Australian Households Embracing Home Batteries

A record number of battery energy storage systems were installed in Australian homes and businesses in 2022.

According to recent analysis conducted by energy industry consultancy SunWiz, 47,100 residential battery systems were installed throughout 2022 – a jump of 55% compared to the previous year.

SunWiz Managing Direct Warwick Johnston attributes the increase to more Australian households and businesses wanting to bolster their energy independence, resilience and self-reliance. And given events of recent years, who could blame them.

Mr. Johnston says battery energy storage was added for every seven solar power systems installed last year, an increase from one in 12 installations in 2021.

Here on SQ, the proportion of Australian solar shoppers interested in having a home battery installation at the same time as their panels in February this year was a little under 18% – that’s at the pre-quote stage. Throughout 2022, concurrent battery installation interest generally ranged between 18 – 22%.

State Storage Scene

Every Australian state and territory, with the exception of South Australia, set new records for battery installation in 2022. SA could have perhaps had another record year if not for the Malinauskas Government ditching South Australia’s Home Battery Scheme. Regardless, SA leads in terms of per-household uptake according to SunWiz.

Victoria and New South Wales installed the largest number of home batteries last year. Victoria offers a rebate (currently up to $2,950) on eligible battery systems, but there’s no incentive in NSW.

The analysis notes Tasmania and the ACT emerged as the highest growth markets, installing four times more batteries in 2022 compared to 2021.

Solar Owners “Seeing The Light”

The SunWiz analysis pegs the cumulative total of Australian homes and businesses using solar and battery systems at around 180,000 by the end of last year. In terms of collective capacity, that was estimated at 1920 MWh.

“That’s still a long way off the 3 million homes with solar panels, but many solar households are seeing the light – with one third of battery installations being retrofitted to existing solar systems,” said Mr. Johnston.

Good to know: just about every solar power system that has ever been installed can have a battery retrofitted using AC coupling.

SunWiz is predicting further growth in the energy storage industry this year, and little wonder given the added motivation of more nasty power price increases likely not far off for many Australian households and small businesses.

The complete 2023 Annual SunWiz Australian Battery Report can be accessed here. But brace yourself; the report will set you back $7,000 and that sort of scratch could go a long way towards the cost of a home battery. I don’t think SunWiz had households, small solar businesses and bloggers in mind as potential report purchasers though, so it was good of Mr. Johnston to share the insights he did with the rest of us.

Battery storage is a big investment. If you’re curious about the financial benefits and estimated payback period on a home battery, try SQ’s solar and battery calculator. If you’ve only just started considering the possibility of home energy storage and don’t know much about it, check out Finn’s 101 guides to understanding, buying and owning a solar battery – they’ll tell you everything you need to know (and for free).