“We don't have to keep track of electricity prices anymore" — Henrik's experience with Power Core

Henrik Johansson and his partner Sanna live in Ålems kyrkby in south-eastern Sweden. Like many homeowners, they had already taken steps to make their home more energy efficient, including installing a soapstone stove and a second air-source heat pump. But keeping their electricity costs down still meant adapting their household energy consumption around hourly electricity prices.

"I found it stressful having to constantly check for the cheapest electricity prices throughout the day."

That is the part of home energy nobody advertises. This is what changed when they installed an Emaldo® Power Core with 15.36 kWh of storage and a built-in EV charge point, and why the everyday experience matters more than the specification.

In this article

The hidden cost of chasing cheap hours

What actually changes day to day

FAQ

The hidden cost of chasing cheap electricity hours

Swedish households are unusually exposed to price movement, because hourly tariffs, a heat pump and an electric car add up to a home whose consumption is large, shiftable and worth actively managing. The volatility is real: across the EU in 2025, wholesale prices fell below zero in around 3.3% of hours and rose above €150/MWh in 9.3% of hours, according to Eurelectric. Solar reached 12.5% of EU generation, which is precisely why the middle of the day is cheap and the evening is not.

Managing that manually works, and it costs you something that does not appear on the bill. You plan laundry around a price curve. You think twice about the charging your car. The saving is real and so is the mental overhead.

A battery removes the decision rather than helping you make it. It buys or stores when power is cheap or self-produced, and releases it when power is expensive. For a household with solar, that means keeping surplus instead of exporting it. For a household without solar, the same logic still applies to hourly prices, which is why storage is worth considering even before panels.

One system instead of three separate boxes

Henrik's choice came down to practicality. A local installer offered Emaldo, the cabinet could go where he wanted it, the charge point was already inside it, and the company is Danish.

"So it was really convenient to have everything in one, the whole unit with everything included. The inverter is built into it, and it just looks like one big battery, so that was really great."

That is the case for integration in a homeowner's own words. Battery, inverter, solar connection and a Type 2 charge point in one cabinet means one installation visit, no separate charger to buy and no additional wiring. It went in their garage, which is where they wanted it.

What actually changes day to day

In one sense, everything. In another, very little. And that is the point.

"You don't even have to think about the battery. It charges during the day, and then you use that energy at night. And even if I need to charge the car and it's a bit cloudy, it draws from the battery, and then charges the battery back up during the afternoon instead."

That single sentence describes intelligent energy management better than a feature list can. The system decides the sequence; the household just uses electricity. Henrik's own summary of the result is that their energy costs are dramatically lower than before, and that the household now uses more energy than it did, not less, because using self-produced power no longer feels like a decision.

"It's a huge weight off our shoulders. We don't have to keep track of electricity prices anymore. Now we can use electricity when we need it, and that feels really good."

Worth being clear about what this is: one household's experience, in one bidding zone, with one set of habits. Your own outcome depends on your array, your tariff, your consumption and your installation.

For Swedish homeowners there is also the tax position. In 2026 the green technology deduction gives 50% on battery storage and charge points, capped at SEK 50,000 per person per year, while the deduction for solar panels sits at 15% and the separate micro-production tax credit was withdrawn on 1 January 2026. The direction is consistent: storing your own electricity is treated more favourably than selling it. Confirm current rules with your installer or Skatteverket.

Can it earn as well as save?

In Sweden, yes, through Emaldo® Grid Rewards. Henrik describes it plainly:

"Grid Rewards is an ancillary service that allows us, as private individuals, to help keep the electricity grid stable at 50 Hz. In return for helping with this, we receive compensation, which varies depending on where in the country you live. And that compensation is then paid out to you every month."

Your battery's spare capacity is made available to the grid operator, which pays to have it on standby and pays again when it is called on. Activations are short, usually 15 to 20 minutes, and happen in the background. Earnings vary by bidding zone, by month and with market prices, and in Sweden your choice of electricity supplier affects what you can earn.

Conclusion

Henrik's view after living with Emaldo® Power Core:

"I see the battery as an investment in the house, in our finances, in the future, and in a more comfortable life, especially with today's electricity prices constantly going up and down."

If your household runs a heat pump, an electric car and an hourly tariff, the question is less whether storage pays and more how much of your attention it gives back. Power Core brings storage, inverter, solar connection and car charging into one cabinet, so there is one system to install and nothing to manage day to day.

FAQ

Do I need solar panels for a home battery to be worth it?
Henrik and Sanna installed solar panels and a battery in November 2025, right in the middle of the darkest time of the year. During the first few months, the panels generated next to nothing, so the battery essentially operated without solar power: it charged when electricity was cheap and supplied power when prices were high. That’s exactly how a battery works in a home without solar panels. The source of the cheapest electricity may change with the seasons, but the day-to-day experience remains the same.