How Do I Choose a Home Battery Backup System?

The use of home battery backup solutions has burgeoned over the past few years due to numerous reasons. Out of all those reasons, the frequent blackout faced by households is the most prominent one. Aside from the obvious fact that battery backups provide clean electricity, a growing number of individuals recognize that the grid is not always trustworthy.

What is a Home Battery Backup System?

Home battery backup systems store reserve energy. They can operate on a standalone basis or as part of home solar systems. Battery backup systems get their charge via multiple methods, such as solar charging or the home’s connection to the grid. You can also stack several or many batteries to get plenty of stored energy for the days from your solar system.

How Does a Backup Battery Work?

The battery backup system operates depending on how you have it connected to your home electrical network or the solar systems. Battery backup systems can store additional power energy from your solar generator if you have solar arrays. They can keep your house running when solar panels stop producing energy overnight or on cloudy days. In some situations, the battery backup system can also replace net metering programs or extra storage capacity.

If you rely on grid energy, backup batteries are like oversized power banks. Depending on the battery’s capacity, you can plug in household appliances, and other electric devices. It can also allow you to reduce your home energy bills if you draw power from your storage power during peak demand times when the cost to the grid is at its highest.

How Much Does a Battery Backup System Cost?

Generally, the price of home backup batteries is around $300 to $6000, this is depending on the battery types, quantity, power output, and capacity. Generally, users are exceeded their budget to increase capacity, output, lifespan, and maintenance. Although lithium-ion batteries cost more than traditional batteries, however, they are more energy efficient and last longer.

Types of Battery Backup Systems

There are two main types of batteries for home battery backup solutions: the lead-acid battery and the lithium-iron phosphate (LiFePO4) battery. Lithium-ion batteries are typically more popular than a lead-acid battery because they have a higher efficient and safe. For example, a lead-acid battery can only use up to 50% of its capacity per charge, while a lithium-ion battery with the same capacity can use 80%-98% per charge, they have longer work time, longer lifespan, higher discharge rate, specifically designed BMS, and no need any maintenance.

• Lead-Acid Battery

Lead-acid batteries (the same technology as most car batteries) have been around for many years, and have been widely used in home energy storage systems for off-grid power options. While they are still on the market at pocket-friendly prices, their popularity is gradually fading due to the low DOD and shorter lifespans.

• Lithium-Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) Battery

As mentioned earlier, battery manufacturers prefer lithium-iron-phosphate battery technologies for their higher DOD, reliable lifespan, and ability to hold more energy for longer and more compact sizes. However, because of these numerous benefits, lithium-iron phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries are also more expensive compared to lead-acid batteries.

Can I Add Backup Batteries to an Existing Solar System?

Yes, you can replace backup batteries with an existing solar system, but you need to ensure they are compatible with the system.

How Big of a Battery Bank Do I Need to Run my entire House?

Many home energy source systems face the prospect of inconsistency with the main power grid provided. Wind generators are little help on windless days, and solar arrays are useless when covered with snow or on rainy days. Even houses are hooked up to the electrical grid that experiences occasional power outages. You can also set up a backup system with battery packs, which can power your home when the primary sources fail.

Kilowatt-hours (kWh)

Household electrical consumption is measured in kilowatt-hours. A kilowatt-hour corresponds to the amount of energy required to power a 1-kilowatt device for one hour or a 100-watt device for 10 hours. Your monthly electric bill tells you how many kilowatt hours you have consumed, and your bill may also show usage statistics from previous months. According to the U.S. Generally, the average U.S. home consumes around 900 kilowatt-hours per month or approximately 30 kilowatt-hours per day.

Number of Days

It is impractical to build a battery pack capable of supplying a house's electrical needs for numerous days. A battery backup system will provide electricity to the house for a few days to account for any interruption in the primary energy system. When you are designing the battery bank, you must determine how many days you will expect to run without a power grid. For instance, if you live in a rural area where there may occasionally be severe storms leading to power outages, you might size the system based on three days of battery power.

Battery Specifications

Batteries are designed to generate a specific voltage, and their rated current is a certain number of ampere hours. For example, a 400 amp-hour battery can deliver 4 amps of current for 100 hours. The voltage of a battery is considered fairly constant, although the voltage does gradually decrease as the battery is discharged. If you need to estimate the power capacity of a battery in kilowatt-hours, you can multiply the typical operating voltage by the amp-hour rating, and then divide by 1,000. A 400 amp-hour battery that generates 6 volts can provide approximately 2.4-kilowatt hours.

Number of Batteries

A battery bank designed to power an average American home for three days would need to supply 90 kilowatt-hours of power energy. The battery in the previous example can provide 2.4 kilowatt-hours of power, so this system would be required 38 units of 100ah lithium batteries. In reality, several more batteries would be required to account for the batteries' imperfections and for the power consumed by the inverter, which is a device needed to convert DC (direct current ). battery power to the alternating current (AC) power required by a household electrical system.

Conclusion

If you experience frequent power outages, it may be worth considering backup power from a battery bank system. You can use an air-cooled home generator powered by gasoline or propane, or a more expensive liquid-cooled generator. However, for a long-term energy solution, you can consider installing a set of backup batteries, which can connect your solar system to store extra energy, and also can a battery backup to power your home.