Solar panels & home battery

Home battery and self-consumption

Without a battery, you use around a quarter to 40 per cent of your own electricity; the rest goes into the grid, where the feed-in tariff varies by supplier and can even be negative at times when the sun is shining. A home battery stores your surplus electricity for the evening, increases your self-consumption and can smooth out your quarter-hourly peak, which counts towards the capacity tariff. Ahmed explains honestly what a battery will deliver in your situation, so that you know what you're getting into.

• Battery connected to your inverter and consumer unit
• Using more of your own solar power
• Lower quarter-hourly peak, relevant to the capacity tariff
• Honest advice on whether a battery is worth it for you

Inspection, digital meter and registration

Every new solar panel installation must pass an AREI inspection before it can be commissioned. Without a valid certificate of conformity, Fluvius will not connect your installation. Ahmed ensures that everything complies with the regulations and helps arrange the inspection. He registers the installation with Fluvius, submitting the certificate of conformity and the technical data sheets. The digital meter records your consumption and feed-in separately every quarter of an hour; this forms the basis for your capacity tariff and your feed-in tariff.

• Installation in accordance with the AREI, ready for inspection
• Inspection and Fluvius registration arranged as part of the process
• Explanation of your digital meter, feed-in and yield
• A new inspection is required in the event of a subsequent inverter replacement or upgrade

VAT and what you can still expect

For solar panels installed on a property that has been in use for at least 10 years, a 6 per cent VAT rate applies to supply and installation instead of 21 per cent. For a home battery, this lower rate applies only if it is installed alongside solar panels, a heat pump or a solar water heater; a standalone battery is subject to 21 per cent VAT. A new Flemish subsidy for panels or batteries will no longer be available in 2026. Ahmed will discuss with you in advance what makes sense for your situation and give you a clear quote.