Policy
Could a shared community battery reach Broadstairs flats? DESNZ is asking
DESNZ issued a call for evidence called Assessing the case for community batteries on 4 June 2026. It asked for responses by 30 July 2026, so the window has closed and this is a fact-finding exercise, not a grant or a scheme anyone can apply to. We are covering it because it names a problem we see in seaside towns: homes that cannot take a battery of their own.
The document defines a community battery as a battery serving multiple homes, with direct bill savings distributed to each home. It says many homes lack space for battery units and that upfront costs remain a barrier, so domestic storage cannot currently reach all households. It names flats as a technical reason and low-income households as a financial one.
It also sets out three shared layouts. In the first, a shared battery sits in a block's utility room and is wired behind each resident's own meter, so residents see bill savings without switching supplier. In the second, a microgrid sits behind the landlord's meter and in front of each home's. In the third, a battery sits in front of the meter on the distribution network and its operator shares the savings, which usually needs residents to use the same supplier. DESNZ cites a Cardiff project for the first type and notes that retrofitting microgrids is technically challenging and expensive.
The document puts a number on today's position. It says there are an estimated 1.6GWh of home batteries across about 299,000 households in Great Britain, citing an LCP Delta report from May 2026, and notes that home batteries are exempt from VAT until March 2027. That is a small share of homes, which is why the department wants to know whether sharing could widen access.
What does it mean in Broadstairs? Thanet at the 2021 census had 26.3% of households renting privately and 11.9% renting socially (ONS), and some seaside buildings have been converted into flats, Kingsgate Castle being one. Those households cannot put panels on a roof they do not own. Our view is that a shared battery is an interesting idea but not something to wait for. Today the practical options are a battery inside your own flat with the freeholder's agreement, charged on a cheap overnight tariff, or a plug-in solar kit. Our battery only page shows the honest sums, including the long payback.
Read the original: DESNZ: Assessing the case for community batteries, a call for evidence. Figures come from that page. Where we do our own sums we say so. Commentary is our own view, not advice.
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