How a home battery installation works in Scotland

Battery arbitrage is simple in principle: your battery charges when electricity is cheap, usually overnight, and your home runs on that stored energy when prices are high, usually from late afternoon into the evening. Getting there safely involves a survey, a design, some grid paperwork and a careful installation. Here is what happens at every step.

1. 1. How do I start a battery enquiry?

   You submit the quiz or call 0141 230 0198. We ask what you want to achieve — arbitrage, backup, or both — and which tariff you are on today.

2. 2. What happens at the survey?

   A surveyor visits your property at no cost. We look at your consumer unit, meter position, where a battery can safely sit, your roof if solar is involved, and your current tariff.

3. 3. How is my system designed?

   We size the battery to your evening usage and tariff, not to the biggest box available. You receive a written design with the exact cost and figures for your home.

4. 4. Do you handle the DNO notification?

   We handle the grid connection paperwork. In Scotland, this goes to SP Energy Networks (central belt and south) or SSEN (Highlands and islands).

5. 5. Will I need a building warrant?

   If your property is in a conservation area or is listed, we handle the building warrant via eBuildingStandards.

6. 6. Who carries out the installation?

   We install through MCS-certified partners. Installation is carried out by Home Heating Services (Scotland) Ltd. Bird proofing is included as standard where solar is fitted.

7. 7. What happens at commissioning?

   We commission the system, set up the automation that decides when to charge and discharge, and hand over a full documentation pack.

8. 8. What aftercare do I get?

   Ongoing monitoring and support. An insurance-backed guarantee covers your system if the installing company ceases trading.

What the survey looks at in a Scottish home

Scottish housing varies a lot, and the survey is where that matters. In a sandstone or granite tenement the meter is often in a shared close or a cupboard by the front door, so we check cable routes and whether the battery can sit inside your own flat. In a harled semi or ex-council terrace there is usually space in a hallway, utility room or on an outside wall. Rural detached homes and farmhouses often have outbuildings or garages that work well, and many are off the gas grid and heated by oil, LPG or electric storage heaters, which changes how much evening electricity you use.

We also note how exposed the property is. West-coast and island homes see a lot of wind-driven rain, so outdoor enclosures need the right weather rating, and the Highlands and Aberdeenshire bring cold snaps that affect where a battery is best placed. Most home batteries prefer to stay above freezing, which is why an indoor or sheltered position is usually our first choice.

Typical system sizes

Most homes we survey suit a battery of roughly 5 to 13.5kWh. A flat or small terrace with modest evening use often needs the lower end; a larger family home, or one with an electric vehicle or heat pump, can justify more. If solar is part of the plan, a Scottish roof commonly takes somewhere between 3 and 6kWp of panels, depending on orientation, shading and roof type. Rather than quote a one-size answer, we size the system to your own usage and tariff, and the survey gives figures for your home.

Grid paperwork, explained

Anything that connects to the grid has to be notified to your Distribution Network Operator. Smaller systems use a G98 notification after installation; larger ones need G99 approval before we fit them. In the central belt, Dumfries and Galloway and the Borders that is SP Energy Networks. North of the central belt, including the Highlands, Moray, Aberdeenshire and the islands, it is SSEN. We prepare and submit the forms, so you do not need to contact either directly.

Ready to start? Book a survey →