In short
Plug-and-play here means the battery goes into a socket with a plug. A fixed battery is wired by an installer to a dedicated circuit in the meter cupboard. Voltravo's models deliver 800 W (Hoymiles 800 VA) to the grid by default.
What do you watch for with socket and circuit?
If you connect a plug-and-play battery yourself, you do it on an earthed socket. It charges and feeds power back through the same circuit in the meter cupboard. That calls for a few rules: straight into the socket, so no extension lead or power strip, and not on a circuit with heavy appliances such as a washing machine.
Advice on connecting it yourself differs. Milieu Centraal is more cautious. With a plug-in battery, power on one circuit can come from two sides, the grid and the battery. As a result more current can flow through the wiring without the fuse tripping, and the wiring can get too hot. Professionals therefore connect home batteries to a dedicated circuit and not to a socket. Milieu Centraal does not yet recommend plug-in batteries, like regular home batteries.
For every circuit in a home there is a general tip: do not connect more than 3,600 W per circuit and give appliances that use a lot of power their own circuit. That tip comes from a report on electrical accidents and covers all equipment, not home batteries in particular. How many watts an appliance needs is on its rating plate or in its manual.
| Topic | Advice in the sources |
|---|---|
| Socket | Earthed and straight in, without an extension lead or power strip |
| Circuit | A dedicated circuit where possible, not shared with a washing machine |
| Number per circuit | At most one battery. More calls for a certified installer |
| Power per circuit | General tip for any circuit: no more than 3,600 W |
| Meter cupboard | Mark that a home battery is connected |
| Location | Dry and ventilated, not in an escape route or under the stairs, with a smoke alarm in the room |
Earthing, placement and who may install it
Plug-and-play sounds simple, but connecting it has conditions. The Marstek Venus E comes with a cable for a household socket. The manufacturer's condition is that the device is only installed, operated and maintained by qualified professionals or trained personnel. If the surface is a material other than brick or concrete, such as drywall or wood, it must be flame-retardant and able to carry the weight.
The HYXI Halo comes with a 3 metre AC cable for a socket. The manufacturer's condition is that the installation is done by professional technicians and that the unit is connected to an external ground point, otherwise there is a risk of electric shock.
For grid-connected use both manufacturers set approval from the local utility company as a condition, for the Marstek and for the Halo. The Halo's default is 800 W. A higher power can be set in the app, but that must comply with local regulations and may only be done by authorised personnel.
Do you have to register a plug-and-play battery?
A battery system with a power of 0.8 kW or more must be registered, including a home battery. You register a home battery yourself on energieleveren.nl. Plug-and-play batteries are not mentioned separately there. The models in the shop deliver 800 W or more to the grid by default (Hoymiles 800 VA), which puts them at or above that threshold.
So expect to register your battery, and check on energieleveren.nl or with your grid operator how it works out for your model. This is not legal advice.
How to do it step by step is explained in how to register your home battery. Why grid operators want to know this and what grid-aware use is, is explained in home battery and grid congestion.
What do you check after connecting it?
Check the plug, the cables and the housing preferably twice a year for damage, wear or discolouration. If you see damage to the cables or the battery, contact the supplier.
Where to place the battery and what to do in case of smoke or fire is covered in placing and maintaining a home battery fire-safely.
Check with your insurer whether extra conditions apply. Note in the meter cupboard that a battery is connected, with the supplier's phone number next to it.
When does installation make sense?
Plug-and-play suits a free socket on a circuit that can handle the battery, with 800 W as the default. Installation makes sense if you want more than 800 W, want to place more than one battery, have no suitable circuit or are unsure, or if the model's manual asks for a professional.
For selected models you add a professional 1-phase installation on a dedicated circuit for 499 euros per battery, including VAT. The power to the grid can then be higher, and differs per model. For the Marstek Venus E 3.0 and the TSUN PowerTrunk that is up to 2,500 W, for the HYXI Halo and the AEG Solarcube up to 1,500 W, and for the Hoymiles HiBattery up to 2,000 VA.
Which routes Voltravo offers for connecting it yourself or having it installed is on the installation page. If you want a fixed system, see systems with installation. What the number of phases means is covered in home battery 1-phase or 3-phase.
Whether a battery counts towards the energy label is explained in home battery and energy label.
Sources
- Fire service: plug-and-play home battery (Dutch): Connect yourself to an earthed socket, no extension lead, a dedicated circuit where possible, at most one battery per circuit.
- Milieu Centraal: home battery, storing solar energy (Dutch): With a plug-in battery power can come from two sides, professionals connect home batteries to a dedicated circuit, plug-in batteries are not yet recommended.
- Netbeheer Nederland: household electrical accidents behind the meter, 2025 overview (Dutch): Tips from the report: no more than 3,600 W per circuit, a dedicated circuit for high-power appliances and no power strips or extension leads for them.
- RVO: register your battery system (Dutch): A battery system of 0.8 kW or more must be registered, home batteries included.
- Marstek Venus E Gen 3 user manual (PDF): Only qualified professionals or trained personnel install, operate and maintain the device. Approval from the local utility company for grid-connected use.
- HYXI Halo MS3000 user manual (PDF): External ground point, 800 W default grid power, higher power only under local rules and by authorised personnel.
