Signs your meter cupboard likely needs attention
- No free slot for an extra breaker
- Cupboard older than 15–20 years without recent upgrade
- Old-style breakers or fuses instead of modern MCBs
Thuisaccu installatie
Preparing for home battery installation
What do you arrange before installation? Here is what your installer checks during the survey: meter cupboard, space, indoor or outdoor. With practical examples by property type.
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Step 1 of 5
Where will the battery be installed?
01
What happens during the survey?
The survey is an inspection visit, not installation. The installer reviews your meter cupboard, walks through the intended battery location with you and checks the route to your inverter. Photos are taken and dimensions noted. No drilling and no battery mounted yet.
Allow 45–90 minutes. Helpful to have ready: access to cupboard, inverter and garage; solar installation details if you have them; and questions about parking, neighbours or HOA. Afterwards you know whether you can proceed to cupboard work and installation scheduling.
Meter cupboard: when is an upgrade needed?
A home battery needs its own circuit with appropriate breaker and often RCD protection to current standards. If there is no space or breakers are outdated, the cupboard must be expanded or replaced. Common in pre-2000 homes and part of a safe installation.
Three common situations
During the survey the installer assesses your cupboard. Sometimes one extra breaker suffices. Sometimes a larger board is needed because all slots are full or old fuses must go. This almost always happens before installation day, on a separate half-day visit.
- Extra circuit on existing board: quickest fix when space remains
- Replace distribution board, same location: when full or outdated, often half a day
- Upgrade main connection: rarer, only if total load requires it
- Asbestos panel behind breakers (replacement needed)
- Tripping circuits or warm breakers under normal use
- Solar already sharing a full board with induction, heat pump or EV charger
Space and ventilation
A home battery needs clearance for ventilation and maintenance, often at least ~20 cm above and to the sides depending on model. Indoor mounting needs a solid wall or level floor bearing the weight. Outdoor mounting needs shelter, protection from sun and rain, and a suitable IP rating.
You do not need millimetre-perfect measurements; the survey decides. It helps to think about a logical spot near cupboard and inverter. Every extra metre of cable is more work. Avoid unventilated spaces or uninsulated outer walls with frost risk.
Signs your meter cupboard likely needs attention
- No free slot for an extra breaker
- Cupboard older than 15–20 years without recent upgrade
- Old-style breakers or fuses instead of modern MCBs
- Asbestos panel behind breakers (replacement needed)
- Tripping circuits or warm breakers under normal use
- Solar already sharing a full board with induction, heat pump or EV charger
Space and ventilation
A home battery needs clearance for ventilation and maintenance, often at least ~20 cm above and to the sides depending on model. Indoor mounting needs a solid wall or level floor bearing the weight. Outdoor mounting needs shelter, protection from sun and rain, and a suitable IP rating.
You do not need millimetre-perfect measurements; the survey decides. It helps to think about a logical spot near cupboard and inverter. Every extra metre of cable is more work. Avoid unventilated spaces or uninsulated outer walls with frost risk.
03
Indoor or outdoor placement
Not every battery may be mounted outdoors. That depends on IP rating, temperature range and site conditions. Indoor garage or utility room is most common: dry, stable temperature, easy maintenance access. Outdoor can save garage space when model and survey allow.
The installer assesses ventilation, frost risk, access and whether the wall can bear the load. Do not fix a location yourself: a wrong choice means extra cost if the survey advises elsewhere. Outdoors: north or east elevation often better than full afternoon sun on the enclosure.
By property type
Examples below are typical. Your situation may differ. The survey leads.
Terraced / end-terrace
Cupboard often in hall under stairs, narrow passages. Battery usually indoors in garage or utility room. Outdoor only with a suitable sheltered spot. Discuss van parking with neighbours in advance.
Semi-detached / detached
Often larger garage or utility room, sometimes outdoor mounting beside the cupboard. Watch cable distance if inverter is in loft and battery in garage. That can lengthen installation day.
Apartment
Shared cupboard or limited space, HOA approval often mandatory before survey. Sometimes only a smaller capacity unit is feasible. Allow extra time for HOA decisions.
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