Home battery backup systems have become invaluable in every home, given the numerous power outages experienced in recent times. Statistics show power outages have increased from 1.2 to 1.42 events per person per year, lasting for more than seven hours.
With a whole home battery backup system, you can power your home and essential appliances, relieving you of the stress of blackouts. It also reduces reliance on the power grid, and when paired with solar panels, it absorbs clean, renewable energy from the sun.
Even so, you’re probably wondering how long a whole home battery backup system will last when there’s a blackout. And does it have enough energy to power your home during extended power outages? Is it worth investing in one? Read on to find out.
What is a whole home battery backup system?
A whole home battery backup system powers all the electrical circuits in a home. The energy stored in the battery powers all your appliances, including your refrigerator, microwave, electric water heater, stove, AC, electric dryer, and more simultaneously.
This system has a larger battery bank than a partial home battery backup to store the energy required to power all the appliances throughout the power outage. Still, some people add a backup generator to supplement it. A typical whole home battery backup system has three components:
- Battery: It’s the most critical part of the system as it stores the energy produced by the grid or solar panels. The larger the battery, the longer a home keeps powered up during a power outage. A good rule of thumb is to look for a battery size that can produce 30 kWh every day
- Inverter: This part converts the power produced by solar energy to AC electricity. It also controls the rate of electricity flow between the solar panel, the grid, and the battery to keep the battery charged and ready for use
- Monitoring system: It is the part that shows the amount of energy used, stored in the battery, and the energy a home is using in real-time
Can a battery power a whole house?
A whole home battery backup system can power a whole house depending on its energy consumption, battery size, and if it’s paired with additional power sources like solar panels. In fact, a whole home battery backup system can power a home for 1-7 days.
Types of Battery Backups for Home Use
Homeowners have four options for battery backups to choose from:
- Lithium-Ion batteries: These batteries are somewhat new in the market and are an excellent mid-option for batteries for home use. They’re lighter, more compact, and have a deeper discharge than lead-acid batteries. This means you can use more charge per cycle (up to 90%) without wearing out the battery. The feature makes lithium-ion batteries ideal for residential solar installations
- Lead-acid batteries: They are a go-to option for many households because they’re affordable and readily available. However, they have a shorter lifespan and are less efficient than most other battery options. If you’re buying lead-acid batteries, it will help to look for sealed batteries that have a lower risk of spilling acid and hydrogen off-gassing
- Nickel-cadmium batteries: These batteries are more durable than lead-acid and lithium-ion batteries. They also have a higher energy density, usually double that of lead-acid batteries, hence more suitable for industrial and commercial applications. Their main disadvantage is that cadmium is a highly toxic chemical and not suitable for residential use
- Flow batteries: These batteries use liquid-based electrolytes to store energy instead of solid electrodes, as in lead and lithium-ion batteries. They are the most durable batteries and boast a deeper discharge of up to 100%. As such, all the energy in the battery can be used up without damaging it. Another advantage of flow batteries is that they are fire-retardant, so you don’t have to worry about them catching fire. They are also more durable (last 30 years) and require minimal maintenance. Flow batteries are mainly designed for commercial use, but they could be used in residential battery backup systems in the future
What is the best home battery backup system?
A home battery backup system ensures a home has clean energy during power outages. Some households swear by home generators powered by propane or gasoline, but it’s best to install a home battery backup system like BLUETTI AC500 +B300S for a more long-term solution.
The BLUETT AC500 + B300S is one of the highest power stations in the market so far, clocking up to 5kW of power output to each of your home appliances. The system consists of two components- the AC500 (the inverter) and the B300S (the battery), which has a cool 3072 Wh of power.
You can connect up to six B300S batteries to increase the output to 18,432Wh, enough to power a single-family home for days. You’ll note that the AC500 has multiple outlets (five 13A plugs), each able to output up to 500W, which is enough to power the most demanding appliances in a home, e.g., a kettle, fridge, smartphone, laptop, and more.
Moreover, with its 32A outlet, you can connect the battery to a grid-tied UPS, allowing the battery backup system to power your home in the event of a power outage.
Is a whole house battery backup worth it?
You’re probably wondering if a whole house battery backup system is worth the investment. To begin with, a backup system helps minimize electricity bills by drawing energy from batteries instead of the grid, saving on cost.
Home battery backups also reduce strain on the grid during peak hours, which often leads to power outages. In fact, you can donate excess energy to the grid to reduce strain even further by drawing the energy supplied back to power your home.
Some homeowners get torn between a whole house battery backup and a partial home battery backup because the latter is more affordable. However, a partial home battery backup can only power a few essential loads like lighting, a fridge, a microwave, a router, and a sump pump, to mention a few.
That’s because when installing a partial battery backup system, the circuits powering essential loads are directed to another circuit breaker panel, powered by solar when there’s a power outage. Since no energy is sent back to the circuit breaker panel or the grid, only the isolated circuit breaker remains powered up.
This means a partial house battery backup can’t power non-essential loads. With a whole house battery backup, you can simultaneously power essential and non-essential loads. The circuits powering both loads aren’t isolated during installation, so your entire house remains powered up even during blackouts.
This gives you complete autonomy over the grid, especially in areas prone to power outages. Moreover, when the battery is paired with a solar panel system, it can store and produce enough electricity to live off-grid.
How long will the whole house battery backup last?
A 10-15 kWh whole-house battery backup can last 24 hours for basic operations. However the duration varies depending on various factors:
Electricity Needs During a Blackout
How long a whole house battery backup lasts depends on how much electricity you use. When there’s a power outage, assigning electricity to essential items like lighting, a fridge, and a water heater and planning for the remaining capacity is essential.
A refrigerator, one of the most critical appliances needing power even during a blackout, will likely use 1-2 kWh of energy daily. Kitchen and cooking appliances, on the other hand, require 2.5 kWh of energy to keep running, while a water heater consumes 4-5 kWh of electricity in a day. Thus, if a home battery backup generates 10 kWh of energy, it could power all such appliances for at least 24 hours.
Solar System Output
A portable power battery paired with solar panels will likely last longer than a stand-alone battery. This setup is convenient when there’s a prolonged power outage. Typically, a 5kW solar system can generate 5 kWh of energy per hour during peak sunlight hours, usually 3.5-5.5 hours a day.
This means a 5 kW solar system will produce 16.875 kWh per day, which is more than enough to power a home’s electrical systems along with a 10 kWh home battery backup.
Battery storage capacity
The battery’s capacity determines the amount of electricity it can produce at any given time. It’s measured in kilowatt-hours and may vary from 1-10+ kWh. A fully charged 10 kWh home battery is ideal for most homes as it can power an entire home during a power outage.
However, homes using up to 30 kWh daily (885 kWh monthly) may need a high-capacity home battery system or combine multiple batteries to increase capacity.
How much is a battery bank for a house?
A whole home battery backup system costs $3000-$15000 (exclusive of the installation cost) depending on its storage capacity, power output, electricity use, and size of your home, among other factors.
Conclusion
Now you understand why a whole home battery backup system is worth it. Not only does it power your entire house during a power outage but it reduces reliance on the grid. With a whole home battery backup like BLUETTI AC500 +B300S, you are sure to power your entire home for days.
