UK homeowner reports £13,000 solar and battery system runs short on cloudy days and cannot cover outages
By Eve
A UK homeowner described on Reddit a system bought through an energy provider, with two 5 kWh batteries and ten 400 W solar panels, costing just over £13,000 ($17,500). The 10 kWh of storage is charged overnight on the Octopus Go tariff, yet it does not last past lunchtime on cloudy days. Extra 5 kWh batteries would cost £4,000 to £5,000 ($5,400 to $6,700) each, so the homeowner is looking at cheaper ways to power individual appliances, according to The Cool Down.
Why it matters
The account shows how quickly modest home storage is exhausted and how steep the cost of expansion is, which shapes expectations of what residential energy systems can deliver. For CPOs and installers, it points to demand for lower cost, appliance level solutions and a need for clear customer messaging on capacity, backup limits and tariff reliance.
Source
- Original title
- “UK homeowner says $17,500 solar setup runs dry by lunch without sun and can't cover outages”
- Published
- 7 November 2026
In this story
- Topic
- Grid & Energy
- Place
- United Kingdom
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