electricity. Some batteries come with their own hybrid solar-plus-storage or storage-specific inverter. If yours doesn't, you'll need to purchase one, increasing the overall cost of your system.

Factor 5: Retrofit vs. new solar and storage

Energy storage installations require significant electrical work. As a result, if you install storage at the same time as your solar system, you'll see savings by having all the electrical work done simultaneously – saving on labor costs, as well as the time it takes to install the system.

Factor 6: Critical load panels

Most storage solutions that exist today aren't large enough to cover your entire residential electricity usage, so you'll have to put specific circuits onto a critical load panel. A critical load panel functions like a secondary electrical panel where you put the essential circuits that you want to remain energized in the event of an outage. While the critical load panel itself isn't costly, the electrical work required to install one can add up.

Factor 7: Where you find your installer

There's no one-size-fits-all storage solution. That’s why it's essential to get multiple quotes and compare prices the same way you would for other major financial purchases like a car or a new HVAC system.

If you use EnergySage's online quote comparison platform to find your solar and storage installer, you're much more likely to pay less for solar and storage.

EnergySage is the nation's online marketplace for solar and storage. When you sign up for a free account, we connect you with companies in your area who compete for your business with custom solar-plus-storage quotes tailored to your needs. Over 10 million people visit EnergySage annually to learn about, shop for, and invest in solar and home batteries. Sign up today to see how much you can save.