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Home Battery Backup
Keeping the essential circuits alive through an outage, without the $15,000 install quote that usually comes attached.
Three ways to back up a house
1. A large portable station you plug things into
Cheapest and simplest. You run extension leads to the fridge, the router and a few lamps. No electrician, no permit, nothing attached to the house. The compromise is that you are physically plugging things in, and hard-wired items like well pumps stay off.
2. A portable station plus a transfer switch
The middle path, and the sweet spot for most people. An electrician fits a small transfer switch or interlock so selected circuits can be fed from the station. Costs a few hundred dollars in labour and means the fridge and furnace just work when the power goes.
3. A permanently installed home battery
The full solution, tied into your panel with automatic switchover. It is also the one with the five-figure quote, and it usually only pencils out if you are pairing it with rooftop solar or you are on a punishing time-of-use tariff.
Most people over-buy here. Work out what you truly need lit during an outage. For the overwhelming majority that is a fridge, internet, phone charging and a few lights — a load a large portable station handles for a fraction of an installed system.
What it costs
| Approach | Typical outlay | Install needed | Covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portable station only | $700–2,500 | None | Whatever you plug in |
| Station + transfer switch | $1,200–3,500 | Half-day electrician | Selected circuits |
| Installed home battery | $10,000–20,000+ | Full install & permit | Whole home, automatic |
Expandable systems
If you think you might want more capacity later, buy into a system that takes extra battery modules rather than a sealed unit. It costs slightly more now and saves you replacing everything in two years.
Bluetti Apex 300
Expandable and high output, which makes it the most credible portable route to genuine home backup.
Questions worth asking first
How long are your outages, honestly?
If they are measured in hours, a portable station is plenty. If your area loses power for days at a time, you need either far more capacity, a way to recharge from solar, or a gas generator as well.
Do you have gas heat?
A gas furnace needs only its blower and controls powered — a few hundred watts. That is easy. Electric heat is not, and largely rules out battery-only backup in a cold climate.