YOU DON'T NEED SOLAR TO MAKE A BATTERY PAY - SAYS THE SOLAR MAN!
Yes, I know. I'm Solar Sid and I'm telling you to get a battery WITHOUT solar panels. My wife said I've finally lost the plot. But hear me out…
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The cheapest electricity in Ireland right now isn't coming from your roof. It's coming from the grid at 2am when normal people are asleep, and I'm up checking battery apps. (It's a lifestyle).
It's called load shifting. Fancy name for buying cheap and being tight - something we Irish have been doing for generations.
Here's the con job - on the ESB:
You get a battery on your wall. It wakes up at 2am - 6am and stuffs itself full of cheap EV electricity at 9-11c per kWh.
Then during the day when the grid is charging you 35c - 50c, your house just winks and says “Nah, I'm grand, I'm running off last night's cheap stuff, thanks.”
You're not generating free power. You're time-travelling cheap power. Like Marty McFly, but with better savings.
SOLAR SID'S TOP TIP TO BE EXTRA TIGHT:
You know those timer buttons on your washing machine, dryer and dishwasher you've never touched?
Set them for 2am-6am. They'll happily wash your smalls at 9c while you're snoring.
Your battery stays full for the next day, and you haven't even had to cycle it. That's what I call double-jobbing. Your mammy would be proud.
The tariffs that make my inner tight-arse sing:
- 🔹 Bord Gáis EV Smart: Day ~36.5c, EV window 2am-5am: 9.5c - cheaper than a Freddo!
- 🔹 Electric Ireland Night Boost: Day 36.34c, Boost 2am-4am: 10.52c
- 🔹 Energia EV Smart Drive Max: Day 40.16c, EV window 2am-6am: 9.42c - 4 hours of cheap! That's longer than I slept last night.
Buy at 9c, dodge 40c+. That's 30c profit every kWh. Even my accountant smiled at that one.
THE MATHS - because my wife checks my sums:
I'm spending €5,500 - €6,500 on a 15kWh system. Let's be pessimistic.
I shift 12kWh a day:
Cost at night: 12 x 10c = €1.20 If I was a numpty and bought it at 35c during day: 12 x 35c = €4.20
I'm saving €3.00 a DAY just by being nocturnal. That's €1,095 a YEAR.
If you're on 50.94c day rate? You're saving €1,793 a year. You could buy a lot of Tayto with that.
LIFETIME RETURN vs THE CREDIT UNION
Look, I love the Credit Union. Great for loans for weddings, tractors, etc. Terrible for making money.
Leave €6,500 in the Credit Union at a generous 1%: After 10 years: €6,780. Profit = €280. Enough for a nice dinner.
Stick that same €6,500 on your wall in a battery: After 10 years: €10,950 saved = €4,450 PROFIT After 15 years: €16,425 saved = €9,925 PROFIT
That's a 68% return in 10 years, 152% in 15 years. And it's TAX FREE because you're not earning it, you're just not GIVING it to the big energy companies.
The Credit Union gives you €280. The battery gives you €4,450. One sits there looking at you. The other gets up at 2am and works for you. Like me!
No panels. No scaffolding. No lads on your roof for 2 days. Half a day in your garage and you're done. No planning permission. And if you want solar later, you only need to get panels installed, and panels are the cheapest part of a solar system.
Who is this perfect for?
- ✅ Can't have solar - shaded roof, apartment, rental, listed building (or your other half said no to panels)
- ✅ Have a smart meter (if not, it's easy to get one)
- ✅ Use most power in the evenings when you're home boiling the kettle
- ✅ Have or want an EV - then it's a no-brainer
It's not a battery. It's a night-rate piggy bank on your wall that doesn't eat.
Just don't ring me at 2am-6am. That's when my batteries are working, and I'm trying to sleep.
Sid ☀
☕ Solar Sid's Tip: Run your OWN numbers with your real usage - use my Irish Solar Calculator and tick “battery only - no solar” mode.
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