Is a home battery worth it?Cost and benefit.

A home battery for a single-family home in Switzerland usually costs CHF 8,000 to 15,000 in 2026, installed, for a capacity of 8 to 12 kWh. That is CHF 1,000 to 1,500 per kWh. Whether the investment pays off depends on three things: the gap between your electricity price and the feed-in tariff, your consumption in the evening, and the size of the battery.

This page shows what a battery delivers and works through an example. The figures are guide values. We give the price for your home in a binding quote after the site visit.

What does a home battery cost?

The price rises with capacity, but not in the same proportion. The inverter, installation and electrical work are needed even for a small battery.

Capacity	Guide price installed
8 kWh	about CHF 8,000 to 12,000
10 kWh	about CHF 10,000 to 15,000
12 kWh	about CHF 12,000 to 15,000

Across all sizes the guide values are CHF 1,000 to 1,500 per kWh. Where you end up in that range depends on these points:

• Coupling: A DC-coupled battery on a hybrid inverter is usually cheaper on a new system than a retrofitted AC battery with its own inverter.
• Backup power: The backup function needs a suitable inverter and an adapted distribution board. That raises the price.
• Output: A high output, for example for a heat pump and wallbox, costs more than a small one.
• Location: Long cable runs and a tight utility room increase the effort.

More on technology and sizing on the page battery storage. If you already have a system, read adding a battery.

What does a battery deliver?

A solar system produces most at midday, when residents are often not at home. Without a battery, a household uses about 30 to 35% of its solar power itself. With a suitable battery the share often rises to 60 to 70%.

Each additional self-used kWh replaces power you would otherwise buy at the full tariff. The household median in 2026 is 27.7 ct. per kWh excluding VAT, and ElCom (Federal Electricity Commission) has published 26.6 ct. for 2027. Fed-in power, by contrast, only earns the feed-in tariff. For systems up to 30 kW, a statutory minimum payment of 6 ct. per kWh has applied since 1 January 2026 (Energy Act Art. 15, according to Swissolar). Many grid operators pay more.

So the battery shifts power from midday to the evening and night. It does not replace power the system does not produce. In winter it is often only partly charged.

Worked example: 10 kWp with a 10 kWh battery

Assumptions: a 10 kWp system, yield 1,000 kWh per kWp, so 10,000 kWh a year. Self-consumption 30% without a battery, 65% with one. Electricity price 27.7 ct. per kWh, feed-in tariff 8 ct. per kWh. The battery costs CHF 12,500 (CHF 1,250 per kWh).

Item	without battery	with battery
Self-consumption	3,000 kWh	6,500 kWh
Feed-in	7,000 kWh	3,500 kWh
Additionally self-used		3,500 kWh

Each of these 3,500 kWh brings 27.7 minus 8, that is 19.7 ct. more than feeding in. That comes to around CHF 690 a year. The CHF 12,500 battery then pays for itself after about 18 years. With the 2027 electricity price of 26.6 ct. it is around CHF 650 a year and just over 19 years.

At a feed-in tariff of 6 ct. the benefit rises to around CHF 760 a year. At a high tariff it falls accordingly. Compare the result with the lifetime and warranty of the battery you choose. The example does not include the tax deduction or possible grants.

How big should the battery be?

A battery that is too small brings little. One that is too big stays empty in winter and costs more than needed. As a rule of thumb, allow about 1 kWh of capacity per kWp of solar output. For single-family homes that is usually 8 to 15 kWh. What matters is your consumption in the evening and at night. We read it from your electricity bills and, if available, from your smart meter data. We take the heat pump, electric car and home office into account before comparing several sizes.

When does a battery pay off more easily?

A battery is more likely to suit you if several of these points apply:

• Your grid operator’s feed-in tariff is low.
• You use a lot of power in the evening and at night.
• You have an electric car or a heat pump, and the system is large enough for them.
• You want part of the house to keep running during a grid outage.
• You want to be as independent as possible from the electricity price.

A battery makes less sense if you use a lot of power during the day anyway, for example when working from home, or if the feed-in tariff is high. Self-consumption is then good even without a battery. If you run an electric car and heating on solar power, read the guide Solar power from your own roof.

Subsidies and taxes for the battery

The federal government pays no one-off payment for the battery. The funding under the Energy Funding Ordinance applies to the solar system. Some cantons and communes have their own programmes, which often have an annual budget and change. We check which apply to your address when we prepare the quote.

For tax purposes the battery can be among the deductible investments in energy saving and environmental protection. In the Canton of Zurich the home battery counts. Rules differ by canton. Ask your tax office or tax adviser before ordering. More in the guide Solar system subsidies.

New since 2026: if a battery draws power from the grid and later feeds it back, operators can, according to Swissolar, apply for a refund of the grid charges, provided metering records both quantities. How this works with your grid operator is best asked of your utility.

Battery, EV charger and heat pump together

A battery can work together with an EV charger and a heat pump. An energy management system charges the car first with surplus from the roof and runs the heat pump when the sun shines. The battery then covers part of the evening. On the page solar installation you can see how we plan the parts together. The cost of the system itself is in the guide Solar system cost and payback.

We calculate it for your home

Whether a battery pays off for you depends on consumption, system and tariff. At the free site visit we read your consumption from your electricity bills and calculate several battery sizes. Within 72 hours you receive a binding quote with and without a battery side by side. Planning, installation and registration are with us, with our own installers, at our locations in Zumikon and Lachen.