What does a home battery cost in 2027?

What does a home battery cost per kWh?

The bigger the battery, the lower the price per kWh, because the inverter, mounting and connection cost almost as much for a small battery as for a large one. The calculator uses a guide price of €1,500 in fixed costs plus €400 per kWh.

In practice prices vary widely: for 10 kWh you will find offers from just over €5,000 to more than €8,000. Always compare quotes on the total price divided by the usable capacity, not the capacity on the nameplate.

What are you paying for?

• Battery modules. Almost always lithium iron phosphate (LFP): safe and suited to thousands of charge cycles.
• Inverter. Converts alternating current to direct current and back. A hybrid inverter sometimes replaces the one for your solar panels.
• Installation. Mounting, cabling, a dedicated circuit in the fuse box and an energy meter that controls the battery.
• VAT. A home battery carries 21% VAT. The zero rate for solar panels does not apply.

Plug-in battery or fixed system?

You connect a plug-in battery to a wall socket yourself. That saves the installer and makes it much cheaper per kWh. The downside is that it can only deliver about 800 watts through the socket. Cooking, washing and a heat pump need more, so part of that still comes from the grid.

For our average household a 5 kWh plug-in battery saves €218 a year, against €242 for a fixed system with 2.5 kW. That small difference does not outweigh the price difference: at €1,800 the plug-in battery pays for itself in 8.5 years. Do check the warranty, safety certification and whether the circuit in your fuse box can handle the extra load.

Up to what price does a home battery pay off?

The last column shows, per household, the most a battery may cost to pay for itself within 10 years, at an electricity price of €0.30 and €0.035 net per kWh fed into the grid.

For the average household that means about €458 per kWh for a 10-year payback and €670 per kWh to break even over 15 years. Fixed systems are usually above that today, plug-in batteries below it.

What does a stored kWh cost?

Another way to look at it: divide the purchase price by all the electricity the battery delivers in its life. For the 5 kWh battery that is €0.255 per kWh. Every kWh delivered saves €0.30 of grid electricity, but you miss the compensation for the electricity you put in. On balance a kWh from the battery earns about €0.26.

Those two amounts are close together. The standby consumption of about 70 kWh a year then tips the balance: it is why the average household just fails to cover its costs.

Subsidy, VAT and other costs

• Subsidy: there is no national subsidy for home batteries. The odd municipality or province temporarily runs its own scheme.
• VAT refund: only possible in specific situations, for example if you trade electricity as an entrepreneur. The tax authority decides case by case.
• Maintenance: a battery needs little maintenance, but the inverter may need replacing after ten to fifteen years.
• Subscriptions: some providers charge a monthly fee for smart control. Enter it under 'Costs per year'.

Do you have a quote? Enter the price in the calculator and see the payback period straight away. Unsure about the size? Read which capacity suits you.