With the introduction of home backup batteries and growing grid instability, many homeowners are considering this new technology. They provide backup power without the noise and pollution of gas-powered generators. But with batteries so expensive, should you get one for your home?
Why You Should Buy a Home Backup Battery
There are ample reasons why so many people are racing to bring batteries to the market, and there are a similar number of reasons why you might feel eager to buy one. But if you aren’t yet sure if batteries make sense for you and your home, here are some signs they may be a worthwhile addition.
1. You Already Have Solar Panels
Many of us install solar panels expecting them to supply us with backup power during an emergency. Surprisingly, this isn’t how solar panels work. When the grid goes down, and the lights go off, your panels shut down with them.
That is unless you have a home backup battery. If you do, your panels stay on. That’s because your solar array now has somewhere to send electricity other than back to the downed power lines that some electrician is in the process of trying to fix. There are a few exceptions, likeEnphase’s Sunlight Backup, but for the most part, if you want to keep your array operable, get a battery.
2. Take Advantage of Time-of-Use Utility Rates
Some utilities change how much they charge for electricity based on the time of day. They charge most during hours of high demand, like during the evening when families are off from work or school. They charge less during hours of low demand, such as overnight when most of us are asleep.
A home backup battery gives you more flexibility to choose when you consume electricity from your utility. You can run your home off battery power during peak hours to save money. This is an option even if you don’t have solar panels. You can charge your battery during off-peak hours and save that energy for times of day when electricity is expensive.
3. Use Electricity You Produce at Home
Many of us buy solar panels because we wish to be self-reliant. We want to power our homes using the energy we produce on-site. If this describes you, you’re going to want a battery for your home.
Even if you aren’t living off-grid, you can still live your day-to-day life knowing you’re primarily operating off clean, free energy.
4. You Want to Go Off-Grid
Unless you want to run your home using generators or do without electricity, if you want to go off-grid, you’re going to need batteries. This gives you the ability to generate power from the sun, wind, or water. Batteries also enable you to store power from any of these sources, or from fossil fuels, for later use. This can mean your lights stay on when the sun goes down, when clouds block out the sky, or when there isn’t the slightest breeze.
Just know that going off-grid with batteries may be more expensive than you think. You need to have a battery bank large enough to go several days without power since you do not have a power company to fall back on. Nonetheless, batteries remaina vital part of an off-grid solar power system.
5. Backup Power Without Burning Fossil Fuels
For years, the only way to keep power during an outage was to fire up a generator. This isn’t a great option if you’re also trying to reduce how much carbon dioxide you release into the atmosphere. A home battery serves as your best alternative.
There are many advantages to a battery over a gas generator. A battery runs silently and doesn’t give off toxic emissions. You also don’t have to worry about paying for fuel. However, for the foreseeable future, the battery is the far more expensive option.
Why You Shouldn’t Buy a Home Backup Battery
If batteries are so good, why doesn’t every homeowner who can afford one have one?
1. Most Batteries Don’t Yet Pay for Themselves
Batteries are expensive. A single battery can cost in the realm of $10,000, and that’s before you add in the cost of installation, transfer switches, and other necessary components.
A single battery may not be able to handle your heavier loads, especially if you live in a rural area and have to power well pumps or septic tanks. You could easily find yourself looking at quotes in the ballpark of $40,000 for a system with enough storage capacity and power to meet your needs.
If you haven’t yetcalculated the cost of solar panels, know that they generally pay for themselves in several years. Batteries, not so much. Chances are, when the time comes to replace your battery with a new one, you will not have saved anywhere near as much money in energy costs as you spent.
2. Some Batteries Are Less Safe Than Others
There are many types of batteries out there, with many more in the research and development stage. When it comes to safety, not all of these battery types are created equal. A lithium nickel manganese cobalt battery like a Tesla Powerwall or the batteries found in most EVs run the risk of what’s known as thermal runaway. In practical terms, this is whena battery catches fire and continues to burnin spite of your efforts to put it out. This can total a car, but it can be even more disastrous for a home.
Many alternatives use the lithium iron phosphate chemistry, which is extremely unlikely to catch fire. Instead, batteries made with this chemistry expel hot air if punctured or overheated to the point of rupture. That makes them much safer to bolt to your wall.
3. You Can Use a Portable Power Station Instead
You may not need a full-blown home battery since there are a range of smaller battery backup solutions in the market these days. You can get a solar-powered generator, which is light enough to place in any room of your house during an emergency, or use to power outdoor lawn equipment during the rest of the year.
These portable power stations come in all kinds of sizes, with some small enough to carry on a camping trip. Others come with dollies because they’re too heavy to move otherwise. With a transfer switch and the right generator, you can also still use your battery to power critical circuits in your home.
Soon,the best portable power station may actually be your car.
Batteries Can Change How You Power Your Home
For a long time, electricity was something you consumed, not something you could produce. It was use-it-or-lose-it, with no ability to store kilowatts for later use. Batteries have changed the equation. They’re not new inventions, but they’ve reached a point where they’re starting to be practical, and the urgency to use them is greater than ever.
Except, batteries are still a costly investment. At the end of the day, the most important factor comes down to whether you can afford one and whether you’re willing to part with that much money even if you can. But if your answer is yes, there are many reasons why you may be happy with your investment.
