Solar Batteries Vs. Generators: What Backup Power Is Best for You?
August 22, 2022
As many California homeowners are eyeing the approaching wildfire season, they’re remembering the extended power outages—including PSPS: public safety power shutoffs—that millions of people dealt with last fall. As a result of those outages, there was a significant uptick in interest around backup power systems.
Maybe you are one of them, and are interested in protecting your Yuba City, Sacramento, or Davis home against unexpected power outages. What’s the best backup power system for you? You essentially have two options: solar batteries, or generators. There’s a good argument for adding backup power to your home, so let’s break down the basic differences between the two to help you make the right decision.
Solar Batteries for Your Home
Contrary to belief, you actually don’t need solar panel systems to use home solar battery storage—they can be installed as standalone home energy storage systems as well and store power from the grid. And while solar battery installation is usually more expensive than generators, there are California rebates for solar batteries that can make the upfront investment more affordable - now is a great time to go solar.
Solar Battery System Pros:
- Quiet operation
- Doesn’t require fossil fuels
- Can be powered by solar panels or by the grid
- Qualifies for state and federal rebates and tax credit incentives
- Little to no maintenance needed
- No lag time to turn on once an outage is detected
- Brower Mechanical now installs Enphase Solar Battery Systems, which are top-tier.
Solar Battery System Cons:
- More expensive than a backup generator
- Won’t be able to fully power your home for days at a time - if grid powered
While you don’t need a solar energy system to benefit from Enphase backup batteries, one of the biggest advantages of this option is the ability to use this battery back up with solar, as your solar panel system offers a 100% free and renewable energy source to power your home in the event of an outage. Without a battery storage system, your solar panels would be immediately turned off during a power outage or forced power shutoff to protect any electrical workers fixing the grid. Plus, solar batteries can even be used strategically during your utility company’s peak hour electricity pricing to help further reduce your energy bills.
Backup Generators
Whole home Backup generators are the traditional way that Rocklin or Elk Grove homeowners can avoid losing power to their home, and while yes, they’re definitely not as quiet as using solar batteries for your home, they come with a few big conveniences that are missing from solar backup batteries.
First, the upfront cost is usually thousands of dollars less expensive. Second, your generator backup will be able to completely power your entire home for as long as it still has fuel, and many generators in the Sacramento area can be connected directly to a natural gas line. Hypothetically, you could run your entire home with a standby generator for a week straight (though it probably wouldn’t be cheap)!
Backup Generator Pros:
- Less expensive upfront costs than solar batteries
- Can be connected to a natural gas line
- Can power your entire home 24/7 (as long as there’s fuel)
Backup Generator Cons:
- Noisier operation
- Requires fossil fuel to run
- Needs regular maintenance
- Lifetime costs of fuel and maintenance
As licensed technicians for Generac generators, we offer a variety of services, including generator installation, repair, and maintenance.
Contact Brower for Backup Power Peace of Mind All Year Long
Looking for a company that installs backup generators and solar batteries to keep your Sacramento area home running during a wildfire season-related power outage? At Brower, we offer a variety of solutions that can help homeowners be better prepared moving forward. We can help you make the right decision for your home, so reach out to our team today to learn more.
