Quiet Backup Power for Short Outages and Essential Equipment

Small battery backup systems have become increasingly popular as homeowners look for alternatives to traditional generators. While they won't replace every type of generator, they can be an excellent solution for certain applications.

Is Battery Storage Right for Me?

A battery system might what your looking for if:

•  You experience short-duration outages

•  You want silent operation

•  You don't want to maintain an engine.

•  You want backup power for a few essential electrical devices

It may not be what you are looking for if:

• You need to power your entire home for extended times

• You need long-duration backup power

• You have large electric motors (well pumps, air conditioning, ventilation fans)

• You have electric heating loads

What Is a Battery Backup System?

Consists of:

• battery bank

• inverter

• battery management system

• automatic switching equipment

What Can It Power?

This is probably the biggest question.

Battery useful time is directly dependent on how large of a load is applied, size of battery and environmental conditions, as well as condition of the batteries. 

It pairs best with users that want to power only a few devices for a short duration like:

• Refrigerators / Freezers

• Network/Internet equipment

• Limited lighting

• Computers

• Limited use Garage door openers

• Security systems

What it does not pair well with:

• Electric water heaters

• Electric ranges

• Electric dryers

• Air conditioning

• Electrical Heating 

Good to know:

Battery systems may not be the right method of backup power for your application if you have larger demand for power. Large electrical demands will significantly reduce battery performance or will damage the battery / inverter system. If your goal is to simply keep your Wi-Fi, refrigerator, and a few lights operating for a couple of hours, battery storage may be what you are looking for.

Maintenance

Much less maintenance than generators.

Typically consist of: 

• Firmware updates (if applicable)

• Visual inspections

• Keeping ventilation clear

• Other manufacturer's recommended inspections

Good to know:

Individual batteries are recommended to be checked at minimum annually for voltage and battery capacity under load and unloaded to ensure the system will function as it is intended to.  

Cost

It directly depends on the amount of backup power needed, but will vary by things like:

• Battery size

• Inverter size

• Amount of electrical work to integrate

• Brand of battery backup system