Solar battery placed in the attic

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suicra05

Registered User
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I was wondering is there any insurance issues with placing a battery for Solar power in your attic.
These batteries are quite heavy (60kilos) and are fire proof. If there was a house fire there might be extra risk involved with these batteries.
Does placing a battery in your attic affect your house insurance?
 
Maybe ring the insurer and ask. The guy who installed mine wasn’t in favour of it , for reasons of weight and subsequent access.
 
Billybob said:
Maybe ring the insurer and ask. The guy who installed mine wasn’t in favour of it , for reasons of weight and subsequent access.
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My pal has one in his attic. Then he found this!

https://wing.energy/think-twice-before-putting-solar-inverter-and-batteries-in-attics/
In this article, we will explain why it is not advisable to place solar invert or hybrid inverters with batteries in attics in the United Kingdom. We will discuss the dangers of this choice, including temperature fluctuations, limited ventilation, fire hazards, restricted accessibility, overheating of DC cables, and high resistance risks.
Click to expand...
 
In the UK its no longer considered best practice and thats going to feed through over here as well.

Solar batteries are not fire proof and they are considered very low fire risk because the chemistry involved is very stable --- however once they do catch fire its very difficult to extinguish due to thermal runaway.
 
Hello,

I think the majority of inverters and batteries are installed in attics. It's been that way for several years now, and there's been no major warnings issued, at least not that I've seen.

My own battery is in the attic, and has been there for circa 15 - 16 months, now.

There were "fireman switches" installed in the attic, to cut the power from the solar panels, but no precaution for the battery, so the installer didn't seem to think it was a concern.

When I phoned my insurance company, after having the solar panels and kit installed, I think that they bumped up my premium, possibly by about 40-50 quid, from memory, but no mention of concerns about location of the battery.

In the unlikely event of a fire, odds are that the attic won't be the first place to go on fire, so I expect / hope to have everyone safely out of the house, I'm good time.

Ultimately, there are risks with just about everything, in this life...I don't think I'll worry too much about this one.
 
8till8 said:
In the UK its no longer considered best practice and thats going to feed through over here as well.

Solar batteries are not fire proof and they are considered very low fire risk because the chemistry involved is very stable --- however once they do catch fire its very difficult to extinguish due to thermal runaway.
Click to expand...

That's right, BSI PAS 63100: 2024 states that solar batteries shall not be installed in ‘voids, roof spaces, or lofts’.
https://www.electricaltimes.co.uk/n...ecommendations-for-home-battery-installation/

One Solar Panel installer I spoke with mentioned they had someone specifically ask them to remove the battery from their attic recently due to fire risk
 
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