A new guide from the NHBC Foundation now aims to ensure that battery systems are selected to be fit for purpose.

The report – NF83 ‘Watts in store? Introduction to energy storage batteries for homes’ – looks at key aspects of battery selection, ensuring that the right questions are asked of manufacturers and that installed systems meet reasonable expectations of home owners.

While inclusion of a battery system is currently a choice, driven either by home buyers who are increasingly aware of the leading brands, or by house builders themselves who see a marketing advantage in offering a battery system, their potential benefits to householders and to the efficiency of national energy supply are significant.

This point has been recognised in other countries, particularly in Germany, where government incentives have stimulated uptake of household batteries and in turn reduced the installed cost dramatically.

Commenting on the new report, NHBC’s head of standards, innovation and research, Neil Smith, said: “Selection is not straightforward as there is now a range of battery types on the market, with considerable variation in performance, and some complexity in the way their performance is described.

“This guide encourages careful specification of performance in line with reasonable homeowner expectations and is a contribution to ensuring successful implementation of battery storage technology.”

The new report is available for free download from www.nhbcfoundation.org.