Battery payback calculator
A battery pays for itself by storing cheap surplus solar and using it instead of grid power. Whether that adds up depends on your price, your usage rate and your feed-in tariff. Enter your own numbers below — we never assume a battery price — and see the payback range with every assumption on show.
Battery payback calculator
Enter your own battery quote — we never assume a price. The result is a range based on stated cycling and efficiency assumptions.
Assumptions
- Cycling of 0.7–1 full cycles per day (real homes rarely fill and empty the battery every day — the lower end is the realistic case).
- 90% round-trip efficiency.
- Assumes you have enough excess solar to charge the battery. Benefit is the gap between your usage rate and feed-in tariff, as entered.
- Excludes battery degradation, warranty limits and any backup-power value. This is an estimate, not a quote.
Common questions
- How is battery payback calculated here?
- The calculator models the main financial benefit of a battery: storing surplus solar (that would otherwise export at your feed-in tariff) and using it later instead of buying from the grid. Annual benefit is roughly your usable capacity × cycles per day × round-trip efficiency × the gap between your usage rate and feed-in tariff. Payback is your cost divided by that benefit.
- Why do you ask me for the battery price?
- Because we never assume one. Battery prices vary widely by brand, size and installer, and rebate amounts are still being verified, so the only honest figure is the quote in front of you, net of any rebate you’ve confirmed.
- Why is the result a range, not a single number?
- Real homes rarely cycle a battery fully every day. We show a range from a realistic cycling assumption to an optimistic one, so you see the honest spread rather than a single best-case figure.
- What does the calculator leave out?
- It excludes battery degradation over time, warranty limits, and the value of backup power during outages — which can matter a lot in some areas. Treat the result as a financial estimate, not a complete picture or a quote.
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Keep reading
- Battery rebates by state — what you can knock off the price first.
- Solar feed-in tariffs by state — the export rate that drives battery payback.
- Back to the battery hub
Reviewed by James Baker, Founder, EnergyPlans.com.au. Calculator assumptions reviewed 21 June 2026. Methodology.