Pylontech batteries in the UK: US5000 and Force H3

Pylontech can be a good choice if you want a modular battery and your installer can show that it is approved for your inverter. The first decision is not the size but the type. The US5000 is a 48 V low-voltage module that stacks in a rack; the Force H3 is a high-voltage tower. They don't connect to the same inverters, don't use the same modules and have different warranties. A quote that just says "Pylontech battery" doesn't tell you enough.

Pylontech publishes a datasheet for the US series, a Force H3 datasheet and a list of inverters approved for its low-voltage batteries. These are the starting point; the model code, firmware and warranty document for the battery you are sold still need confirming in writing.

If you are still deciding whether a battery is worth it at all, start with our guide to solar battery storage.

US5000 or Force H3?

The US5000 is a rack-format module with a nominal voltage of 48 V. The datasheet we checked (US series, 2024) gives 4.8 kWh nominal and 4.56 kWh usable per module. Several modules can be combined, within the limits set by the documentation and the inverter. It is built for inverters that accept a 48 V battery and talk to it over the right protocol.

The Force H3 is a high-voltage tower built from FH10050 modules of 5.12 kWh each. The datasheet we downloaded (file dated March 2026) covers two to seven modules, giving 9.69 to 34.01 kWh usable. That range doesn't mean a typical home needs a tall tower: the number of modules your inverter accepts sets the limit, and extra capacity pays only if your panels can fill it and your home can use it.

The two US5000 figures don't contradict each other: 4.8 kWh is nominal and 4.56 kWh is usable according to the datasheet. The same applies to the Force H3 (10.24 kWh nominal and 9.69 kWh usable for two modules). Conversion losses and any backup reserve reduce what reaches your sockets further. Compare usable kWh on the same basis, then the maximum power the whole system allows.

Check the inverter and the power

Pylontech's list of inverters approved for its 48 V batteries (version 2.44, last updated 1 May 2026) names inverter brands, series, the communication link and sometimes a minimum firmware. Several are common on UK quotes: Victron's MultiPlus and Quattro, SMA's Sunny Island, the Solis S6-EH1P-L-PLUS, the Deye SUN-SG04LP1 series sold as Sunsynk, the Growatt SPH 3000–6000 and the Lux Power LXP 3–6K hybrids. A brand on the list doesn't mean every model from that brand is approved. The list doesn't cover the Force H3: for a high-voltage tower, ask for written approval for your specific inverter and tower version.

This isn't a formality. Both Pylontech warranties exclude faults when the battery is installed with an inverter that Pylontech hasn't certified. The battery management system (BMS) watches the cells and must exchange data with the inverter: a matching voltage doesn't prove the two will communicate. Ask for the full inverter model, the number of modules, the firmware versions and the commissioning record.

Capacity in kWh is the energy stored. Power in kW is what the system can run at once. Turning a current figure on the datasheet into a guaranteed household power would be misleading, because the voltage, cabling, number of modules, inverter limit and temperature all play a part. Ask for the continuous and peak power of the system as installed, in normal use and in backup if you want it.

Sizing for your home

Start with what your home uses from the evening to the next morning and how much solar you export on a typical day in each season. Ofgem's typical UK household uses 2,500 kWh a year, about 6.8 kWh a day (2,500 ÷ 365), and not all of it at night. For that kind of home, one or two US5000 modules (4.56 or 9.12 kWh usable) is the range to model. A two-module Force H3 gives 9.69 kWh, which can sit half-empty if the surplus isn't there or most of your use is during the day.

If you are adding a heat pump or an electric car, look at when the extra use happens. A car charged mostly in the daytime can use the panels directly and may not justify more battery. A heat pump uses most in winter, when solar surplus is lowest, so the battery earns more from a cheap overnight rate than from the panels then. Ask for a month-by-month estimate, not a sunny summer day.

Where the battery goes

This is where Pylontech's two families differ most in a UK home. The US5000 is rated IP20, and its warranty applies only to an indoor installation. Its datasheet allows charging only between 0 °C and 55 °C, so an unheated garage or outbuilding that drops below freezing in winter can stop it charging. The Force H3 is rated IP65, but its warranty excludes outdoor installations that aren't protected from direct sunlight and frost.

Ask your installer where the battery will go, what temperature that space reaches in winter and summer, and whether it meets PAS 63100:2024, the BSI fire-safety specification for home batteries, which covers where a battery may be installed. Check the floor or wall can take the weight: a US5000 weighs 39.7 kg and a seven-module Force H3 287 kg.

Adding a battery to existing panels

If you already have panels, note your inverter's model and the warranty left on it. An inverter that only handles panels can't take a US5000 or Force H3 directly. You'll need either a hybrid inverter from Pylontech's list or a separate battery inverter, plus metering and protection. Compare both routes on installed cost and what each includes.

Keeping the old inverter changes the paperwork. In Great Britain, on a single-phase supply, the G98 connect-and-notify route covers up to 3.68 kW of inverter output in total, counting every inverter at the property. An existing 3.68 kW solar inverter plus a battery inverter means an application under G99, approved by the network operator before connection.

Backup needs more than a battery

In a power cut, a grid-connected system must disconnect from the grid. The battery alone doesn't power the house: the inverter must be able to supply a backup output, and the chosen circuits must be separated and protected. Ask which loads stay on (lights, fridge, router, any medical equipment), the backup power in kW, the reserve setting, whether the panels can recharge the battery during the cut, and for a test at handover.

The warranty: registration matters

Pylontech publishes separate consumer warranties for the US series and the Force H series. Both cover products bought and installed in the EU or the United Kingdom. Don't rely on a datasheet's cycle count or design life: those are test figures, not a warranty.

US series (including US5000), document EU22WUSS100302, version 1.2:

• 7 years from installation, or six months after manufacture if that is earlier, with a warranty threshold of 70% of nominal capacity.
• 10 years, free, if you register the battery on Pylontech's registration portal, with the threshold at 60% of nominal capacity by the end. For one US5000 that is 2.88 kWh (60% of 4.8 kWh); unregistered, it is 3.36 kWh (70%) for 7 years.
• The battery must be installed indoors, used for daily charging and discharging as a home storage battery (Pylontech's condition: a "daily cycle basis"), and bought from Pylontech or an authorised reseller in the UK or EU.
• Report a defect within 48 hours of discovering it, through the claim form (if registered) or the warranty card.
• Excluded: installation, commissioning or repair by anyone other than Pylontech or a Pylontech-certified installer; moving the battery to another address without Pylontech's written agreement; unapproved inverters.
• Remedy: Pylontech repairs or replaces the faulty product, possibly with a refurbished one. The same document also describes a "time value" guarantee that depreciates a module's value in a straight line over 10 years, so a claim late in the warranty may be settled at a reduced value. Ask the seller how a claim in year 8 would be settled before you buy.

Force H series (including Force H3), document EU24WFHS100527, version 1.2: 10 years from installation, or 12 months after manufacture if earlier, with a threshold of 60% of nominal capacity, the same 48-hour notice and daily-use condition, the same repair-or-replace and time-value terms, and the outdoor exclusion above. Its claims section says claims should be made to the reseller that sold the battery.

Keep the invoice, photos of the labels, the serial numbers and the commissioning record: a claim needs the invoice and the battery's log data.

UK support and checking a quote

Pylontech has no UK edition of its website. Its US-series warranty sends claims to the authorised reseller that sold the battery or directly to Pylontech in Shanghai (service@pylontech.com.cn); the Force H warranty says claims should be made to the reseller. In the UK, Pylontech batteries are sold through wholesale distributors and fitted by installers, so your installer is the practical first call.

There is no single installed price: the modules, the inverter, backup wiring and labour all change the total, and a price per module doesn't compare a US5000 system with a Force H3 one. Our solar battery cost guide covers typical UK prices. A quote you can compare should list:

1. the Pylontech model, number of modules and total usable kWh;
2. the inverter model and its row on Pylontech's list, or written approval for a Force H3;
3. where the battery goes and how it meets the temperature limits and PAS 63100;
4. who registers the battery for the 10-year warranty, and proof that they have;
5. the G98 notification or G99 application, and the backup circuits, if any.

The ENA type-test register lists inverters, not battery packs, so check the inverter's listing. Supplied and fitted in your home by the installer, a battery is zero-rated for VAT until 31 March 2027, and taxed at 5% from 1 April 2027 unless the relief is extended. A battery you buy without installation pays the full 20%.

A 48-hour reporting window and a claims route through the seller put a lot of weight on your installer. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, a faulty battery or a poor installation is the installer's to put right, whatever Pylontech decides about the warranty. Before paying a deposit, ask whether the installer is Pylontech-certified, since the warranty depends on it, and whether they belong to RECC or HIES, because an MCS certificate no longer tells you that an installer has signed up to a consumer code. Our guides to comparing solar quotes and choosing an installer go through the checks.

Our view: Pylontech is a sensible option for a 48 V hybrid system when the inverter is on the list, the battery sits somewhere warm enough and dry, and the installer registers it. Our best solar batteries guide compares it with all-in-one systems.

Pylontech FAQs

Do the US5000 and Force H3 work with the same inverter?

Don't assume so. The US5000 is a 48 V low-voltage battery and the Force H3 is high-voltage. Each pairing needs its own approval, including communication and firmware.

Is a Pylontech battery covered for 10 years?

A US5000 is covered for 7 years, or 10 years if it is registered with Pylontech. A Force H3 has 10 years under its own warranty. In both cases Pylontech repairs or replaces, and what you get on a claim can fall with the battery's age. Get the warranty document for your model with the quote.

Can a Pylontech battery go in my garage?

A US5000 must be indoors and can't charge below 0 °C, so an unheated garage that freezes in winter is a poor spot. A Force H3 is rated for tougher conditions, but its warranty still excludes places exposed to direct sun and frost.

How much of a US5000 can I use?

The datasheet gives 4.8 kWh nominal and 4.56 kWh usable per module. The energy that reaches your appliances is a little lower after conversion losses and any reserve.