This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you buy through our links, at no extra cost to you. Prices and illustrative rates are from iHeat’s battery page and Heatable names from theirs, checked 19 August 2026 evening, and change from time to time, so the live quote is the figure that counts. Last reviewed: August 2026.
A home battery works fine without solar panels. Instead of storing what the panels make, it charges from the grid when electricity is cheap, usually overnight, and runs the house from that store when the day rate is higher. iHeat start at £3,645, or from £76 a month, for a standalone Hanchu 5kWh, and Heatable have a without-solar path too. The catch is simple: it only pays off if your tariff has a genuine night/day split, otherwise the box is a paperweight.
This page is the battery on its own. If you want panels as well, that’s a different, paired job on our solar battery storage guide, and the wider list of who to quote is on our best solar battery UK shortlist.
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The short version
A standalone battery charges on a cheap night rate and runs the house through the day, so it earns its keep on the gap between night and day electricity, not on solar you don’t have. iHeat start at £3,645, or from £76 a month, for a Hanchu 5kWh plus inverter, with a Sigenergy and a Powerwall 3 further up. Heatable have a without-solar path and advertise 0% APR on batteries, though they price the job in their quote tool rather than publishing a from-price. There’s no grant on a battery, and the whole thing only pays off if your tariff has a real night/day split.
How night-rate charging works
The battery buys electricity when it’s cheap, usually overnight, and you use those units when the day rate is higher. It doesn’t make power on its own, so you need a tariff with a genuine night/day split, or the gap is too thin to be worth it.
As an illustration, iHeat’s battery page showed about 13.16p a unit at night against 26.11p in the day on 19 August 2026, figures it pulls from a supplier tariff as a comparison and refreshes. Heatable make the same point differently, saying off-peak energy can cost around 30% less and telling you to check tariffs yourself, since they take no responsibility for the one you end up on. Either way the installer fits the box and you choose the tariff, so line that up before you order.
What iHeat list without panels
iHeat put three standalone rows on their battery page, estimates including VAT as of 19 August 2026:
| Model they list | From (inc VAT) | Monthly from |
|---|---|---|
| Hanchu ESS 5kWh + inverter | £3,645 | £76 |
| Sigenergy 6kWh + inverter | £5,245 | £109 |
| Powerwall 3 13.5kWh + inverter | £7,945 | £166 |
iHeat say most standalone jobs are quick, often within a day, fitted outside or in an outbuilding with no scaffolding, and carry a ten-year warranty. They’re MCS-certified, a Which? Trusted Trader and an FCA credit broker. Their published finance rate is 9.9% APR Representative (Fixed) on solar, so an iHeat battery monthly figure isn’t a 0% deal. Company detail is in our iHeat review.
What Heatable offer without panels
Heatable run a without-solar path on the same battery page as their with-solar one, fitting the Powerwall 3, Sigenergy and Alpha ESS; they don’t list Fox. There’s no public from-price, so the quote tool is the number, and they advertise 0% APR on batteries, with a typical one-day install and a minimum ten-year warranty. Their “pay nothing ’til 2027” line is the 0% VAT relief to 31 March 2027, tax rather than finance or a grant.
One to raise at the quote: a battery-only job can sit on a different VAT line from a solar-plus-battery one, so ask how it applies to yours. There’s no Boiler Upgrade Scheme money on a battery whichever brand you pick, since that scheme is heat pumps only. More on Heatable is in our Heatable review, and the grant rules in our Boiler Upgrade Scheme guide.
Heatable for the without-solar path, iHeat for a public floor
Both are MCS-certified and a Which? Trusted Trader, and both fit a battery without panels. Heatable price the job in their quote tool and advertise 0% APR on batteries; iHeat publish a floor from £3,645. Night-rate charging is the point, not export pay, so check your tariff has a real night/day split first.
- Powerwall 3, Sigenergy, Alpha ESS
- 0% APR available on batteries
- About one day on site
- MCS, Which? Trusted Trader
- Also Sigenergy £5,245 / £109
- Powerwall 3 £7,945 / £166
- Night ~13.16p, day ~26.11p on their page
- Which? Trusted Trader, MCS
How to buy
- Want the without-solar path and 0% on the battery: Heatable first.
- Want a public floor today: iHeat, from £3,645 or £76 a month.
- Check your tariff before you order: the box only helps if your night units are actually cheaper than your day ones.
- Want panels too: this isn’t the page, our solar battery storage guide covers panels plus a battery.
Pick Heatable when
- You want their without-solar quote path
- You want 0% APR on the battery
- You want a Powerwall 3, Sigenergy or Alpha ESS
- You don’t need a public from-price today
Pick iHeat when
- You want a published floor from £3,645
- You want Hanchu, Sigenergy or the 13.5kWh Tesla row
- You want the night and day pence they show
- You may add panels later on their solar path
Frequently asked questions about a battery with no panels
Can a home battery work without solar panels?
Yes. You charge it from the grid overnight and use the stored units in the day. iHeat start at £3,645 for a standalone battery, and Heatable quote a without-solar job, so you don’t need panels to fit one.
Do I need a smart tariff?
You get far more from a genuine night/day split. iHeat showed about 13.16p at night against 26.11p in the day on 19 August 2026, and Heatable tell you to check tariffs yourself. The tariff is yours to choose; the installer just fits the battery.
Is there a grant for a battery?
No. There’s no Boiler Upgrade Scheme money on a battery. The 0% VAT on qualifying supply-and-install to 31 March 2027 is a tax break, not a grant, and a battery-only job can sit on a different VAT line, so ask the quote how it applies.
How long does the install take?
Heatable put a typical job at one working day. iHeat say most standalone installs are done within a day too, depending on the house and the electrics, and often fitted outside or in an outbuilding with no scaffolding.
Can I add panels later?
Both firms say yes, as long as the first install is designed for it. When you want that package, our solar battery storage guide covers panels plus a battery.
Is iHeat’s battery finance 0%?
Their published rate is 9.9% APR Representative (Fixed) on solar, so an iHeat battery isn’t a 0% deal. Heatable do advertise 0% APR on batteries. Credit is subject to status, and HomeBoiler is not a credit broker.