This article will expand upon the Enphase batteries we offer, as well as outline the process for determining how many Enphase batteries you need.
If you plan to include backup in your home solar system, you may be wondering how many batteries you should purchase. Here, we'll briefly explain battery capacity and show you how you can use Enphase's online estimator to quickly size a battery system that will suit your needs.
How Much Does a Solar Battery Back Up?
Project Solar offers Enphase's IQ 5P batteries, which have a 5.0kWh capacity. Each battery can power 15.9 amps, which means they are commonly connected to a 15-20A breaker. While some customers do opt for full-home backup, a single battery usually can't back up an entire home for an extended period.
Instead, batteries can be configured to back up essential circuits (lights, refrigerators, Wi-Fi routers, etc.), or multiple batteries may be purchased to provide more capacity. Enphase battery systems are expandable: you can add multiple batteries to your system or add more batteries down the road as needed.
It takes some understanding of electricity and a little math to size a battery system perfectly (our team can help), but you can get a good idea of what you need by using Enphase's estimator tool. Check out the section below to learn how to use this tool.
The Enphase Estimator
Enphase offers a helpful tool--the Enphase Estimator--to help you determine how many kWh of batteries would be necessary for your specific circumstances.
To use this resource, simply follow these steps:
- Enter your address. If you already have a solar quote from Project Solar, you can also enter your system size to increase accuracy. Select "Next".
- Choose an option for a battery system that fits your needs: Home Energy Essentials, which will back up your essential appliances during outages, or Full Energy Independence, which will provide a more complete backup for your home (though, more batteries will be required). Project Solar's recommendation for batteries is typically Home Energy Essentials, as a Full Energy Independence system can be pretty expensive, and isn't always necessary.
- Next, a popup will appear with a list of the appliances that were automatically added for backup. To change these, select "edit", and toggle the appliances you want to back up. If you'd like to backup an appliance that isn't listed, you can add it manually.
- Next, the Estimator will provide a recommendation based on the information you entered. Select "Details" to expand your proposal:
You can download your system summary, or select "More" if you'd like to refine your estimate further.
Once you're done sizing your battery storage system, contact our Customer Experience Team to add it to your Project Solar design and contract.
To learn more about batteries, check out the following articles:
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