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Average monthly electric bills are going up. The grid in California has become increasingly unstable, and more people are looking for ways to ensure energy security – even in the event of a blackout.
Fortunately, there’s a solution to all of these problems: solar battery storage.
While solar panels can decrease your energy bills, they don’t store the excess energy you create for later use – unless you add a battery system.
Today, installing a battery backup for your home solar system can go a long way to save money and create additional energy security for you and your family.
Here’s what you need to know.
Solar battery storage is a technology that makes it possible to store excess solar energy for later use.
Today, most solar battery storage systems use lithium-ion batteries, which are efficient, lightweight, and long-lasting.
There are other common types of batteries as well, which we’ll discuss in a later section.
Overall, solar battery storage systems help increase the efficiency and reliability of solar energy systems and allow homeowners to save money and decrease reliance on non-renewable energy sources.
Here’s how solar battery storage works when hooked up to residential PV systems:
Some residential solar systems draw energy from the electrical grid when battery storage reserves are low. This ensures that a home always has power.
Other solar battery systems are compatible with off-grid solar systems, which are independent of the larger electrical grid.
Solar battery backup is an excellent option if you want to power your home with clean, environmentally-conscious, renewable energy.
In addition to providing reliable power, battery backup offers a variety of other advantages.
Here are a few top reasons to invest in backup solar batteries for your home:
Solar battery backup systems give you energy independence.
Whether you live in a place where the grid tends to be unreliable or you just want to create a more self-sufficient home, solar battery systems allow you to harness the full potential of your solar panel system both day and night and access true energy independence.
Installing a solar system with battery backup allows you to enjoy more reliable energy for your home.
If your home becomes disconnected from the grid, a battery backup system allows your whole home or part of your home – depending on how your backup system is configured – to run on its own microgrid during the outage.
This is an attractive benefit if you live in California, where we’ve been experiencing more severe weather events yearly, including storms and wildfires.
When you power your home with solar, you can save money on utility bills during “peak hours” when electricity prices are highest – especially as rates continue to increase yearly.
When you add solar battery backup, you’ll also enjoy grid-tie incentives, which can help make the switch to green energy more streamlined and affordable. You’ll find more information on incentives and rebates later in this blog.
Solar energy systems consume less energy and generate less pollution than fossil fuels.
Because of this, installing solar batteries reduces your home’s carbon footprint.
This is a considerable benefit for anyone who wants to create a greener household.
While generators are noisy and disruptive, solar panels and battery storage systems run (virtually) silently and won’t bother you or your neighbors.
If you already have a generator on your home, replacing it with a solar battery storage system is a great way to update your space and reduce noise pollution in the process.
In addition to making your home more efficient, a solar battery backup system also increases your property value.
According to research conducted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the value of your home goes up by $20 for every $1 you save on energy bills.
That means a solar panel and battery system that saves you even $700 annually raises the value of your home by $14,000.
Not only is a home with solar battery backup more valuable, but it may also sell faster.
According to the 2021 Housing Trends Report from Zillow, 67% of homebuyers consider energy efficiency to be “very important” in a new home, and most buyers are willing to pay more for solar-powered homes.
It’s essential to understand the difference between backing up your whole home and backing up only essential circuits or “critical loads.”
Critical loads typically include a single refrigerator, internet equipment, a few lights & plugs, and 1 or 2 small appliances.
These system types perform differently from one another, and the cost and complexity of each option vary considerably.
Here’s a quick breakdown of each option:
Are you interested in installing a battery backup system for your existing solar panels?
Here’s a quick five-step guide to help you get started:
Before you add battery backup, consider your home’s energy needs.
Evaluate your current solar panel system to understand if it’s generating enough energy to meet your current and future needs.
Consider adding more solar panels if you already use or anticipate using more energy than your current system produces.
If you want extra guidance, contact a solar professional like Sandbar Solar & Electric (if you live on the West Coast) to assess your current system production in relation to your current & future needs.
Sandbar Energy Consultants can also recommend a battery system that works for you.
The size of the battery impacts how functional it will be for your home. If you’re unsure what size battery you need, ask a solar energy professional for help.
They’ll consider factors like intended use and the size of your home as they make a recommendation.
Of course, any solar battery storage system you install needs to be within your budget.
The best way to understand the potential costs of your new battery storage system is to enlist the guidance of a solar battery installer.
If you’re worried about how to afford your system or just want to save money, look into solar battery storage incentives available in California — more on that in the next section.
Today, there are a variety of solar batteries to choose from.
The most common options include the following:
If you’re unsure which battery is right for you, work with a qualified solar installer to design a system that meets your home’s storage needs and fits your budget.
Last but not least, find the right solar battery installer for your job.
Here are a few tips to help you find and hire an experienced team:
Here at Sandbar Solar & Electric, we know finding a reliable solar contractor can be intimidating, so our team is here to answer any questions you may have. Contact us today to learn more. We provide a no-pressure, advisory type of consultation to help you find the best solution that fits your needs and budget.
Are you looking for ways to save money on your solar battery backup system?
If you live in California, you may qualify for the following solar battery storage incentive programs:
While your energy storage system can deliver power in a grid outage situation, it is essential to recognize battery storage systems do have limitations in performance and should not be relied upon for the following:
In some cases, yes.
It usually takes about 3-6 battery backup modules to power an entire home. New standards for energy storage controllers are making battery backup systems more powerful and capable of generating more power output capacity.
The lifespan of a solar battery backup system varies depending on a few factors, including the brand and type of battery, its capacity, and its charge level.
When properly installed at your home or business, a battery backup system will generally operate for 10-15 years before needing replacement. For specific battery lifespan questions, reach out to your solar installer directly.
Yes, it is possible to add battery backup to most existing solar panel systems. Contact your solar battery installer to check the compatibility of your current solar equipment and your preferred battery.
It depends.
The cost of a solar battery backup system varies depending on the manufacturer of the products you use, the type of batteries you’re installing, your system’s power capacity, additional electrical work needed to configure your backup load panel (if any), as well as the installation fees you pay and other factors.
In Central California, it’s common to pay between $1,400 and $2,000 per kWh of battery storage (for a fully installed system). For example, installing 13.5 kWh of battery storage may cost approximately $18,900 after the 30% federal tax credit is factored in.
Speak with your solar installer for a more specific price estimate.
With certain battery types, before a storm arrives, you can adjust the settings on your battery backup to “backup mode,” which allows you to charge your batteries completely. Many current batteries have a “storm watch” mode that automatically uses the grid to charge batteries fully if a storm is approaching.
It depends.
The ability of your battery backup system to power your home depends on your current household load, the amount of storage you have, and how capable your battery backup system is to power this load.
It also depends on how freely or conservatively you use the backup power. Limiting your battery use will extend the duration of your backup power.
If you’re interested in installing battery storage backup in the Central Coast area, Sandbar Solar & Electric is here for you.
Sandbar Solar & Electric installs Tesla Powerwalls, Enphase batteries, and SimpliPhi, as well as a variety of other products.
To learn more about solar batteries, contact Sandbar Solar today.
Sandbar Solar & Electric is an established, locally-owned solar company that’s been in business for over 19 years.
We specialize in helping our customers choose the correct solar batteries for their homes and budgets. We do everything we can to help our customers get educated and choose the right solar battery systems.
Our services include free estimates, custom design, and expert installation. We’re proud of our reputation for designing and installing the most efficient solar panels for the Central Coast – including Santa Cruz and Monterey counties – as well as San Jose, Los Gatos, Morgan Hill, and many other parts of the Bay Area.
Home battery systems are an increasingly popular choice for many homeowners in California, particularly as an add-on to solar power systems. Because PG&E and other large energy providers are shifting to time-of-use pricing, a model which charges customers a varying rate based on the energy they use at specific times of the day, customers are finding that home battery systems can reduce reliance on the power grid and decrease costs during peak-energy hours. Another reason that people are switching to home battery solutions is due to the severe blackouts imposed by PG&E—power restrictions in response to major wildfires caused by PG&E’s aging infrastructure. Going forward, these blackouts are expected to be a semi-regular occurrence during peak fire season, giving consumers another reason to adopt home battery systems in order to ensure their comfort during outages.
Whole-home battery storage systems are designed to power entire houses, but are extremely costly and somewhat impractical, while partial-load battery storage systems are affordable and practical.
The 2019 California power shut-offs left over 700,000 people without power, spelling trouble for those without a backup power source. Food insecurity and general discomfort became a serious problem as utility companies flipped the switch.
In the past, many homeowners used fuel-powered generators to power select parts of their homes during an outage. But now, as solar is more widely available, solar-powered home battery systems are rapidly becoming a more popular alternative to fuel-based backup generators. Solar-powered battery backup systems are more versatile energy sources, as they are able to store energy generated by solar panels, as well as from the grid during off-peak hours, for use during costly on-peak hours, or during blackouts or power outages.
There are two types of home battery systems: whole home and partial load. Whole-home battery systems are capable of storing enough energy to power an entire home, while partial-load systems are designed to power only critical, low-energy appliances, like microwaves and refrigerators. Whole-home battery systems might seem like the ideal energy storage solution, but, in practice, partial-load battery systems are a more functional, reliable source of energy during power outages.
Due to the amount of energy a typical household requires, whole-home battery systems are a short term solution for a potentially long term problem. When you lose power, a whole-home battery system can only power your home for a few hours. Consider a washing machine and dryer: combined, they can require more than 4.6 kwh to run. Add in air conditioning and/or heating, the refrigerator, dish washer, televisions, lights, computers, and whole-home batteries simply will not have the capacity to power a home for more than a few hours. Therefore, they are not very useful during an outage.
In fact, in order for a whole-home battery system to be feasible, a home has to be designed with energy efficiency in mind: small, extremely well insulated, solar-based water heating systems, passive heating and cooling solutions, energy-efficient appliances, and ovens and heating systems which use natural gas. For the vast majority of homeowners, a whole-home battery system would be incredibly costly, and wouldn’t be able to keep up with your home’s demands for more than a few hours at most.
On the other hand, partial-load systems are designed to power essential appliances over the course of several days or weeks. They are not meant to power the entire home, just what is necessary, like the refrigerator to keep food cold, and the microwave to warm food up. The idea is to disperse small amounts of electricity over the course of several days, instead of using a large amount of energy at one time. In most cases, a partial-load battery storage system is more practical than a whole-home system, allowing you to live more comfortably during increasingly common blackouts, or the occasional weather-related power outage.
Peak shaving and net metering are two ways that a battery storage system can lower your monthly electric bills.
As defined by PG&E, peak energy hours fall between the hours of 4 PM and 9 PM (either weekdays or every day, depending on the plan). Electricity prices are highest at these times because most people are at home and utilizing their appliances, which puts a strain on the power grid.
Homeowners can lower their monthly electric bills with a battery storage system, which captures electricity generated by a solar power system during daylight hours when you aren’t home. You can then use the battery to power your home during the 4 PM to 9 PM peak-energy window.
Energy can also be drawn from the grid during off-peak hours and stored in a home battery system for use during peak hours. This strategy is known as peak shaving, whereby homeowners reduce peak energy usage while still powering their home normally.
Another savvy approach to saving money with solar is through net metering. Net metering is a program that allows solar power system owners to receive a bill credit for excess power that their solar panels generate. With an ample size home solar system, you can potentially generate more electricity than your home requires and that your home battery can store. Through net metering, excess energy is transferred from your solar system to your utility company’s power grid. If, in the future, your solar system does not create enough energy to power your home, you can draw the energy that you “donated” back to your home from the power grid and use it just like you did prior to going solar. Since home energy needs often fluctuate, net metering is a great way to further reduce energy costs without facing a power outage down the road.
It’s important to note that net metering programs are not ubiquitous and policy varies by state. You can use the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (DSIRE) to learn if your state offers a net metering program. As of 2020, 39 states have mandatory net metering rules, including California and Nevada.
If you would like to learn more about how a home battery system can help you get the most out of your solar power system—or make a big difference in your life on its own—contact Ilum Solar today. We’ll be happy to answer all of your questions and help you identify the best way for your home or business to achieve greater energy independence.
For more information, please visit our website.
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