1. What is Whole House Battery Backup?

A whole house battery backup system provides power during outages by storing electricity from the grid or renewable sources. Proper sizing is crucial to ensure your essential loads are supported for the desired duration.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the basic battery capacity formula:

Where:

• Whole House Load — Your home's average power consumption during backup period
• Backup Hours — Desired duration of backup power

Explanation: This simple multiplication gives the minimum battery capacity needed to support your loads for the specified time.

3. Importance of Battery Sizing

Details: Proper battery sizing ensures your backup system meets your needs without overspending. Undersized systems won't provide enough runtime, while oversized systems are unnecessarily expensive.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter your average whole house load in kW (check your utility bill or energy monitor) and desired backup duration in hours. For critical loads only, use that load instead of whole house load.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: Should I use peak or average load?
A: Use average load for runtime calculations. Peak loads determine inverter sizing but not battery capacity.

Q2: How do I find my whole house load?
A: Check your utility bill's kWh usage and divide by hours, or use an energy monitoring system.

Q3: What about battery efficiency?
A: This calculator gives theoretical capacity. Add 10-20% more for real-world efficiency losses.

Q4: Can I combine solar with battery backup?
A: Yes, solar can extend battery runtime during daylight outages.

Q5: What's typical for whole house backup?
A: Most homes need 10-30 kWh for meaningful whole-house backup, depending on loads and desired runtime.