First thing I would do is head over to
https://camelot-forum.co.uk/phpBB3/index.php and ask your questions. It was set up after the old Navitron forum closed, that had been the best repository of alternative energy information in the UK for many years. I had been a member there for over a decade and the wealth of knowledgable people is huge, from those with a few grid-tied panels to people who've lived off grid in the Hebrides for over 30 years.
I've had my 6kw of solar panels for 7 years now, generating around 5800kwh annually, with an Eddi diverter pushing any excess into my thermal store to heat our hot water. That, along with a woodburning stove with back boiler has heated all our hot water over the past 7 years. We heated our cottage with two woodburners and a couple of storage heaters while renovated the place but last year put in ground source heat pump central heating. Our electricity consumption hasn't changed but has moved from mostly night time power to day time and a consequent increase in cost. Some of the new inverters can be connected to tarrifs such as Octopus Agile, or Octopus Go and allow charging during very low cost times of day which can vary at different times of day depending on countrywide generation capacity and demand.
I'll be installing a 14kwh battery pack and AC inverter in the next few weeks to hopefully allow me to time shift my consumption, importing night time power and charging the batteries to use during the day/evening. My system will be a LuxPower Squirrel Pod inverter and 4 x Pylontech US3000C batteries. Everything is modular and I can change out individual items if something should fail, which is different to, for example, a Tesla Powerwall where, should it fail, the whole thing needs changing out.
The LuxPower inverter has the option to output 3.5Kw from battery in the event of a power cut, so I will move my lighting circuits and a ring main the covers our home office onto a separate feed for that. At least we can keep working during a power outage. Most Lithium Ion Phosphate batteries are warrantied for 10 years and many can be discharged down to 100% discharge level without being damaged. Battery Technology has come a long way in recent years. I would expect my Pylontech units to be good for at least 80% of their charge capacity after 10 years and, because my system is modular, I can add batteries to it if I need to increase it's capacity or to make up for reduced capacity as it ages.
What I really need is a wind turbine, which would give my power generation during the winter months when my 6kw of solar just can't add much on cloudy days. However, that's expensive, even if I buy a used 6kw Proven turbine (about £5k plus installation, which would be quite substantial) or spend £20k on a new turbine. Even with that, getting planning permission is doubtful and I'm out in the countryside on a farm. Instead, I've just invested into a share in a Ripple Energy turbine (Rippleenergy.com) that will come onstream at the end of next year and for which I'll be paid for my share of it's power generation for the next 20 years, which hopefully will cover a significant chunk of my winter power needs.
Hope that might offer some insights but post over on Camelot forum and you'll get all the information for your specific situation to make the best decision.