Why Battery Storage Is the Smart Next Upgrade for Heat Pump Homes in the UK

If you already have a heat pump — or are planning to install one — you’ve made one of the best long-term investments a UK homeowner can make.
But in today’s electricity market, there’s a second step that is becoming just as important:
Battery storage.
Not because it’s trendy. Not because everyone should have one. But because how and when electricity is used now matters more than how much is used.

Heat Pumps Are Efficient — But Electricity Prices Are No Longer Simple

Modern air source heat pumps typically deliver 3–4 units of heat for every unit of electricity consumed. That efficiency is what makes them such a powerful alternative to gas, oil or LPG.

However, electricity pricing has changed.

Most UK households now face:

• Peak and off-peak pricing
• Large price differences throughout the day
• Smart tariffs that reward flexible energy use

This means a heat pump running at 6pm can cost two to three times more per kWh than the same heat pump running overnight.

Battery storage allows you to break that link.

What Is Load Shifting?

Load shifting simply means moving electricity use to cheaper times of day.

For heat pump homes, this includes:

• Charging a battery overnight at low rates
• Heating hot water when electricity is cheapest
• Running household appliances outside peak hours
• Using stored energy during the day

A battery lets you buy electricity when it’s cheap and use it when you need it.

Why Time-of-Use Tariffs Favour Heat Pump Homes

Energy suppliers such as Octopus Energy and E.ON now offer tariffs where electricity prices drop significantly during off-peak periods.

These tariffs were designed for:

• EV charging
• Home batteries
• Heat pumps

Without a battery, you only benefit if you can manually run everything overnight.

With a battery, your home becomes automatically flexible.

Why Battery Storage Changes Everything for Heat Pumps

Adding battery storage to a heat pump system allows you to:

Use Cheap Electricity for Heating

Store off-peak electricity overnight and use it to power your heat pump during the day — particularly valuable in winter.

Reduce Exposure to Peak Prices

Peak-time imports drop sharply when your home can run from stored energy.

Make Hot Water Cheaper

Hot water can be generated when electricity costs less and stored in the cylinder.

Future-Proof Your Home

Battery systems integrate with:

• Solar PV
• EV charging
• Smart grid services
• Dynamic pricing tariffs

This isn’t about chasing the lowest bill one month — it’s about long-term energy control.

Do You Need Solar Panels?

No.

Solar and batteries work brilliantly together, but battery storage delivers major benefits even without solar, especially for homes with heat pumps on time-of-use tariffs.

Homeowners can:

1. Add battery storage
2. Optimise tariffs and controls
3. Add solar later

This keeps the upgrade affordable and flexible.

Which Homes Benefit Most?

Battery storage is particularly effective for homes that:

• Already have a heat pump
• Use most energy in mornings and evenings
• Want to reduce winter electricity bills
• Are based in located where heat pump adoption is high

If your heat pump runs a lot in colder months, battery storage almost always improves the economics.

A Real-World Example

Theory is useful — but proof matters more.

We recently published 12 months of real performance data from a UK home using:

• An air source heat pump
• Solar PV
• Battery storage
• A time-of-use electricity tariff

It’s a 1950s property with minimal insulation, yet it achieved:

• An annual heat pump COP of over 4
• An average electricity cost of around 14p per kWh
• Significant energy shifting using battery storage

👉 Read the full real-world case study here:
https://www.greengenuk.com/blog/battery-storage-heat-pump-12-month-case-study/

The Smart Next Step for Heat Pump Homes

Heat pumps are already a smart investment.

Battery storage simply allows them to:

• Run on cheaper electricity
• Avoid expensive peak periods
• Deliver more predictable, lower running costs

For many heat pump owners, it is now the single most effective upgrade available.

Thinking About Adding Battery Storage?

At GreenGenUK, we design battery systems specifically for existing heat pump homes across:
Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Dorset and Gloucestershire.

We look at:

• Your current heat pump
• Your electricity usage
• Your tariff options
• The right battery size
• How to maximise savings

👉 Book a free, no-obligation assessment with GreenGenUK today.