Battery storage for small businesses: what to check before getting a quote

Would a battery make sense for your business? Start with when you use electricity, the rates you pay and the problem you want to solve.

A large electricity bill gives you a reason to investigate. It does not tell an installer which system would suit your premises.

A bakery starting before dawn, a daytime workshop and a farm shop with refrigeration running overnight may need different things. Two premises with similar annual consumption can have very different working days.

Before comparing equipment, put together a short picture of your site. Start with the information you already have; the gaps can become questions for the first conversation.

1. Decide what you want the battery to do

Write one sentence describing your main objective. For example: “We want to understand whether we could use more of the electricity from our solar panels,” or “We want to assess options for keeping particular equipment running during a power cut.”

These are starting questions, not promises about what a battery will deliver. If you have several objectives, rank them. Ask the installer to explain which parts of the design address each one and identify any additional equipment or work being proposed.

Keep a list of essential equipment separate from a list of everything on the premises. That makes a discussion about continuity much more specific.

2. Look at a normal working week

Gather twelve months of electricity bills if you have them. Ask your supplier whether you can download consumption by time of day, such as half-hourly readings.

Then add the context a meter cannot explain on its own:

• Opening and closing times, including weekends.

• Equipment that stays on when staff leave.

• Regular busy periods and seasonal changes.

• Planned changes to equipment, hours or occupancy.

• Any recent period that would make the figures unrepresentative.

Mark gaps honestly. A few weeks of readings from a quiet period should not be presented as a complete picture of the year.

3. Check the rates behind the calculation

Have the current electricity contract available, including its end date and any different rates by time of day. Ask the person preparing a proposal to identify which bill items their estimate expects to change.

Request a clear distinction between a calculation using your current contract and one assuming a future contract. If the result depends on rates you cannot currently obtain, that dependency should be visible before you make a decision.

The same applies to any export payments from existing solar panels. Include the agreement rather than assuming the value of exported electricity.

4. Include any existing solar panels

If your premises have solar panels, gather the generation records and installation details. Battery storage can shift surplus solar electricity to a later time, but the system needs to suit the site's pattern of use. The Carbon Trust’s energy storage guide covers system selection and sizing for organisations. Its 2019 costs and payback examples should not be treated as a current quote.

Ask the assessor to explain when surplus generation is expected and when the stored electricity would be used. Request separate treatment of a typical working day, a closed day and seasonal variation where these matter to your business.

5. Think about the premises and the people involved

Before progressing to a survey, establish who can approve work at the property. If you lease the premises, identify the landlord or managing agent who needs to be involved.

Mention restricted access, delivery hours, planned refurbishment and periods when interruption would be especially difficult. These details help turn a general recommendation into a realistic discussion about your site.

Ask who will explain the proposed controls to your team, what handover information is included and how support would be arranged. Put the answers in the proposal rather than relying on recollection.

6. Ask for a proposal you can compare

A useful proposal should explain the recommended system, the evidence used, the installation scope and the assumptions behind any estimated benefit. Request a clear list of exclusions and questions still awaiting a survey or confirmation.

Ask which costs are included, what work could interrupt trading, and which assumptions have the biggest effect on the estimate. If backup is part of your objective, ask exactly which equipment the proposed arrangement would support and for how long under the stated conditions.

You should also be able to ask what a simpler option would involve. A useful assessment should explain when more data is needed or when a battery has not yet been justified.

Start the conversation with your working week

Bring a recent bill, your contract details and a short description of your opening hours, essential equipment and planned changes. If you have more detailed usage or solar data, include it. If you do not, say so; you can discuss what would help next.

For businesses around Bridport and Dorset, tell Evoflo about your premises, working hours and main objective. Those details provide a useful starting point for discussing battery storage.