Local experts explain various ways to back up power in your home

Brandon Leuallen, The Business Times

When storms, wildfires or other threats to the power grid hit Mesa County, households can quickly find themselves in the dark.

That was the case during multiple outages in the Redlands this August, which sparked local questions about how to keep homes powered, even among residents with solar panels that still depend on the grid to function.

The Business Times spoke with Butch Kline, head of the electrical division at Independence Plumbing and Mechanical, and Matt Fowler, part owner and sales lead at Atlasta Solar Center, to explore the options.

From portable generators to full solar arrays with battery storage, they outlined solutions ranging from basic backup for essentials to systems that could eventually allow a homeowner to live completely off grid.

Starting Small: Generators and Essential Circuits

Kline said it really depends on your budget and what you value when backing up your home. He said for many homeowners, the answer for short-term emergencies starts simple with portable or standby generators.

At the most basic level, he said, “A small gas generator or a solar camping generator with some extension cords can keep a refrigerator or a few lights running for several hours without any permits required.” 

Kline added, “Obviously you would want to keep your gas generator running outside where it isn’t pumping exhaust into the house, and it is in a safe place.”

Kline said for anything that ties into a home’s main electrical panel, the law is clear. You have to get a permit, and you have to install an approved transfer switch.

“You have to isolate your house from the grid,” he said.

That means installing a transfer switch or interlock that disconnects utility power before allowing a generator or other source to feed the home. Kline explained why it is required by code, saying, “Without it, a homeowner risks backfeeding electricity into Xcel or Grand Valley Power’s lines, which can endanger linemen and damage equipment.”

Kline said some homeowners choose to have a dedicated “essentials” panel wired in when installing a transfer switch. This small subpanel powers only critical circuits such as refrigerators, freezers or boilers with electronic controls.

“It lets you focus your backup power on what really matters, without paying for a system that can run every appliance,” he explained.

Transfer switches can be manual, which homeowners flip by hand, or automatic. Kline added that some newer gas generators and electric power stations are designed to start on their own as soon as the power goes out.

Kline also noted that homeowners could set up an auxiliary building such as a shed or garage with its own solar panels  and a power bank that could be hooked up to the house during an emergency.He stressed it is best to work with an experienced licensed professional when setting up any permanent backup power. Planning and designing a system that meets a household’s needs, passes inspections and operates reliably can be complex and varies from home to home.

Kline said costs vary depending on the size of the generator or power station and whether the switch is manual or automatic. He said it is always wise to plan for more than you think.

“I always try to get the most I can get for the money that I have,” Kline said. “If I think I’m going to need three circuits, I’ll try to buy something that’ll handle five.”

Batteries That Do More Than Store Power

Fowler explained why solar panels alone cannot power a home during an outage. He said that without batteries, grid-tied solar systems are designed to automatically shut down when the grid goes down. This is required for safety, so a home system does not send electricity back into utility lines while workers are repairing them.

“When the grid goes down, the panels are disconnecting from the grid,” he said, and unless there is a battery providing storage and isolation, there is “nowhere for the electricity to go.”

While generators cover short outages, solar paired with batteries can offer backup and long-term savings. Fowler said the Enphase batteries Atlasta works with are “smart” and also automatically supply power when the grid is down, with a major added benefit of switching during more expensive peak hours over to battery power if you get the right system. 

He said even if the system isn’t a whole-home battery-backup system, a smaller system can be programmed to switch over during expensive time-of-use periods supplementally.

Power companies are increasingly relying on power load management, such as charging higher rates during peak hours. Grand Valley Power’s peak rates run from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. daily, while Xcel Energy is shifting its peak to 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays, beginning Nov. 1. Batteries can be programmed to discharge during those hours and recharge when rates are low.

For Xcel, using energy during peak hours is roughly three times the cost. Customers can also opt out of Time of Use, but pay a flat rate 7 days a week that is 21 to 24 percent higher than the nonpeak hour rate. 

“Most people imagine solar as a whole-home backup system, but there are smaller options,” Fowler said. “You can install a battery that just keeps the essentials running during an outage or one that supplies power during peak hours to save money. Those systems can be expanded later.”

Fowler said adding to an existing, smaller system later is easier and less expensive than the initial setup, because many times the owner wouldn’t have to go through the permitting process again.

The Business Times will dig deeper into energy efficiency and ways to cut energy costs in the coming weeks. 

Fowler said the systems are all inclusive because many homeowners don’t want the inconvenience and risk of manual systems that only work when a homeowner is home, knowledgeable enough and physically able to switch them over by hand.

“It’s all automatic,” he said. “The homeowner doesn’t have to flip switches or manage the system. It just knows when to switch.”

Choosing the Right Technology

Fowler said Enphase batteries use multiple micro inverters instead of a single central inverter. That design avoids what he called a “single point of failure.”

“With other products, if that one inverter fails, you’ve got an expensive paperweight on the wall,” he said. “With micro inverters, you still have resiliency built in.”

Adding a basic battery setup to an existing solar system with Atlasta starts at about $6,000 and increases depending on the needs and wants of the homeowner. Full systems that can run an entire home for extended periods of time or even take the home completely off grid can climb much higher in price.

Colorado continues to offer a 10 percent state credit on battery equipment. Fowler said utilities may offer rebates as well, but those often allow the utility to draw on part of the homeowner’s stored power when needed, so homeowners need to be aware. 

Fowler noted warranties are a key consideration for anyone investing in backup power. He explained that Enphase’s newest battery carries a 15-year warranty or 6,000 cycles, whichever comes first, and the company measures cycles based on actual use rather than rounding up partial discharges.

“That means if you only use 10 percent of the battery, it only counts as 10 percent of a cycle,” he said.

Fowler added that even if a homeowner did cycle the battery fully once every day, the warranty would still last the full 15 years because 6,000 cycles equals more than 16 years of once-a-day full-cycle use.

He also pointed out that while product warranties cover the equipment itself, labor is usually extra. Atlasta’s status as a platinum Enphase installer allows the company to offer a two-year labor warranty on top of the manufacturer’s coverage.

Atlasta also helps customers connect with financing for smaller and larger systems, according to Fowler.

Weighing Costs and Needs

Both professionals talked about the importance of practicality. A whole-home generator or solar-plus-battery system may cost thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars, while a small auxiliary setup might be enough to protect food storage, heating systems or medical equipment for a short stint.

“It really depends on what is essential to you,” Kline said. “You might not need to dry clothes or run the oven during an outage, but you do want your furnace, fridge and freezer to keep going.”

Fowler confirmed the majority of existing solar customers in Mesa County do not yet have batteries, so they lose power like everyone else during an outage.

Fowler added technology is making storage more viable and financially possible, and more customers are adding storage than ever before.

“Where only one in five solar customers added batteries a couple of years ago, it is now closer to one in three,” he said.

Fowler said battery storage has improved dramatically in the past decade and continues to get better as technology advances. Homeowners today can buy twice the storage for the same price they would have paid 10 years ago.

“That does not mean systems are inexpensive,” he said, “but it does mean the cost per kilowatt-hour of storage is dropping.”

Fowler added, “It’s peace of mind. When the grid goes down, your home doesn’t have to.”