Ikea offers home energy storage systems alongside solar panels

The new Solar Battery Storage solution from the Swedish furniture retailer is designed to link up with installed solar panels on homes to store surplus renewable energy. With an average household fitted with solar panels consuming just 40% of the renewable energy generated, Ikea’s storage system will effectively double consumption capability to 80%, offering significant energy savings.

According to Ikea, the new battery systems – which are priced from £3,000 upwards – will generate £560 in benefits by improving household renewable energy use to 80%. In comparison, homes without the storage system are likely to benefit from £380 in the first year of purchase because 60% of energy generated is sent to the national grid. Ikea claims that homeowners will see savings doubled and electricity bills cut by up to 70%.

“At Ikea, we’re always looking for ways to help customers take positive actions at home for both the environment and their wallets,” Ikea’s country sustainability manager for the UK & Ireland Hege Saebjornsen said.

“We know that our customers want to live more sustainably and together with Solarcentury we will help them to get more value from their solar panels and do just that. With energy bills already going up 15% this year, there’s never been a better time for customers to take back control of their electricity bills and maximise their savings by switching to solar and solar storage.”

Competitive costs

Combining energy storage and solar will cost Ikea shoppers £6,925 in total, and homeowners can pay off the initial capital in around 12 years, at a 6% annual return.

Ikea first offered residential solar arrays from its stores across nine countries including the UK and the Netherlands in April 2016, as part of a goal to become the number one residential solar retailer. By partnering with Solarcentury, Ikea is moving to ensure that the products offer maximum efficiency and economic benefits for customers.

Solarcentury’s head of residential solar Susannah Wood added: “We’re committed to helping homeowners reap the benefits of going solar and our business partnership with Ikea is a significant step forwards for the renewable energy industry.

“The cost of solar installations has dropped considerably in recent years and is in fact 100 times cheaper than it was 35 years ago. We believe Ikea and Solarcentury are bringing the most competitive package to the market yet so more people than ever before can profit financially and environmentally by producing their own energy.”

Energy storage is set to have a huge impact the UK energy market, following Government plans to invest £246m in battery technology, saving consumers £40bn by 2050.

Sector summary: The state of sustainability in retail

edie recently published a new sector summary report exploring the state of sustainability in Britain’s retail industry. The report was produced with input from the BRC and incorporates the key findings from our own industry survey to outline five drivers, challenges and opportunities facing sustainability professionals in the sector.

Case studies from the likes of Argos, Tesco and Amazon are combined with exclusive commentary from retail firms such as Co-Op, M&S and Stella McCartney in the 17-page report, which concludes with a look at some of the latest technologies and innovations which are shaping the retail business models of the future.

Read the retail sector summary here.

Matt Mace