Installing solar and battery storage together is always more cost-effective than doing them separately. You share scaffolding costs, the installation team is on site once, cable routes are planned together and the systems are commissioned as an integrated unit from day one. The financial case is also stronger — with battery storage, self-consumption rates typically rise from 30–40% (solar only) to 70–90%, dramatically accelerating the payback period.
From a VAT perspective, battery storage installed alongside a new solar system qualifies for 0% VAT — the same rate as the solar panels themselves. A battery installed as a separate retrofit on existing solar is subject to 20% VAT. Installing together saves you the full 20% VAT on the battery cost — a saving of £800–£1,800 on a typical 10kWh battery.