Section
Whole-home
Home battery backup with or without solar: sizing by kilowatt-hours per outage day, transfer equipment explained, battery versus generator.
4 articles
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Home battery backup: the three classes, what each actually runs, and how to size yours
Portable, expandable and installed home batteries compared on what they run and for how long, sized in kilowatt-hours per outage day from sourced figures.
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Home battery vs standby generator: the same outage, two very different machines
Runtime, fuel, noise, start-up power and safety from the makers' own figures: a 22 kW Generac against Powerwall 3 and aPower 2, and when both is the answer.
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How a transfer switch works, and why every backup source that feeds a circuit needs one
Manual and automatic transfer switches, interlocks, inlets and smart panels explained, why backfeeding is dangerous, and what an electrician installs.
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Whole house battery backup: sizing an installed system, with or without solar
How installed home batteries are sized from your utility bill and your biggest motor, what Powerwall 3 and aPower 2 promise, and the without-solar case.