Government to hand out free plug-in batteries

• Ministers considering buying batteries in bulk and handing them out to low-income households
• Government remains committed to helping people access cheap energy despite Ed Miliband stepping down from (DESNZ)
• Annual savings to households could be in the hundreds

The government will give free plug-in batteries to low-income households to help them cut their energy bills and store power.

That’s according to reports in The i Paper, which says the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has a plan to see the government buy plug-in batteries in bulk and give them to those hit hardest by rising gas prices.

The paper says this is among a list of ideas made by the government and clean energy technology experts Nesta to help households cut costs.

Since the beginning of the US-Iran war and closing of the Strait of Hormuz in February, ministers have been searching for ways to protect billpayers, including changing the laws on plug-in solar panels.

A plug-in solar panel, which connects directly into the wall socket, can cut roughly £200 from yearly energy bills.

If you’re on a time-of-use tariff, a plug-in battery will work by drawing electricity from the grid (when plugged into the socket) when it’s cheap and sending it back through the same socket when its expensive.

Plug-in batteries retail for about £500 and are far cheaper than regular solar batteries.

The plans were made by former energy secretary, now foreign secretary, Ed Miliband. However, Whitehall maintains a “huge appetite” for technology that can help people access clean and cheap energy.

Whether or not to go ahead with the bulk buying and handing out of plug-in batteries will depend on talks with the Treasury, the Crown Commercial Agency (the government’s procurement division) and the new national energy firm GB Energy, with responsibility falling to Miliband’s successor Miatta Fahnbulleh.

We don’t know yet which households will be eligible for the free plug-in batteries, if they are approved, but it’s likely that those earning less than £36,000 a year and/or on state benefits and/or in a home with a low EPC rating will be prioritised, as is the case with some solar government grants, including the Warm Homes: Local Grant.

Written By

Maximilian Schwerdtfeger Deputy editor

Max joined The Eco Experts as content manager in February 2024 and became deputy editor in 2025. He has written about sustainability issues across numerous industries, including maritime, supply chain, finance, mining, and retail. He has also written extensively for consumer titles like City AM, The Morning Star, and The Daily Express.

He has represented The Eco Experts on national television several times, including the BBC’s Sunday Morning Live and ITV Tonight .

In 2020, he covered in detail the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) legislation on sulphur emissions and its effects on the global container shipping market as online editor of Port Technology International.

He also explored the initiatives major container ports and terminals have launched in order to ship vital goods across the world without polluting the environment.

Since then, he has reported heavily on the impact made by environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices on the supply chain of minerals, with a particular focus on rare earth mining in Africa.

As part of this, in 2022 Max visited mines and ports in Angola to hone in on the challenges being faced by one of the world’s biggest producers of rare earth minerals.

His most recent sustainability-related work came much closer to home, as he investigated the eco-challenges faced by independent retailers in the UK, specifically looking at how they can cut emissions and continue to thrive.

Max lives in South London and is an avid reader of books on modern history. He has also recently learned to play the game Mahjong and takes every opportunity to do so. He is also yet to find a sport he doesn’t enjoy watching.

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