solar panels with Battery

Might I suggest reading the FAQ -

Has a section in there specifically about batteries.

While the ink isn't dry on the recently announced FIT (Feed-in-tarrif) the amount of money that they are offering is a bit better than the general expectiation was going to be. However, they may yet penalize people with higher standing charges etc.

My own gut feeling is that everyone would be best suited with a small (2.5-5.0 Kwhr) battery and then sell anything that's left to the grid, but it's VERY CASE dependant. What is right for me, may not be right for you or your neighbor. You have to look at your consumption and do the math.

it depends on a few things... but max input is probably 2.5/hour.

if noload in the house? then probably 2 hours at full belt of the sun, no clouds. i have a slightly larger system and it should be full by 11am this time of year give or take... weather and aspect makes a differrence too.

Good plan. My dishwasher and dryer have a timer built so I do exactly that. Haven't used any grid for a few days now...