Free Home Battery Scheme Get a home battery installed at no cost

Own your home and have solar panels, or are getting them? You could qualify for a free home battery and potentially save up to £500 per year on your electricity bills.

The battery is owned, insured, maintained and serviced by the scheme owner.

Check If I Qualify

Free application · Home survey · Subject to eligibility. Renting or no solar? Apply to join the waiting list.

£0
Battery installation
Eligible households can have a home battery supplied and installed through the scheme at no cost.
Up to £500
Potential annual bill savings
Participating households could save up to £500 per year on their electricity bills, subject to scheme terms.
Maintained for you
The scheme owner owns, maintains, services and insures the battery, and is responsible for replacement and end-of-life recycling where required.

Watch: the Free Home Battery Scheme explained

Read the video transcript

You may have heard about the Free Home Battery Programme and wondered how it works or whether it really is free. In this short video, we'll explain who pays for the installation, why the batteries are provided at no cost, how you could benefit and what happens if you sell your home. Let's start with the question everyone asks. Is it really free? Yes, for eligible households, the battery is supplied and installed at no cost to you. The installation firm is paid by the programme administrator, not by you. Why is it free? The battery forms part of a network of connected batteries. Managed together, they can help support and balance the electricity grid. That's what makes the programme possible. How do you benefit? The battery can store electricity from your solar panels or charge when electricity is cheaper for you to use later. This can reduce the electricity you need to buy from the grid. Your savings will depend on your home, tariff and how the system operates. It is advised to get a tariff that is cheaper at night. The battery’s operation is managed in line with your programme agreement. Who owns it and what if you sell your home? The programme owner retains ownership and is responsible for maintenance, servicing and insurance, including repairs and a replacement after 10 years. If you sell your home, the agreement can be transferred to the new owner. Unlike some older solar schemes, this isn't a lease on your roof. What happens next? The programme is currently for suitable homes with existing or newly installed solar panels. New panels aren't automatically included free. You can add this battery free as part of a separate funded installation, such as the Warm Homes Plan. Visit consumer-rights.org to check the current route and register your interest. If your home may be suitable, a survey will check the property before installation is approved. You'll have the opportunity to read the household agreement before deciding whether to proceed. Thank you for watching.

How it works

Four simple stages take you from application to a working battery. Want the detail? Read how the scheme works, step by step.

Apply
Answer a few questions about your property.
Survey
If your home may be suitable, book a home battery survey.
Install
An approved installer completes the battery installation.
Benefit
Your battery joins the programme and could help reduce your electricity bills while supporting the grid.

What is the Free Home Battery Scheme?

The Free Home Battery Scheme installs smart, connected batteries in private homes across the UK. Eligible households get a battery supplied and installed at no cost, and the programme is looking to help participating households save up to £500 per year on their electricity bills, subject to eligibility and scheme terms.

For now it is open to homeowners with solar panels, or who are getting them. The panels can come through any funding scheme or finance, and the battery is added to that installation. Renters and homes without solar can join the waiting list. See who can get a free home battery for the detail.

The scheme has three connected aims:

Lower household bills
Support the grid
Strengthen energy security

Why is the battery free?

It is a fair question. The programme isn’t simply about installing batteries in individual homes. By creating a network of connected home batteries, electricity can be stored and managed in ways that help support the wider electricity system.

The programme is designed to create a shared benefit:

For households
Access to home battery technology and help towards electricity costs.
For the electricity system
Distributed battery capacity that can help support a more flexible and resilient grid.
For the wider energy system
A greater ability to store and intelligently manage electricity, supporting long-term energy security.

The scheme owner therefore funds, owns and manages the battery, while your household can use the battery to help reduce electricity costs under the scheme terms.

See How the Scheme Works Check If My Home Qualifies

A home battery without the ownership burden

Your battery is supplied and installed through the scheme, while the scheme owner remains responsible for the equipment. That means the scheme owner takes responsibility for maintaining, servicing and insuring the battery, including repairs and a replacement after 10 years, and arranging its safe disposal or recycling at the appropriate time.

If you sell your home, the household agreement can be transferred to the new owner.

You get the benefit of battery technology at your home without being responsible for owning and maintaining the equipment yourself. Read more about who owns and maintains the battery.

How does a home battery work?

A home battery stores electricity so it can be used later. Smart controls decide when it charges and discharges — typically charging when demand on the network is lower and releasing energy when demand is higher. Our plain-English guide explains how home batteries work in more depth.

How a smart home battery might run over a day. The battery charges overnight when demand is typically lower, holds its charge through the day, and discharges during the early-evening peak when demand is typically highest.

Illustrative only. Exactly when a battery charges and discharges depends on the tariff, the programme and the battery's smart controls.

Do I need solar panels?

No solar panels yet?

For now the battery is fitted alongside solar, but the panels can come through any funding scheme or finance, such as the Warm Homes Plan. Ask about it in your application, or join the waiting list for battery-only installs. See your options without solar panels.

Already have solar?

Tell us in your application. How a battery would work alongside your existing system is assessed during the home survey.

Wondering whether your energy supplier matters? See our home battery guides by energy supplier. Thinking about solar in general? Our practical guide to solar panels covers the basics.

Could your home qualify for a free battery?

It only takes a few minutes to start your application.

Check My EligibilitySubject to property and scheme eligibility.

What’s included?

A smart, connected home battery supplied at no cost
A home survey to check your property is suitable
Installation by an approved installer at no cost
Ongoing maintenance, servicing and insurance of the battery by the scheme owner
Repairs, and a replacement battery after 10 years
Safe removal, disposal or recycling at end of life
Potential electricity-bill savings of up to £500 per year, subject to scheme terms

Is my property suitable?

If you own your home and have solar, or are getting it, you can apply. But being able to apply doesn’t mean every property is technically suitable for an installation — that depends on things like where the battery could go, your electrical installation and connectivity.

That’s why every application includes a property survey. Renting? Read about the waiting list for rented homes.

Book My Free Home Battery Survey

How much could I save?

The programme aims to help participating households save up to £500 per year on their electricity bills, subject to eligibility and scheme terms. This is not a guaranteed saving. This is a potential saving from using the battery, not a cash payment or bill credit from the scheme. Actual savings depend on your tariff, electricity use and solar generation.

For a wider look at how batteries interact with tariffs and bills, read can a home battery reduce electricity bills? and our guide to the benefits of home battery storage.

What happens during installation?

Once your survey confirms your home is suitable, an approved installer fits the battery, connects it to your electrical installation, commissions it and connects it to the programme. You’ll be shown how it works before the installer leaves.

See what happens during a home battery installation for each stage.

Why does the electricity grid need batteries?

Great Britain’s electricity system operator has to make sure supply meets demand every second of every day. As more electricity comes from wind and solar — whose output varies with the weather — the ability to store electricity and shift when it’s used becomes more valuable.

Government and Ofgem describe smart technologies and flexibility as essential to bringing more low-carbon power onto the system. Thousands of connected home batteries, managed together, can act as distributed energy storage — helping to lower household bills, support the grid and strengthen energy security.

Explore more on renewable energy and home energy storage.

Home battery guides

Utility companies

The scheme is separate from your electricity supplier. Find what your supplier offers on home batteries, and how it fits with the scheme.

Who supplies your electricity?

Frequently asked questions

Is the home battery really free?

Yes. For eligible households, the battery is supplied and installed through the scheme at no cost. The battery remains owned by the scheme owner, who is responsible for maintaining, servicing and insuring it.

Do I need to own my home?

For now, yes. The scheme is currently open to homeowners only. Renters can still apply and join the waiting list for when it opens more widely.

Do I need solar panels?

For now, yes, or you need to be getting them. The panels can come through any funding scheme or finance, such as the Warm Homes Plan, and the battery is added to that installation. No solar? Join the waiting list for battery-only installs.

What happens if I sell my home?

The household agreement can be transferred to the new owner. The scheme owner keeps owning the battery and stays responsible for it.

Are the savings guaranteed?

No. The programme aims to help participating households save up to £500 per year on their electricity bills, subject to eligibility and scheme terms. “Up to” means actual savings vary with tariff, electricity use and solar generation.

Read all Free Home Battery Scheme FAQs

Looking for other help with energy costs?

See the home energy grants you can still get and ways to improve your home’s energy efficiency.

Apply for the Free Home Battery Scheme

Homeowners with solar panels, or getting them, can apply. Renting or no solar? Apply to join the waiting list.

Supplied and installed at no cost
Homeowners with solar, or getting it, can apply
Potential electricity-bill savings of up to £500 a year
Owned, insured and maintained by the scheme owner

Apply for a Free Home BatterySubject to property and scheme eligibility.

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