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In the last few years my area has seen increased power outages -- usually a few hours, occasionally longer. I'd like to defend against these better so that a poorly-timed outage doesn't ruin my wh...
#1: Initial revision
by
Monica Cellio
·
2023-07-07T01:36:13Z (over 1 year ago)
House-level battery backup now, solar panels later -- what do I need to know?
In the last few years my area has seen increased power outages -- usually a few hours, occasionally longer. I'd like to defend against these better so that a poorly-timed outage doesn't ruin my whole day. I'm thinking, in particular, of whole-house battery backup. I know that this kind of battery is routinely part of solar systems (else your solar panels wouldn't be much good at night). I do want to upgrade to solar, but my roof is nearing the end of its life and I don't want to have to pay for installing panels, then lifting them for a new roof, and then reinstalling them. I'm willing to wait until it's time to replace the roof anyway and then add solar panels. What can I do in the meantime to improve my backup-power situation? Ideally I would like to be able to power heat or cooling, the fridge, some lights, and a few computers for up to 24 hours in the event of a power outage. If I buy the battery part of a solar system now, then am I risking expensive incompatibility in a few years when it's time to add the panels? Or is the risk there something that a qualified electrician could handle for me? Is there some other UPS-like system that I could wire into my house? I don't want to hook up a gas-powered generator. In addition to the extra maintenance hassles there, I live in a city, the neighbors are close, and generators are loud.