How can I power my home during a power outage?

One of the many benefits of having a battery is that it can provide you with peace of mind during a power outage by providing your home with backup power. 

That said, it's important to know that not all batteries can provide backup power and that different batteries provide different types of backup power. For example, there's whole-of-home backup and single-circuit backup. 

Whole-of-home or single-circuit backup? 

These two types of backup power are just what they sound like: 

• Whole-of-home backup provides power to every circuit in your home. With this option, everything will stay on during a power outage. 

• Single-circuit backup provides power to only one circuit in your home. With this option, only one circuit will have power during an outage, so most people choose an essential circuit like the one for their kitchen or lights. 

If you live in an area with frequent and severe outages, you may want whole-of-home backup. In this case, your best option is a Tesla battery, as whole-of-home backup is included in their installation price. 

If, however, power outages are infrequent or short and you only need backup power for essential appliances, SolarEdge or Sungrow batteries are great options. Backup circuitry is not included in their installation price, but for an additional cost, you can back up a single circuit as long as the battery meets its power requirements. 

And lastly, if you're unsure what you need, you can always add a backup circuit later. Just know that this will cost more than installing it at the same time as the battery.

What about partial-home backup?

If you install a battery with single-circuit backup, it's possible to wire two or more circuits to it. We, however, don't offer this option due to the safety risks involved.

I'm part of a VPP. Should I install a backup circuit?

The answer is, 'it depends'. 

Whether you can participate in a Virtual Power Plant (VPP) and use backup power will depend on your VPP agreement. If your VPP Operator allows you to retain a set power level to use yourself during an outage, you'll still be able to get value out of a backup circuit. If, however, your VPP Operator can override your backup power settings, they may discharge your battery during an outage, leaving you with nothing to use. 

VPP agreements vary widely, so we recommend checking with your VPP Operator.