How to Maximise Your Solar Self-Consumption with a Home Battery

Smart Strategies to Use More of Your Own Power and Lower Your Bills

Solar panels are great—but if you're sending most of your energy back to the grid for a few cents per kWh, you’re not getting the full benefit.

That’s where self-consumption comes in.

Simply put: The more of your solar energy you use yourself, the less you pay for electricity.

Adding a battery helps store your solar for night-time use. But even with a battery, how you use your appliances and manage your system can make a huge difference.

Let’s break it down.

⚙️ What Is Self-Consumption?

Self-consumption means using your solar power directly within your home or business—rather than exporting it.

Currently in Australia, feed-in tariffs are as low as $0.00–$0.06/kWh, while grid electricity can cost $0.30–$0.45/kWh. That’s a massive gap. When you store your solar and use it during peak times, you keep the value instead of giving it away.

🪜 5 Ways to Maximise Self-Consumption

1. Use High-Energy Appliances During the Day

Shift energy-hungry tasks—like laundry, dishwashing, or pool pumps—to daytime when your solar is generating.

2. Charge Your Battery First, Not the Grid

Many systems can be configured to prioritise battery charging during peak solar hours. That stored power then covers your night usage.

3. Reserve Power for the Evening Peak

Smart batteries let you set aside a portion of charge for use after sunset, when grid power is most expensive (around 6–10pm).

4. Automate Appliance Use

Use timers, smart plugs, or systems like the Jousto Energy Hub to turn on devices when solar generation peaks.

5. Stay Efficient

Less is more. Energy-efficient appliances + smart timing = more of your solar goes further. Every kWh you don’t waste saves you 30–45¢.

🧠 Bonus: Smart Energy Systems

If you’re using the Jousto Energy Hub, you can automate all of this. It learns your usage, checks solar forecasts, and schedules your devices and battery automatically.

It’s like having a solar-savvy energy manager in your pocket.

🧾 Real-World Savings

In South Australia, where grid power can cost up to $0.50/kWh during summer peaks, even a small 5–10kWh battery can save you $700–$1,200/year—just by using your own energy smarter.

📈 Want to Go Further?

If you already have solar but no battery, or if your current system isn’t configured for smart use, you’re leaving money on the table.

🔧 Your Next Step:

• 💬 Want the fully installed battery experience? Let us do it for you →

• 🛒 Want to buy a battery and DIY install? Explore our store →