Is commercial battery storage worth it?

Physical installation is short, typically 1-6 weeks on site for a behind-the-meter system. The programme is set by the DNO: a G99 study and connection can run 3-18 months depending on network capacity in your area. We submit the G99 application alongside the survey so the clock starts on day one, and where the network is constrained we engineer a G100 export/import limitation scheme so the project can proceed inside your existing agreed capacity rather than waiting for reinforcement. We give you a programme with the DNO milestone shown honestly as the critical path.

So are we, which is why we design to the standards that address exactly that: PAS 63100:2024 principles for installation and fire protection, BS EN 62619 for cell safety, BS EN/IEC 62933 for system safety, and NFCC guidance for larger sites. We use lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) cells, which are far more thermally stable than older NMC chemistry, and design in separation distances, firefighting access, detection, thermal monitoring, and appropriate bunding or compartmentation. We produce the fire risk assessment and engage your insurer and, where needed, the fire authority before we install, not after.

In most cases yes. We plan the tie-in to your existing switchgear around your operations, using temporary supplies, out-of-hours working, or a short pre-agreed outage window only where it is unavoidable. The survey establishes your supply arrangement, available fault level, and switchroom access up front so the connection method is designed, method-statemented, and risk-assessed before we are on site. Minimising disruption is an engineering decision we make at design stage, not something we improvise on the day.

Often the battery is the answer to the constraint, not a casualty of it. A behind-the-meter battery with a G100 export/import limitation scheme can let you add EV charging, heat pumps, or production load while staying inside your existing agreed capacity, avoiding or deferring a costly DNO reinforcement and a long connection queue. We confirm the approach with your DNO before final design and engineer the limitation and protection to hold the site within its agreed limit, typically reacting within 15 seconds.

We handle it. The G99 application, single-line diagrams, protection settings, witness-test coordination, and DNO liaison are part of our scope, along with the G100 limitation design where it is needed and the half-hourly metering arrangement. You get one accountable contractor for the survey, design, connection application, install, and commissioning, rather than being left to project-manage a battery supplier, an electrician, and the DNO yourself.

Every install ends with a documented, witnessed commissioning: protection and control settings verified, G99/G100 functions demonstrated, metering and monitoring proven, and an O&M and handover pack issued. Where the DNO requires witness testing we coordinate it. You receive the test results, the settings schedule, the fire and electrical certification, and a planned O&M regime, so the system is demonstrably compliant and you have the records your insurer and auditor will ask for.