Making rural life more energy-secure, and more energy-independent
Complete reliance on the national grid comes with a host of issues – from cost, to carbon emissions, to power cuts. For anyone living a greener rural lifestyle, these issues are particularly pronounced.
Fortunately, battery storage offers a comprehensive solution. With a GivEnergy battery installed, you can store up energy – either off-peak from the grid, or freely from renewables. You can then run your country home on clean, cost-saving battery power.
One rural customer of ours – Greg Stewart – did just that. In his own words, here’s Greg’s story.
The goals
For Greg, becoming more energy-independent was a key priority. Not only does Greg live rurally, he also champions living sustainably. So, access to a continuous source of clean energy was a driving motivation for Greg.
“I ordered the GivEnergy battery storage system back in 2021, with the intention of reducing my reliance on the grid. We live out in the country and rely on oil for heating. We had also recently switched to an electric car. So, getting solar panels and batteries was my next step in trying to reduce our fossil fuel usage – with an air source heat pump being our next major plan.”
Beyond energy independence, energy security was also imperative for Greg. As he continued his shift away from fossil fuels, Greg required a solution capable of scaling alongside his green energy use.
“I wanted a system that could be expanded should I need more storage in the future. It was also important that I was able to manage the system myself locally, so I could set up my own automations to maximise our usage.”
Fortunately, we had just the solution.
The installation
Alongside a solar array of 10x405w solar panels, Greg opted for a GivEnergy 3.6kW Gen1 hybrid inverter, with a GivEnergy 5.2kWh battery.
This sophisticated setup took only 1.5 days to install. (Requiring half a day to fit the panels on the roof, and a day to fit the inverter/battery and EPS.)
However, Greg’s mission to become more energy-independent is ongoing. Greg was quick to expand his battery storage capacity – and is still advancing his system.
Alongside a solar array of 10x405w solar panels, Greg opted for a GivEnergy 3.6kW Gen1 hybrid inverter, with a GivEnergy 5.2kWh battery.
This sophisticated setup took only 1.5 days to install. (Requiring half a day to fit the panels on the roof, and a day to fit the inverter/battery and EPS.)
However, Greg’s mission to become more energy-independent is ongoing. Greg was quick to expand his battery storage capacity – and is still advancing his system.
- The GivEnergy 3.6W hybrid inverter
- The GivEnergy 5.2kWh battery
“The battery has already been expanded with an 8.2kWh. Plans are also in place for an additional 6x405w solar panels to maximise generation in winter. I also had a partial re-wire of some circuits in the house to allow them to run off the emergency power supply automatically if power cuts hit.”
The results
According to Greg’s own data, the battery storage system is enabling significant savings on energy bills. And, even better, these cost-savings mean that the system will have paid for itself within 3 years.
According to Greg’s own data, the battery storage system is enabling significant savings on energy bills. And, even better, these cost-savings mean that the system will have paid for itself within 3 years.
“Off-peak charging for use through the day is providing large savings through winter – even before including whatever solar we manage.
By managing to keep export to a minimum, we are managing to pay off 3% of the system costs per month. (Even including the additional battery costs.) We should have paid the system off in 3 years with current electric rates. When I had costed everything in 2021, I was expecting 5-6 years for payback.”
Plus, Greg’s energy-resilience is now secured. His solution provides backup power in the event of outages.
“We do have occasional power cuts where we live. Now, my system allows our lights to stay on in the house along with the fridge, IT equipment and boiler.”
Greg was also able to continuously fine-tune his setup for peak performance. With a powerful supporting data portal and mobile app, he could monitor and manage energy usage at a granular level. And with access to our API, Greg could run custom controls and create custom automations as needed.
“The GivEnergy system offered easy expandability. The access allowed via the API and local control through Modbus was far greater than what other manufacturers offered.”
The feedback
As you might expect, Greg is enjoying saving money, living sustainably, and becoming ever-more energy-independent.
As you might expect, Greg is enjoying saving money, living sustainably, and becoming ever-more energy-independent.
“I would rate my experience with GivEnergy as very positive.
The hardware itself has had no issues since install, and I cycle the batteries daily with our high electric usage. There has been a lot of development surrounding the app since I had my system installed, and every month there is additional functionality and new features that people are asking for. Whilst I have seen an occasional bug, they have always been resolved very quickly.
I have had no issues, but have seen the staff working at all hours of the day to assist people through the forums and Facebook groups anytime something arises. The team listens to feature requests from people. I liked going with a company that had a main base in the UK should any issues ever arise. It’s good to see such heavy investment in the UK.”