Last updated: October 2026
Solar panels, battery storage and a heat pump are the three building blocks of a low-carbon home. They work best together, but most people can’t do everything at once. So which comes first? There’s no single right answer, but there is a sensible way to decide.
Before anything: insulation and tariff
Whatever you install, start by reducing how much energy your home wastes. Topping up insulation and fixing draughts lowers your heat loss, which means a smaller, cheaper heat pump and lower bills.
Next, look at your electricity tariff. Many tariffs now have cheaper off-peak rates, and some are designed specifically for homes with heat pumps, batteries or EVs. Shifting your usage into those windows is one of the easiest ways to save.
Option 1: battery storage
A battery lets you buy electricity at the cheap overnight rate and use it during the expensive evening peak. You don’t need solar panels to benefit, and you can add them later.
- Best for: homes with high evening usage, or where solar isn’t practical (shaded roofs, conservation areas, listed buildings)
- Costs: typically £4,000–£12,000+ depending on capacity, with 0% VAT until 31 March 2027
- Brands: we fit Tesla Powerwall and Solarwatt batteries, with Victron inverters where a project calls for them
Option 2: solar panels
Solar PV generates electricity all year, most of all from spring to autumn. Use it as it’s generated, store it in a battery or export it to the grid.
- Best for: homes with a reasonably south, east or west-facing roof, where you plan to stay long enough to recoup the cost
- Costs: 0% VAT until 31 March 2027
- Brand: we install Solarwatt, which works directly with our Stiebel Eltron heat pumps
Option 3: a heat pump
A heat pump replaces your boiler and provides all your heating and hot water. It’s the biggest change, and usually the biggest saving on carbon.
- Best for: homes heated by oil, LPG or electric heaters, homes with an ageing boiler, or anyone renovating
- Grants: £7,500 off through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, or £9,000 for oil and LPG homes until 31 March 2027, plus 0% VAT
So which first?
- If your boiler is near the end of its life, start with the heat pump, while the grant is available. Don’t replace a boiler with another boiler.
- If your boiler has years left, a battery or solar can start cutting bills now, and both will help run a heat pump later.
- If you’re oil or LPG, the £9,000 grant makes a heat pump especially good value before 31 March 2027.
- If you’re building or renovating, plan all three together from the start. It’s cheaper than retrofitting later. See our page for self-builders.
Whatever order you choose, it helps to design for the full system from day one, so each piece fits with the next. That’s our whole-home approach.
Talk it through with us
Wondering whether these upgrades will add value when you sell? Read does renewable technology add value to your home?
Every home is different. Tell us about your property and plans, and we’ll suggest the order that makes sense for you. Contact us or call 01242 323923.