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Home Battery Economics Calculator — Canada

Value stored electricity after charging losses and the opportunity cost of the charging energy. CAD planning view; stated limitations apply.

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Inputs

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Result

Updates as valid inputs change.

Calculated locally
Illustrative defaults are not local quotes or verified legal rules. Dated reference components and user-entered assumptions are explicitly distinguished. Professional review is pending.
Simple payback, years
—
Net capital cost
—
First-year net saving
—
Discounted net value
—
First-year delivered electricity, kWh
—
First-year charging electricity, kWh
—
Cash-flow break-even year
—
Undiscounted lifetime net benefit
—

Saved locally, explained clearly

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Calculation steps

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  1. 1

    Formula selected

    The calculator uses the following formula or method.

    arbitrage benefit = usable kWh × cycles × peak price − charged kWh × charging price.

    Inputs are converted to canonical units before evaluating this stated formula.

  2. 2

    Values entered

    Your values are placed into the calculation.

    Enter values to see what is used in this step.

  3. 3

    Result calculated

    The formula or method produces the following result values.

    Results will appear after a successful calculation.

  4. 4

    Answer formatted

    Displayed values are rounded and formatted using each output’s configured precision.

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How it works

Value stored electricity after charging losses and the opportunity cost of the charging energy.

This is the Canada planning view, with monetary inputs and outputs in CAD. A currency label does not establish that a tax rate, construction price, coverage rule or legal limit has been verified locally. The inputs and limitations below describe the actual scope.

Input query strings and outputs

Use an input name in this page’s URL as ?name=value, and join additional inputs with &. Portable shared links may instead use the compact ?ac= state parameter.

Input query strings

15
  • ?capacity= Nameplate battery capacity, kWh

    Number · Required · Default: 10

  • ?usablePercent= Usable capacity

    Percentage · Required · Default: 90

  • ?cycles= Equivalent full cycles per year

    Number · Required · Default: 250

  • ?roundTripEfficiency= AC round-trip efficiency

    Percentage · Required · Default: 90

  • ?peakRate= Avoided high-price electricity per kWh

    Money · Required · Default: 0.3

  • ?chargingRate= Charging energy opportunity cost per kWh

    Money · Required · Default: 0.1

  • ?projectCost= Installed battery price

    Money · Required · Default: 10,000

  • ?incentive= Confirmed incentive

    Money · Required · Default: 0

  • ?maintenance= Annual maintenance

    Money · Required · Default: 0

  • ?years= Planning horizon, years

    Number · Required · Default: 25

  • ?discountRate= Annual discount rate

    Percentage · Required · Default: 4

  • ?degradation= Annual output degradation

    Percentage · Required · Default: 0.5

  • ?energyEscalation= Annual energy-price escalation

    Percentage · Required · Default: 2

  • ?replacementYear= Replacement year (0 means none)

    Number · Required · Default: 0

  • ?replacementCost= Replacement cost

    Money · Required · Default: 0

Outputs

8
  • capital Net capital cost

    Currency · Currency: CAD

  • annualSaving First-year net saving

    Currency · Currency: CAD

  • payback Simple payback, years

    Number · Primary output

  • npv Discounted net value

    Currency · Currency: CAD

  • delivered First-year delivered electricity, kWh

    Number

  • charged First-year charging electricity, kWh

    Number

  • breakeven Cash-flow break-even year

    Number

  • cumulative Undiscounted lifetime net benefit

    Currency · Currency: CAD

Formula

arbitrage benefit = usable kWh × cycles × peak price − charged kWh × charging price.

Calculations retain numeric precision internally. Displayed values are rounded for readability. Quantities that must be purchased as whole units are rounded up only where the formula explicitly requires it.

Read the inputs before calculating

  • Nameplate battery capacity, kWh: Enter the quantity described by the label.
  • Usable capacity: Enter the quantity described by the label.
  • Equivalent full cycles per year: Enter the quantity described by the label.
  • AC round-trip efficiency: Enter the quantity described by the label.
  • Avoided high-price electricity per kWh: Enter the quantity described by the label.
  • Charging energy opportunity cost per kWh: Enter the quantity described by the label.
  • Installed battery price: Enter the quantity described by the label.
  • Confirmed incentive: Enter the quantity described by the label.
  • Annual maintenance: Enter the quantity described by the label.
  • Planning horizon, years: Enter the quantity described by the label.
  • Annual discount rate: Enter the quantity described by the label.
  • Annual output degradation: Enter the quantity described by the label.
  • Annual energy-price escalation: Enter the quantity described by the label.
  • Replacement year (0 means none): Enter the quantity described by the label.
  • Replacement cost: Enter the quantity described by the label.

Reproducible worked example

The following is a fictional arithmetic example, not a local quote, a verified claimant or a market forecast. Its values are included so the formula can be checked. The form does not automatically confirm any verification checkbox.

InputExample value
Nameplate battery capacity, kWh10
Usable capacity90
Equivalent full cycles per year250
AC round-trip efficiency90
Avoided high-price electricity per kWh0.3
Charging energy opportunity cost per kWh0.1
Installed battery price10,000
Confirmed incentive0
Annual maintenance0
Planning horizon, years25
Annual discount rate4
Annual output degradation0.5
Annual energy-price escalation2
Replacement year (0 means none)0
Replacement cost0
OutputCalculated result
Net capital costCAD 10,000
First-year net savingCAD 425
Simple payback, years23.5294
Discounted net valueCAD -2,260.8514
First-year delivered electricity, kWh2,250
First-year charging electricity, kWh2,500
Cash-flow break-even year20.3188
Undiscounted lifetime net benefitCAD 2,760.7197

Interpreting a changed assumption

Start with one complete scenario and change only one input when diagnosing a difference. Recheck units, the period of every rate, whether an amount is recurring or one-off, and whether a cost is already included elsewhere. A larger calculated benefit is not evidence that an assumption is more likely to occur.

Limitations

  • Do not count the same solar export payment and time-of-use saving twice. Backup resilience is not monetized automatically. Replacement and warranty cycle limits require a product-specific assessment.

Frequently asked questions

What does this Home Battery Economics result represent?

Value stored electricity after charging losses and the opportunity cost of the charging energy. It applies the displayed formula to your inputs; it does not infer omitted facts.

No. Numeric defaults are illustrative unless an input or dated reference explicitly identifies a researched component. Currency is CAD; local quotes, eligibility and unsupported rules must be entered and verified separately.

What must I check before relying on the result?

Check the input units, supplier or authority evidence, the stated model exclusions and the period used for costs. This arithmetic does not supply missing site-specific design or local legal rules.

Can I compare or share different assumptions?

Change one assumption at a time and use the browser-local project or share controls. A shared URL contains the encoded input values; do not include information you do not wish to disclose.

Sources and reference scope

  • DOE energy-use arithmetic — retrieved 2026-09-24. Energy consumption versus power; not a local tariff or an approval of this implementation.
  • PVWatts: site-specific solar estimation — retrieved 2026-09-24. External site-yield model. AskCalculators uses your entered yield; it does not call or reproduce PVWatts.
  • DOE insulation overview — retrieved 2026-09-24. Insulation and thermal resistance concepts; not structural or code approval.

These references support only their stated scope. They are not evidence that every local rule or price needed by the master expansion has been loaded.

Sources
Limitations
  • Illustrative defaults are not local quotes or verified legal rules. Dated reference components and user-entered assumptions are explicitly distinguished. Professional review is pending.
  • Inputs are converted to canonical units before evaluating this stated formula.
  • Material quantities are estimates. Confirm site dimensions, product coverage, waste, and local requirements before ordering or construction.
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