We don’t tie ourselves to a single solar or battery manufacturer the way we do with heat pumps — because unlike heat pumps, there are genuinely excellent options at different price points and for different priorities. We install Solarwatt solar panels, and Tesla Powerwall or BYD battery storage, and we’ll recommend the right combination for your property and budget rather than defaulting to whichever we’d rather sell. And because we exclusively install Stiebel Eltron heat pumps alongside Solarwatt solar, we can offer something most installers can’t — a genuinely integrated system where your solar and heating actively talk to each other, not just sit side by side (more on that below).
Solarwatt solar panels
Solarwatt is a German manufacturer with a strong reputation for build quality and long-term reliability — panels engineered to perform through UK weather, not just rated for it on paper. We use Solarwatt as our core solar panel range because it strikes the right balance of efficiency, warranty backing, and proven performance over a system’s full lifespan, which for solar is measured in decades, not years.
Tesla Powerwall battery storage
The Tesla Powerwall is one of the most recognised home battery systems on the market, and for good reason. The current Powerwall 3 stores 13.5 kWh of usable energy, includes a built-in solar inverter (simplifying installation if you’re adding solar at the same time), and comes with Tesla’s well-regarded app for monitoring usage and setting up smart tariff charging — automatically topping up on cheap overnight electricity and using it during expensive peak hours. It carries a 10-year warranty and can be stacked with additional units for larger households.
Which battery is right for you?
Both are excellent, well-proven systems — the right choice usually comes down to budget, whether you want an all-in-one integrated unit (Tesla) or a modular system you can scale over time, and what fits best with your existing or planned solar setup. We’ll talk through the real trade-offs for your specific property during a consultation, rather than pushing whichever has the better margin.
Solarwatt + Stiebel Eltron: designed to work together, not just installed together
This is where our exclusive choice of Stiebel Eltron heat pumps really pays off. Solarwatt and Stiebel Eltron have a direct technology partnership: Solarwatt’s Manager Flex energy management system communicates directly with Stiebel Eltron’s EM Trend software, so your solar panels and heat pump don’t just sit on the same property — they actively coordinate.
In practice, that means the system uses weather forecasts to plan ahead — storing extra heat in your hot water and heating buffer when solar generation is expected to be high, and prioritising your own solar power to run the heat pump before ever drawing more expensive grid electricity. It’s a genuine, factory-level integration between the two manufacturers, not something we’ve bolted together ourselves — and because we install both brands as standard, it’s simply how we design your system from the outset, not an optional upgrade.
Frequently Asked Questions
No — we can pair either battery brand with your existing solar panels if you already have them, or with a new Solarwatt installation.
Availability has varied over time due to demand, but as an installer we can advise on current lead times when you enquire — this isn’t something that stays fixed for long, so it’s worth asking us directly rather than relying on what you’ve read elsewhere.
Solar panels are generally warrantied for 20–25+ years with gradual, minor efficiency loss over time. Battery warranties are typically shorter (often around 10 years), reflecting the different way batteries degrade with charge cycles.
No — because we install both brands as standard, this is simply how we design your system from the outset, not a paid add-on or upgrade tier.
The Manager Flex / EM Trend integration is specific to Solarwatt panels working with a Stiebel Eltron heat pump, so it wouldn’t apply with another panel brand already installed. You could still add a Stiebel Eltron heat pump or a Tesla/other battery to your existing panels — you’d just be running them as separate systems rather than the fully coordinated setup, which is worth knowing before you decide.
No — because we install both brands as standard, this is simply how we design your system from the outset, not a paid add-on or upgrade tier.
The Manager Flex / EM Trend integration is specific to Solarwatt panels working with a Stiebel Eltron heat pump, so it wouldn’t apply with another panel brand already installed. You could still add a Stiebel Eltron heat pump or a Tesla/BYD battery to your existing panels — you’d just be running them as separate systems rather than the fully coordinated setup, which is worth knowing before you decide.
