Solar panels are a great first step toward energy independence. They can lower utility bills and shrink your carbon footprint. However, without battery storage, a solar system is at the mercy of cloudy days, nightfall, utility company rate hikes and blackouts. Adding batteries turns sunlight into a more reliable source of power.
Across the United States, blackouts are no longer rare events. According to a recent Texas A&M study, outage severity has surged over 20% each year since 2019, with counties on the East Coast, West Coast, Great Lakes, and Gulf regions averaging over seven days without electricity every year. More frequent blackouts will occur due to climate impacts, an aging grid, and an ever increasing demand for electricity.
Solar batteries allow stored energy from sunny afternoons to be used later. With enough battery capacity most homes can cover core needs during times the sun isn’t shining or the grid is down. You can also sell power back to the grid or for credits towards your own bill. This works best in places that have so called “net metering”, where the power you use is directly offset by the power you make.
In Houston, Texas, we don’t have net metering, so the financial payoff isn’t huge. But we do get massive storms, brutal heat waves, and hurricanes — often knocking out power once or twice a year. That’s why The Climate Advisor added a battery system to our solar panels. When the grid fails, battery-backed solar keeps the essentials running — air conditioning or heat, lights, refrigeration, internet, and even medical devices like a CPAP.
Besides having backup power, we here at the TCA also wanted to get the scoop on battery installation so we could give you all the info you need to be successful getting your own battery installation done! So keep reading to see what our experience was like, and for some great tips on battery installation.
Getting Batteries Installed
Most folks will get batteries installed at the same time as their solar panels, but some may not have the resources to do it at the same time, or maybe they want to see how it goes with just solar panels. When you are ready for batteries, you have to do your due diligence to find a reputable installer that you like. The process is the same as outlined in the previous post – How to pick a solar installer for your home.
After you narrow down your search for someone to install your batteries, be sure to review any bids and contracts in depth before you make your decision. The same rules apply for reviewing your battery contract as for the initial solar panel install, as discussed in a prior post — Understanding Your Solar Contract, so be sure to check that post out for more important info!
In a nutshell… use an online bid tool like Energy Sage, compare multiple bids, talk to each company, check out company reviews and references, then go with the one that best matches your needs.
The TCA reached out to the company that installed our solar panels. It took a while to get this going, but finally got a bid to install three – Enphase 5p, 5kW/hr batteries.
The company was not as on the ball as the last time. They were supposedly undergoing some sort of restructuring, so I ended up dealing with one of the co-founders of the company directly, which had its pluses and minuses. In any event, the work by their electrician and his helper seems really solid, and I am just waiting for the final inspection by the City of Houston to be finished so I can pay the last installment.
Using AI to Help Understand Your Bid and System Design
AI can be a really useful tool to see if you are getting a good deal, help you design your system and answer technical questions. I used it to figure out how many batteries I needed to run my air conditioner; to see if the bid the company gave me was fair; and to answer various technical questions.
The keys to effective AI use are a) ask specific questions, b) do not ask questions in a leading way because the AI will try to please you and may give you wrong info or make stuff up, and c) keep building on the questions you ask until you get detailed information that suits your purposes.
AI doesn’t always get it right, but it definitely can point you in the right direction. Check out this example of a chain of questions I asked to figure out how many batteries I needed to run my A/C (some questions omitted for brevity)…
- continuous power draw of a Lennox Merit 15acx 5 ton air conditioning system?
- what is the start up power draw for the same unit?
- What are the benefits of using a soft start kit for a 5-ton AC unit?
- can a soft start kit be used with a Lennox Merit 15acx 5 ton unit?
- And then the final question…
- will three Enphase 5p batteries run a Lennox Merit 14acx?
(click on the link above to see the original chain and the results!)
- will three Enphase 5p batteries run a Lennox Merit 14acx?
Running central air conditioning from batteries is a real test, given AC’s appetite for power. The AI showed me that starting and running central AC entirely off solar batteries is easily doable for homes with the correct setup.
The 3 screenshots above are examples of just a few of the questions I asked my AI about the proposed battery installation. Believe me, it got waaay more technical, getting into the right wire gauges for different parts of the system and City building code questions. Interestingly, the AI was mostly right, but the electrician gave me some different answers — and the electrician was right! But… the AI got me to the place where I could even ask technical questions in the first place.
Use an AI with an open mind to help you ask the right questions. Not to badger your installer.
Installation begins…
These pictures essentially sum up the installation. A pallet of batteries and other necessary equipment were dropped off early in the morning on the appointed date. The electrician shows up shortly thereafter and gets going. He worked on it over several days. Another younger guy came out here and there to help out, delivery equipment, run for supplies, help pull wire through the attic, and so on.
I had three batteries installed in my garage, while the panel is on the other side of the house. So the very hefty electric cable ran through the attic. I also had a Level 2 car charger installed for my plug-in hybrid (which may be a topic of a whole different article!).
At the back of the house there is a sub-panel, or “critical loads” panel (the smaller panel beneath the main panel in the pics above). These are a subset of circuits in my house that will run off battery and solar power when the grid goes down. The sub-panel includes the A/C, car charger, dryer, kitchen outlets (including the fridge), and a few other important systems. About half the house will be without power, but that will be no big deal — all the important stuff will be running.
Both of these guys did solid work and were a pleasure to have around. Hopefully I didn’t bother them too much looking over their shoulder and asking lots of questions. 😀 Electricity is sort of a mystery to me, and I find it very interesting to learn about.
Living with batteries
Beyond emergency backup, battery storage smooths out energy costs. You store solar energy when it’s plentiful, then use it when rates spike in the evening. Modern energy monitors and manufacturer apps make it easy to visualize savings, track grid usage, and optimize consumption in real time. The next set of pics are from the Enphase app that controls and monitors the batteries and solar panels.
In the three graphics above orange bars are power consumed, and the blue are power produced. The left-most graphic shows a month with no batteries. I used more than I made, so my bills were higher. The middle graph, you can see the two weeks it took to install the batteries my solar panels were offline. The far right shows a summer month with my batteries in use. Consumed is a little more than produced.
I have a free weekend power plan, so I switch my batteries to backup only (they stay charged at 100%), and try to do a lot of the energy intensive stuff on weekends (laundry, dishwasher, use the oven, charge the car, etc.). During the week, my batteries are supplying the house when the sun is down, so the stored energy in the batteries keeps me from pulling off the grid as much.
The truth is I have probably made as much electricity as I’ve used, BUT I still get a significant power bill. The reason being that I get charged at a higher rate to pull energy off the grid than to put it back – or about +15 cents per kWh to import electricity, verses 3 cents per kWh to put it back. See the next chart for a perfect example…
I do get some savings, though I have not tried to optimize my electricity use yet. Your payback will vary greatly depending on where you live, as many places have decent incentives and net metering (see above). My main goal is to provide power backup during extreme weather events and a grid down situation, so the relative savings are secondary. I am almost looking forward to a power outage to see how it goes! 😀
Should You Stick With One Brand Ecosystem?
On the subject of manufacturer ecosystems: integrating solar panels, batteries, and inverters from a single brand (Enphase in this case) has advantages in compatibility and ease of management. Everything works smoothly together and is controlled through unified software. However, this approach can also limit future flexibility, since adding equipment from other brands becomes complicated. It’s a trade-off between seamless operation today and more options tomorrow.
Though from what I have seen from other people’s solar installs, once a system is in place there are not many changes that happen over the years, so maybe this is less of an issue than one might imagine.
One interesting point that did come up, I asked my installer about installing Ecoflow batteries instead of Enphase (or Tesla, which was the other brand they carried). He said that if I did that, then he could not warranty the whole system. I thought that was odd so I of course asked my AI! Turns out that that practice is not illegal or uncommon. I think the rationale is that having very different parts added to a system changes how the system behaves and may not be in line with installer or manufacturer’s expectations and limitations. Anyhow, it wasn’t a big deal.
Pros and Cons of Sticking with the Same Manufacturer
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Seamless Integration: All devices (panels, batteries, inverters) communicate well, making installation and monitoring a breeze. | Limited Choices: You’re mostly restricted to upgrades or replacements from the same brand, shrinking flexibility. |
| Unified Interface: Control everything from a single app—goodbye to juggling multiple accounts and logins. | Technology Lag: Some ecosystems may not offer the latest or best innovations in every device category. |
| Streamlined Support: For troubleshooting, there’s just one company to call, minimizing finger-pointing between vendors. | Vendor Dependency: Any problems or delays with the company affect your whole system. |
| Efficient Installation: Less hardware clutter and fewer compatibility headaches mean faster setup. | Specialization Trade-Offs: The brand might excel at inverters but lag in battery capacity or panel efficiency. |
For many homeowners, the convenience of a unified system is worth the trade-offs. But if you like mixing and matching, or want to keep options open for new tech down the line, a mix-and-match approach might suit you better. Consider your needs, tech priorities, and how much hassle you’re willing to take on.
In summary, adding battery storage to a solar installation can deliver cost savings depending on your situation, but more importantly, it gives you peace of mind. It increases resilience, secures comfort, and provides some control over your home energy use. Whether for daily optimization or blackout-proof reliability, solar panels plus battery storage is fast becoming essential for anyone who is concerned about the stability of the electric grid, or who is serious about preparing for a changing climate.
Do you have battery back up for your home? Are you considering it? Let us know in the comments below. Also, feel free to ask any questions. I am happy to share more of my experience or dig up some answers for you! Good luck!
Solar Roadmap
Unlock the full benefits of going solar with this action-packed Solar Roadmap, your guide to slashing electric bills, tapping into major tax incentives, and cutting your carbon footprint. From choosing the right installer to adding batteries for maximum savings and backup power, these articles make turning sunshine into serious savings simple.
- Why go solar?
- How to pick a solar installer
- Understanding your solar contract
- One crazy way to save money on solar!
- Solar installation day
- Adding batteries (this article!)