Battery storage · Guide
Will a battery affect my FIT payments?
Usually not. Ofgem lets you add a battery to a feed-in tariff system without affecting your accreditation. What matters is where the battery is wired and whether it can charge from the grid, because your generation meter must still record only what your panels make.
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Short answer
The short answer.
Here are the rules in plain words: the set-ups Ofgem says are fine, the one that can stop your payments, and what to tell your FIT supplier.
- Your accreditation stays. Ofgem’s guidance says you can add battery storage without affecting your FIT accreditation, as long as the installation still meets the scheme rules.
- The generation meter is what counts. Your generation payments are worked out from that meter, and Ofgem expects it to measure only electricity your panels generate.
- Tell your FIT supplier. Ofgem says you must tell them when a battery is connected, with an updated wiring diagram and meter readings.
- Extra panels are different. Panels added on or after 15 January 2016 don’t earn FIT, and any change in capacity must be reported.
The meter
Why the generation meter matters.
Your FIT supplier pays your generation tariff on the units your generation meter records. Ofgem’s rule is that this meter measures only electricity from your accredited solar system.
A battery can break that rule if it charges from the grid and then empties back through the generation meter. The meter can’t tell grid power from solar power, so it would count the grid power as generation. That’s why the wiring, not the battery itself, decides whether payments carry on.
Set-ups that work
Set-ups Ofgem says can keep your payments.
Ofgem’s storage guidance works through example set-ups. These are the ones where payments carry on:
- A battery wired in after the generation meter (usually an AC-coupled battery with its own inverter). Ofgem’s example says generation and deemed export payments could still be made, even if the battery charges from the grid, because the meter still sees only solar.
- A battery sharing your solar inverter (a hybrid), charging only from the panels. Ofgem says payments can be made.
- A hybrid with an approved bi-directional generation meter that works out the net figure itself. Ofgem’s example says payments could be made.
The risky set-up
The set-up that can stop your payments.
A hybrid on standard meters that charges from the grid. Ofgem’s example for this case says neither generation payments nor metered export payments could be made.
This is the source of most of the worry online, and it’s avoidable. If you want a hybrid and a cheap night tariff, the answer is the right meter or a battery wired after the generation meter, not giving up on the battery.
Ofgem’s storage guidance isn’t a legal ruling, and your FIT supplier decides on payments. Talk to them before the work goes in.
Which battery
Hybrid or AC-coupled?
- Your solar inverter is young and working well: an AC-coupled battery is usually wired in after the generation meter and leaves the solar side alone.
- Your inverter has failed or is near the end of its life: a hybrid replaces it and runs the battery, but plan the metering, or set the battery to charge only from the panels.
- You have microinverters: there’s no central inverter to swap, so an AC-coupled battery is the usual route.
More detail in hybrid inverters: what they do, and when to switch and how long do solar inverters last?
Export
What about export payments?
- Deemed export. Many older home systems are paid export on an estimate, worked out as half their generation, not on a meter. Ofgem’s example for a battery after the generation meter says deemed export payments could still be made. Diverting spare solar into hot water doesn’t change deemed export either: see solar diverters.
- Metered export. If you’re paid on an export meter reading, ask your FIT supplier how a battery affects it before the work.
Your supplier
What to tell your FIT supplier.
- When: when the battery is connected, and whenever a generation meter is replaced or starts measuring electricity your panels didn’t generate.
- What to send: an updated wiring diagram, meter readings, and whether the battery can charge from the grid.
- Before and after: photograph the generation meter reading on the day of the work, then keep sending readings as normal. See feed-in tariff meter readings.
- Check the payments afterwards. Our feed-in tariff calculator shows roughly what a working system your size should earn, and feed-in tariff rates 2026/27 lists this year’s rates.
Adding a battery also counts towards your grid connection, so your network operator has to be told under the G98 or G99 rules. That’s the installer’s job, and we handle it for you.
How we help
How we help.
We fit batteries and hybrid inverters on systems fitted by any installer, across England, Wales and southern Scotland. We look at how your system is wired and metered first, then recommend the set-up that keeps your feed-in tariff right. You get a clear written quote before any work starts. For sizing and costs, see what size solar battery do I need? and what a solar battery costs.
Sources: Ofgem, Feed-in Tariffs: generators, FIT guidance for generators (v19, April 2026) and guidance on co-locating storage with FIT installations (v6); MCS MIS 3012.
Questions
The things people ask before they ring.
Not answered here? Call 0800 156 0191, Monday to Friday, 9:00am–5:00pm.
Will adding a battery stop my feed-in tariff payments?
Not if it’s wired and metered correctly. Ofgem says adding storage doesn’t affect your accreditation. Payments carry on as long as your generation meter still records only what your panels generate.
Can I charge my battery from the grid at night and keep my FIT?
Yes, with the right set-up. Ofgem’s examples allow it when the battery is wired after the generation meter, or when a hybrid has an approved bi-directional generation meter. On a hybrid with standard meters, grid charging can stop payments.
Do I need a new meter?
Only in some set-ups. An AC-coupled battery wired after the generation meter usually needs no change. A hybrid that charges from the grid needs an approved bi-directional generation meter. Ask your FIT supplier which they accept.
Do I have to tell my FIT supplier about a battery?
Yes. Ofgem says you must tell your FIT supplier when storage is connected, and send an updated wiring diagram and meter readings.
Will replacing my inverter affect my FIT payments?
No, if the system still meets the scheme rules. Ofgem allows you to repair or replace equipment. Tell your supplier if the generation meter is replaced or the system’s capacity changes.
Ready when you are
Thinking about a battery on a feed-in tariff system?
We’ll call you back to talk it through, and you get a clear written quote before any work starts. Mon–Fri 9:00am–5:00pm.