{"article":{"id":51222791731603,"url":"https://aurorasolar.zendesk.com/api/v2/help_center/en-us/articles/51222791731603.json","html_url":"https://help.aurorasolar.com/hc/en-us/articles/51222791731603-Running-and-interpreting-storage-simulations","author_id":8180987291667,"comments_disabled":false,"draft":false,"promoted":true,"position":0,"vote_sum":-1,"vote_count":1,"section_id":45484735650195,"created_at":"2026-04-28T22:02:58Z","updated_at":"2026-05-31T23:38:11Z","name":"Running and interpreting storage simulations","title":"Running and interpreting storage simulations","source_locale":"en-us","locale":"en-us","outdated":false,"outdated_locales":[],"edited_at":"2026-04-28T22:02:59Z","user_segment_id":null,"permission_group_id":27488,"content_tag_ids":[],"label_names":[],"body":"

Storage simulations show you how a solar-plus-battery system performs for a specific home. You can evaluate self-sufficiency, estimated bill savings, and backup potential — and compare the impact of different storage configurations in real time.

In this article, we’ll cover:

Before you begin

Your design must include at least one connected battery before you can run a storage simulation. If you haven't added storage yet, see Add storage in Design Mode.

Run a simulation

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  1. Open a design in Design Mode with a connected battery.
    2. \n
  2. In the left panel, click Simulate system.
    3. \n

The simulation runs based on your current system configuration.

Understanding the simulation results

After running a simulation, results are organized into three tabs: Self-sufficiency, Bill savings, and Production. Each tab shows a different view of system performance.

Storage affects how energy is used and valued, not how much energy is produced. As a result, self-sufficiency and bill savings update when storage changes, while production remains the same.

Self-sufficiency (new)

The Self-sufficiency tab focuses on how well the system meets the home’s energy needs using solar and storage.

Here you can see:

You can:

Bill savings (updated to reflect storage) 

The Bill savings tab shows the financial impact of your system.

Here you can see:

Production (unchanged)

The Production tab shows how much energy your system generates.

Here you can see:

How design changes affect results

Simulation results update when you run a simulation after making changes that affect system performance. When a change impacts results, Aurora enables the Simulate system button so you can re-run the necessary simulations.

Aurora only runs the simulations affected by your changes:

Examples

Use the battery inspector

Click any battery on the canvas to open its inspector. From here you can:

Notes: 

What you can do with simulation results

Storage simulations help you:

For more on storage configurations and how they appear in downstream outputs, see Storage system types and outputs.

FAQ

Why is my self-sufficiency percentage low?

High backup reserve settings reduce the energy available for everyday self-consumption. Try lowering the reserve to see how it affects your self-sufficiency results.

Why didn't my simulation rerun after I made a change?

Aurora only enables the Simulate system button when a change affects system performance or storage. Changes that don’t impact energy modeling (such as moving a component on the canvas) won’t require a simulation.

Can I compare results with and without storage?

Yes. Toggle the battery on or off in the Self-Sufficiency panel to compare scenarios side by side.


 

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