As families across the country illuminate their homes with bright and colourful lights to demonstrate the spirit of Christmas, homeowners who have installed solar panels with battery inverter connections on their premises are benefiting from the gift that keeps on giving… Solar Energy!
The celebrations that occur this time of year often come with an increase in energy consumption (and a hefty January electricity bill) due to the dazzling Christmas lights, extended family gatherings and the need for additional indoor heating. In the spirit of a sustainable, cost-effective and environmentally-friendly holiday season, the benefits of generating and storing renewable energy during the winter is encouraging many Irish homeowners to put solar PV panels and a battery inverter system on their Christmas wish lists!
In this blog, we take a look at how solar energy can power your entire Christmas using solar panels and a battery inverter system, so that you can practice smarter and greener energy consumption that will reduce your home energy costs during the holiday season!
What is an inverter battery connection and how does it work?
An inverter battery is a rechargeable model, specifically designed for use in an inverter system. The core purpose of an inverter battery is to store electrical energy and provide backup power. Inverter batteries function by storing direct current (DC) and then converting it to alternating current (AC) which is what powers your home appliances.
The role of inverter batteries in our lives is more significant than ever before and premium brands such as Alpha ESS are at the forefront of developing and enhancing such innovations that enable us to perform daily activities more seamlessly.
During the winter season, electricity is a fundamental part of daily (and nightly) life, required for powering basic household appliances, artificial light, heated water systems and technological devices which we rely so heavily on. This is where inverter battery techonology—a cornerstone of home power backup and storage solutions—come into play.
Inverter batteries are specialised batteries that store energy. This stored energy can later be converted into electricity and used on-demand at a more suitable time that meets the needs of the household. An inverter battery connection is therefore useful for many reasons, of which two of the most obvious include:
- Convert stored energy into electricity during a power outage when the main grid fails
- Convert into electricity between 23:00 – 8:00 to avail of the lower electricity night rate
Storing solar energy for night use this festive season will save you money
Inverter battery technology (or AC/DC Conversion) is empowering households to convert stored energy to electricity as and when the household requires it, rather than having to use the solar energy produced by your PV solar panels at the time of generation during daylight hours. Thanks to the inverter battery, stored energy can be converted into electricity throughout the day and later used during the night when the electricity unit price is cheaper after 23:00 PM and before 8:00 AM. This means you can power all your Christmas lights, home heating and charge all the family’s electrical devices overnight using your battery inverter system… and at a much cheaper rate!
Additionally, power outages remain a common challenge during the winter, and especially during Christmas, which hugely disrupts household routines and comfort. Christmas is one of the more busy and cold times of year, and nobody wants to be spending their holidays in darkness, without a cooker and a hot roast dinner. Power outages are occurring more frequently in Ireland with an increase in the number of storms we are experiencing in our climate (as witnessed in recent months). The beauty of the inverter battery is that stored energy can be converted into electricity during a power outage so that you don’t have to compromise your Christmas routine, and so that your household remains heated throughout the night to ensure an uninterrupted sleep. Our advice to you is to always ensure your battery is charged when stormy weather is forecast!
What does the investment in solar panels and battery cost versus the expected savings on Christmas energy bills?
Christmas is an expensive time for everyone, but even more so for homeowners, who are all too familiar with the seasonal spike in energy costs over the holiday period. Indoor and outdoor festive lights, heating requirements, and increased appliance usage all contribute to a significant portion of the overall electricity bill. Installing solar panels with a battery inverter connection offers a cost-effective alternative, providing a substantial reduction in traditional electricity expenses.
At Solar Home, we guarantee our customers an 18% – 22% return on investment (ROI) from their solar panel technology kit, which is a much larger ROI than the State pension!
During the holiday season, the national grid is under even greater strain across the country with the increased demand for electricity. Being able to resort to battery-stored energy for your electricity supply (during the day or night) allows homeowners to move away from being reliant on the national grid for electricity and take back control of household energy spending. By achieving energy independence from the national grid, homeowners can better manage the costs of running Christmas lights and increased appliance use, guiding homeowners to keep a tighter rein on their holiday budgets.
At Solar Home, we like to educate our customers on optimising energy storage and consumption. We guide you on ‘HOW TO’ get the best use out of your battery storage system by taking power (charging) from the grid on the night-saver tariff, which can then be used to power the house during the day, further reducing your annual electrical bill.
In addition to all these ‘night use’ benefits—and contrary to common misconceptions—solar PV panels maintain high efficiency even during the winter months in Ireland. Our REC solar panels are designed to capture sunlight and withstand harsh and windy weather, even on overcast or stormy days.
REMINDER: The next time you (or someone you know) assumes that solar panels and a battery inverter connection is an investment for the summer months, think again! Remember that the inverter battery is the gift that will keep on giving (electricity) at Christmas.
What is the best inverter and battery for storing excess solar energy?
At Solar Home, we are excited to say we have partnered with Alpha ESS since 2017 to supply inverters and batteries to our customers—the best available in the market. When we initially began researching the various battery storage manufacturers, we assessed the various suppliers based on both global test studies and the quality of the components used in both their batteries and inverters. From the international data presented, the Alpha ESS brand undisputedly offered the strongest, most reliable battery inverter solutions.
The Alpha ESS solar panel battery storage system is also one of the longest established (trialled and tested) in the market, which means that any customer of Solar Home is also benefiting from AlphaESS technology and innovation. Additionally, Alpha ESS offer free life-time monitoring and software upgrades for each system, so when you partner with Solar Home to install your solar panels and battery storage system, we pass these perks onto you so that you can be guaranteed a future-proof PV solar panel and battery storage system.
At Solar Home, it is our duty to our customers to deliver the best quality system (products) at the fairest price (value), whilst promising a life-long follow-up service (customer care) that is honest and reliable. Our AlphaESS partner enables us to deliver on our promise because the inverter and battery we use at Solar Home (our battery management system, BMS) are manufactured by the same, single brand—AlphaESS).
Choosing the best battery for power inverter: The lithium battery & AlphaESS inverter
When selecting an inverter battery, it’s essential to consider factors like battery lifespan, efficiency, type, and the specific needs of your home or business. AlphaESS, the leading brand in the power backup industry, provides an advanced, turnkey lithium battery storage system with a range of inverter batteries that exemplify efficiency and durability, and which can provide backup at different power loads to ensure consistent performance over time.
AlphaESS lithium batteries are designed for longer lifespans and can handle deeper discharges without compromising their performance. We invite you to check out a customer review from an installation carried out in Carlow to see an example of how a battery management system (BMS) can be optimised to ensure no solar-generated power goes to waste. In this example, our customer was producing so much solar energy, he wanted to upgrade his battery storage to make the absolute most out of his system and to be able to store the maximum amount of power his solar panels could generate.
We supply the full solar panel kit with battery and inverter
If you want to know more about our inverter plus battery kit for your PV solar panel system, we invite you to kickstart a no-obligation conversation by reaching one of our expert team members at info@wordpress-1487131-5663512.cloudwaysapps.com or by giving us a call for a friendly chat on +353 91 848 700.
If you are not yet ready to make the investment and are only in the early stages of investigating a possible transition to solar energy, allow us to educate you further on solar technology, innovations, system components, financial savings and the environmental impact of solar-powered energy during Christmas and all year round!
We welcome you to visit our office in Athenry, County Galway (H65 CK46), where we are always ready and waiting to answer your solar-related questions and help you identify an optimal solar solution for your unique needs.
The Solar Home team would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, 2025. We hope this time next year we can bring solar solutions to your door (if we haven’t already), to help you build a Christmas solar home that produces electricity and hot water that will not cost you the earth.
