IKEA has announced it is set to offer solar and battery storage packages in its UK stores.
The solar and battery packages start at £6925 (AU$11,419), with IKEA expecting the average payback to be 12 years, with an annual return of six per cent.
While the upfront cost in not insignificant, IKEA is expecting good take-up, and the ubiquity of the homewares retailer may help to boost number of solar and battery households across the UK, particularly in a time when retailers have been increasing prices by up to 15 per cent.
The retailer is teaming up with company Solarcentury for its Solar Battery Storage solution, and expects systems to save the average household up to £560 (AU$923) a year, representing up to 70 per cent of a typical bill (the battery size used in examples is 6.5kWh, with a 12-panel (3kW) solar system).
Those with solar already can opt for a battery system on its own, starting at about £3000 (AU$4948).
“We know that our customers want to live more sustainably and together with Solarcentury we will help them to get more value from their solar panels and do just that,” IKEA UK and Ireland country sustainability manager Hege Saebjornsen said.
“With energy bills already going up 15 per cent this year there’s never been a better time for customers to take back control of their electricity bills and maximise their savings by switching to solar and solar storage.”
Head of residential solar at Solarcentury Susannah Wood said the business partnership with IKEA represented a “significant” step forward for the renewable energy industry.
“The cost of solar installations has dropped considerably in recent years and is in fact 100 times cheaper than it was 35 years ago,” Ms Wood said.
“We believe IKEA and Solarcentury are bringing the most competitive package to the market yet so more people than ever before can profit financially and environmentally by producing their own energy.”
Solar panels come with a 25-year warranty, inverters 10 years, and output and workmanship six years.