It pays to be prepared. On r/solar, a Redditor shared their experience of using a backup battery after their power went out.
Describing the takeover as "seamless," they explained the battery meant they could go about their normal routine with minimal disruptions.
Their verdict: "I'm just really amazed and wanted to share. These things are awesome."
The scoop
The battery mentioned in the thread was an Enphase 10T. The Redditor mentions they didn't use their air conditioning, hot tub, or car charger during the outage. This was wise, as those tend to be the biggest drains on energy. With a capacity of just over 10 kW, the Enphase 10T should be able to power the typical American home for around 24 hours.
Power outages are increasing in the United States, though unevenly. According to census figures, rural homeowners are the most likely to suffer a loss of electricity in a given year.
There's a roughly one-in-four chance of a household going without power and a 70% chance that the outage will last six hours or more. Of course, with extreme weather events becoming more frequent and intense, it's likely those numbers will rise.
Watch now: How bad is a gas stove for your home's indoor air quality?
How it's helping
Solar-powered batteries help in two ways. The most obvious is the immediate need for a backup power source in the case of an outage, but in addition to that, more homes adopting renewable energy will help mitigate extreme weather events in the long run by reducing dependency on dirty fuel sources like coal.
Rooftop solar panels are becoming incredibly popular in the United States. With substantial environmental and economic benefits, there's something for everyone when it comes to solar energy.
The main sticking point for most is the up-front costs, but there are state and federal incentives to help with that. EnergySage offers some useful tools for getting started. However, the future of solar subsidies is uncertain, with the current administration ordering a pause on Inflation Reduction Act funding until April.
What everyone's saying
The post generated several comments and questions. Some focused on the interesting data provided along with the review.
|
Do you have a backup power system at your home? Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
Not at all 
One commenter said: "Thanks for sharing, it's cool to see the data from an outage that long."
Another complimented the poster for being smart with their energy management: "Great job striking the right balance in managing your loads so that you were living comfortably on an energy budget."
A couple of comments mentioned how frequently they'd experienced outages and how grateful they were to have a backup system in place.
One read: "In New England, had the 8th power outage last night.... LOVE my Enphase solar and battery set-up."
Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
