{"id":101,"count":0,"description":"<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">More now than ever before, homeowners are looking for home battery backup <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">to keep their power on during power outages. <\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This is particularly true in California, where <a href=\"https:\/\/www.solar.com\/learn\/solar-and-battery-during-public-safety-power-shutoff-psps\/\">Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS)<\/a> used by utilities to prevent forest fires have affected tens of thousands of people.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In the past, homeowners have looked to backup gas generators to protect themselves against grid outages. These days, however, modern technology has fundamentally transformed this market, and solar paired with battery backup is the safer, cleaner, and more reliable option.<\/span>\r\n\r\nHere are 10 reasons home battery backup is better than a generator.\r\n<h2><b>1. Home Battery Backup is Quiet<\/b><\/h2>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you\u2019ve heard a generator before, you know that they are horrifically noisy. In fact, generators can operate at up to 8.5 decibels, which ranks somewhere between a police whistle and lawn mower.<\/span>\r\n\r\nNot only is this annoying (for you and your neighbors), studies dating back to the 1960's have tied noise pollution to:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Hearing loss<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Sleep disruption<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Cardiovascular disease<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Reduced productivity in work and school<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Negative social behavior<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Annoyance reactions<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nPower outages can already be stressful situations, and generators can compound that stress. It's no wonder, then, that generators are in violation of many HOA bylaws and city ordinances.\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">By contrast, home battery backup is completely silent. You wouldn\u2019t be able to tell that your battery storage system was powering your home if you were standing right next to it.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Your family \u2013 and your neighbors \u2013 will thank you for keeping the peace.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n<h2><b>2. Home Battery Backup uses Clean Energy<\/b><\/h2>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Diesel generators emit nitrous oxide, carbon monoxide, particulate matter, and other hydrocarbons. Propane and natural gas generators emit dangerous emissions as well. <\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We all know how dangerous it would be to lock yourself or your family in your garage with your car engine running, so the thought of generator emissions right next to your home should be similarly unappealing.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In fact, when Hurricane Irma hit Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina in 2017, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC6072056\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">more deaths were attributed<\/a> to carbon monoxide poisoning from generators (16) than the storm itself (11).<\/span>\r\n\r\nAnd that's just <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2019\/12\/04\/784279242\/carbon-monoxide-poisoning-from-portable-generators-proves-predictable-and-deadly\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">part of a larger trend<\/a> of 900 deaths and 15,400 hospitalizations attributed to portable generators between 2005 and 2017.\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Batteries emit no emissions of any kind. They\u2019re completely sealed and will have no negative impacts on your family\u2019s health.<\/span>\r\n<h2><b>3. Batteries are Smaller than Generators<\/b><\/h2>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">While some portable generators can be quite small, built-in generators \u2013 which more closely match the capabilities of home battery backup \u2013 occupy a large footprint and can take up valuable space in your yard. If you install one of these generators, you\u2019ll likely also need to pour a substantial concrete pad to house it.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.solar.com\/learn\/solar-battery\/\">Backup battery storage<\/a>, meanwhile, is wall-mounted and does not require any construction work. Batteries only stand a few inches away from the wall and can sit comfortably alongside your solar equipment, garage shelving, etc.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<img class=\"alignnone size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.solar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/tesla-powerwall.jpg\" width=\"2121\" height=\"986\" \/>\r\n<h2><b>4. Home Battery Backup is Instant-On<\/b><\/h2>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Even the best backup generators on the market take a few seconds to cycle up in the event of an outage. This delay can leave young children scared, make clocks and devices reset, and cause unnecessary stress. <\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you have a portable generator that needs to be hooked up manually you have the \"fun\" task of firing it up in the middle of a storm or heatwave while your appliances shut off and reset.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">By contrast, circuits backed up by a battery are instantly transferred to battery power in an outage. The batteries react to outages in a fraction of a second \u2013 so quickly that clocks often won\u2019t even blink! <\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In fact, Tesla ran into a problem with its <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.solar.com\/learn\/tesla-powerwall\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Powerwall<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> wherein the batteries kicked in so fast that homeowners didn\u2019t even know that they had lost power. As a result, Tesla updated its mobile app to send a notification alerting homeowners of the outage.<\/span>\r\n<h2><b>5. Battery Backup is Reliable\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">One of the biggest draws of electric vehicles is that they don\u2019t require the expensive regular maintenance that internal combustion engines do. With EVs, oil changes are a thing of the past.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Similarly, home backup batteries require far less maintenance than generators do. <\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Typically, generators need to cycle at least once per month to make sure all the internal components are lubricated and operating properly. Most homeowners will also hire a technician to inspect the generator every year to make sure it\u2019s in good working order. After all, the only thing worse than paying for a generator is having it fail to turn on when you need it the most!<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Battery storage, on the other hand, requires no maintenance of any kind. Other than an occasional surface cleaning to keep the battery shining, it will not require any regular maintenance throughout its entire service life. <\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You can rest assured that your home battery backup will always be ready to protect you and your family at a moment\u2019s notice.<\/span>\r\n<h2><b>6. Home Battery Backup Is Earthquake Proof<\/b><\/h2>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">After an earthquake, one of the first things the local utility company will do is shut off natural gas service to prevent potential fires from ruptured gas lines. <\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you\u2019re in an earthquake-prone area like California, this can completely negate the benefit of having a built-in gas generator, as its fuel supply will be shut off immediately. Battery backup, of course, does not have this issue.<\/span>\r\n<h2><b>7. Battery Paired With Solar Can Run Indefinitely<\/b><\/h2>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Portable generators are limited in backup duration by the amount of fuel you have on hand. Once your supply of diesel or propane runs out, the generator will stop and leave you without power. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The exception here is natural gas generators fed by an underground line.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">By contrast, when battery storage is paired with solar panels, the battery has the ability to run indefinitely. By setting your household consumption equal to your solar system\u2019s daily output, your solar battery will continue to recharge itself. <\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">With this, you could theoretically run without grid power indefinitely, which is great for power outages and for saving money on grid electricity in the long run.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<img class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.solar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/solar-with-and-without-battery-storage-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"1314\" \/>\r\n<h2><b>8. Home Battery Can Save You Money<\/b><\/h2>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A backup generator is only useful to you when you have a power outage. Even if we assume that you have three full days without power every year \u2013 a full 72 hours \u2013 that\u2019s still less than 1% of the time. <\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">That means you\u2019re spending thousands of dollars for a solution that provides extremely limited benefits from a long-term perspective.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Solar panels and battery systems, however, operate every single day of the year and will save you money through load shifting and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.solar.com\/learn\/time-of-use-rates\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">time of use savings<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, further reducing your electricity bill. <\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Oh, and when you do lose power, they still have you covered.<\/span>\r\n<h2><b>9. Battery Backup Enables Energy Independence<\/b><\/h2>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Most homeowners are attracted to the idea of being energy independent. Producing your own power while reducing dependence on the electric grid appeals to the American ideal of self-reliance. <\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Having a generator as a backup leaves you completely on the electric grid for electricity. Meanwhile, the combination of solar and battery backup allows you to produce, store, and use your own electricity, dramatically reducing your dependence on the local utility.<\/span>\r\n\r\nIn fact, providing your own solar and battery storage can actually make your local grid more resilient. For example, 80,000 residential solar-powered batteries provided around 340 MW of power (more than a mid-sized power plant) to stave off rolling blackouts during California's record heatwave in early September 2022.\r\n<h2><b>10. Incentives are Offered for Battery Backup<\/b><\/h2>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Generators are \u201cdumb\u201d devices that have no interoperability with the electric grid. As far as the electric utility is concerned, it makes no difference whether you have a generator or not.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Home batteries, however, are smart devices capable of dispensing power instantaneously as needed. That's helpful to both homeowners and utilities, which is why there is a variety of incentives for installing home battery backup at the federal, state, and utility levels.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<strong>At the utility level<\/strong>, homeowners in Massachusetts and Rhode Island can get paid $275 per kW of energy <em>put<\/em>\u00a0<em>back\u00a0<\/em>on the grid during peak summer hours through <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalgridus.com\/MA-Home\/Connected-Solutions\/BatteryProgram\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">National Grid's ConnectedSolutions battery program<\/a>.\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">And Vermont\u2019s Green Mountain Power offers <a href=\"https:\/\/greenmountainpower.com\/rebates-programs\/home-energy-storage\/bring-your-own-device\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">up to $950 per kW of battery storage installed <\/a>-- equalling $9,500 for a 10 kW battery.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<strong>At the state level,<\/strong> California's <a href=\"https:\/\/www.solar.com\/learn\/sgip-info-battery-storage-rebate-up-to-100-percent\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP)<\/a> offers rebates up to $1,000 per kWh of battery storage installed -- which often covers the entire cost of the home battery backup.\r\n\r\n<strong>At the federal level,<\/strong> the 48E federal tax credit for t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.solar.com\/learn\/adding-battery-storage-to-a-solar-lease\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">hird-party-owned battery storage<\/a> remains available through 2032. Homeowners can benefit from this incentive through leases, PPAs, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.solar.com\/learn\/prepaid-solar-leases-ppas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Prepaid Solar and Battery financing models<\/a>.\r\n<h2><strong>The Bottom Line: Home Battery Backup Is Better Than a Generator<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The advantages that home battery backup offers over generators are numerous and there are several types of incentives to bring down the upfront cost. <\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Homeowners will increasingly look to batteries rather than generators to meet their backup needs. And for the sake of public health and fighting climate change, that\u2019s something we can all celebrate. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\r\n<\/span>\r\n\r\n[pnpZip background=true border=true primary_color=\"#8b72d3\" content_texts=true utm_campaign=\"get_started_injectable\" utm_medium=\"battery vs generator\" upper_text= \"Compare quotes from multiple\" upper_text_span = \"trusted installers\" lower_text= \"See how much solar could lower your\" lower_text_span = \"energy costs\" get_started_text = \"Get started\"]","link":"https:\/\/www.solar.com\/learn\/battery-backup-is-better-than-a-generator\/","name":"10 Reasons Why Home Battery Backup is Better Than a Gas Generator","slug":"battery-backup-is-better-than-a-generator","taxonomy":"category","parent":45,"meta":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v19.5 (Yoast SEO v19.10) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>10 Reasons Why Home Battery Backup is Better Than a Gas Generator | Solar.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Homeowners increasingly look to batteries rather than generators to meet their backup needs. 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