Consider purchasing a home battery but not sure what to believe? You’re not alone. There are lots of flat-out myths floating around, making people second-guess whether a home battery is really worth it. The good news is, today’s home batteries are safer, more intelligent, versatile, and reliable than ever before. In this article, we’ll bust 10 common myths about home battery systems and give you the straight story, so you can decide with confidence what makes sense for your home energy needs.
1. Home Batteries Can’t Work without Solar Panels
Not at all. While most people think home batteries have to hook up to solar panels, modern home batteries are much more versatile. They can be charged directly from the grid, particularly useful if your utility offers time-of-use pricing. That means you can top up your battery when electricity is cheap, and then use that stored energy during expensive peak hours. Even if you don’t have solar panels, this simple tactic can still take a real bite out of your monthly bills.
2. Solar Batteries Are Unreliable and Require Frequent Maintenance
Most home batteries, particularly those built with lithium iron phosphate (LFP) chemistry, are built to last. Research suggests that LFP batteries can endure anywhere from 6,000 to 10,000 full charge cycles, often translating into 15 to 20 years of useful life before dropping to around 70–80% of their original capacity (Solar Insure). Home batteries such as the FranklinWH aPower series, offer a 15-year or 60 MWh throughput warranty, showcasing exceptional reliability.
Modern systems are also increasingly intelligent. Many come with built-in Battery Management Systems (BMS) that monitor charge balance, stop deep discharges, and run temperature checks, so a lithium-ion battery system usually requires near-zero maintenance, except for the occasional firmware update or visual inspection.
3. Home Batteries Are Expensive
There is no sugarcoating it. Home batteries aren’t cheap. However, the upfront cost isn’t the whole picture. Generous government rebates, a 30% federal tax credit through the end of 2025, and ongoing state programs that offer extra savings can significantly cut the initial expense down. Many financing companies also now provide loan or lease options, letting you spread the cost over time instead of paying it all at once.
Where home batteries really start to pay off is in the long run. By storing energy when it’s cheapest and using it when rates spike, you can trim your bills month after month. In many regions, you can also join energy-trading or virtual power plant (VPP) programs that pay you back for sharing stored electricity with the grid. Putting all these together, what feels like an expensive upfront often turns into a smart investment that brings positive financial returns in only 5 to 7 years.
4. Home Batteries Can’t Provide Long-Lasting Whole-Home Backup
They sure can, if you size them right and use them wisely. Today’s home batteries are built to do more than just keep your lights on. They can power your entire home for hours and, when paired with solar panels or a generator, even stretch that backup into days. Take the FranklinWH aPower 2 as an example, with 15 kWh of storage and a continuous 10 kW output, a single aPower 2 battery can offer whole-home backup. Featuring remarkable scalability, you can even break from the grid and achieve complete off-grid living by paralleling multiple aPower 2 batteries together.
5. Home Batteries Are Only for Power Backup During Outages
Not at all. Sure, batteries shine when power goes out, but their real value lies in everyday energy management. A modern home battery isn’t just an emergency backup. In solar-equipped homes, the battery stashes surplus electricity during sunny hours and releases it when the grid rates spike, so you’re not selling cheap solar power away and then buying expensive grid power later. Even in households without solar, standalone batteries can charge during off-peak hours and discharge during expensive peak times, slashing your monthly energy bills.
6. You Lose Your Feed-in Tariff If You Add a Battery
Not necessarily. Adding a home battery doesn’t automatically disqualify you from your feed-in tariff. With proper system configuration, you can store energy while keeping earning credits from exporting solar power to the grid.
For example, as an advanced battery storage solution, the FranklinWH aPower 2 is compatible with Net Billing Tariff (NBT) programs, allowing you to gain another layer of financial benefits by selling excess energy back to the grid during peak pricing period.
If your solar system is under an old Net Energy Metering (NEM) policy, the FranklinWH aPbox is a clever accessory that separates your new solar-plus-storage system from your old solar system without messing up your favorable old NEM benefits. Your legacy panels continue feeding the grid under your existing exporting rates, while the new system handles storage and intelligent energy use.
7. Home Batteries Are Dangerous and Can’t Work in Extreme Conditions
The assuring truth is that modern home batteries are engineered to be extremely safe. Most leading batteries, including the FranklinWH aPower 2, use LFP cells, known for their exceptional chemical stability and low risk of overheating. Beyond that, manufacturers add multiple layers of protection: advanced thermal management to keep temperatures under control, built-in electrical safeguards against overcharging or short circuits, reinforced enclosures for structural safety, etc., to minimize hazards and ensure reliable daily operation.
Top-tier batteries undergo rigorous testing before they ever reach the market. These tests simulate extreme conditions: salt-spray exposure for corrosion, rapid changes in temperature, dust and water ingress, direct flame contact, heavy drop impacts, intentional overcharging, and even seismic simulations to mimic earthquakes. FranklinWH aPower series batteries, for instance, have been through more than 20,000 safety and reliability tests to demonstrate it can withstand real-world stress.
8. Home Batteries Are Only for Small Homes
Absolutely not. Home batteries can be scalable. Think of them like building blocks you can stack to fit your needs. Whether you've got a compact bungalow or a sprawling custom estate, the system can be properly sized to match your energy demands. Custom-built homes these days are designed with battery storage that handles everything from HVAC, EV charging, and pool pumps, to lighting and workshop equipment, all without missing a beat.
The remarkable scalability of residential battery storage solutions can even be applied to commercial-scale properties. For example, two FranklinWH Systems have been installed in Marshall, Michigan, powering a 400 A service commercial property entirely off-grid, where one aGate with 4 aPower 2 batteries distributing power to headquarters, and the other aGate with 6 aPower 2 batteries supplying power to the warehouse.
9. Installing a Battery Is Too Complicated
Not anymore. Today’s systems are designed to take the complexity out of the process. Some home batteries, such as the FranklinWH aPower S, are built with direct solar connection, meaning the panels can feed power straight into the battery without needing extra conversion boxes or external power electronics. This kind of fully integrated setup boosts efficiency, and makes installation much more streamlined, especially if you’re starting fresh with both solar and storage.
But what if you already have existing solar? The FranklinWH aPower 2 is solar inverter agnostic, and it can integrate with any existing solar system without forcing you to replace your inverter or rewire your roof.
Once either system is mounted, the FranklinWH App walks you through commissioning, which can be finished in as little as 15 minutes.
10.Home Batteries Require Manual Adjustments through a Physical Interface or Installer
Not anymore. Modern home batteries are designed to work as part of a broader home energy management and storage system, which means you don’t need to flip switches or call an installer whenever you want to change how your energy is consumed. For the FranklinWH System, the aPower 2 battery is not working alone. Rather, it’s coordinated by the aGate intelligent controller and managed through the FranklinWH App. That’s where all the scheduling happens: when to draw from the battery and when to export to the grid.
In addition to solar and battery, the system can integrate various other energy sources such as the grid, generator, and vehicle-to-load (V2L) to enhance energy resiliency, all managed by the central controller and the app. For modern home energy systems, thanks to the advanced software, you can have seamless backup switch, energy efficiency optimization, and completely automated energy experience.
Wrapping Up
Home batteries are often misunderstood, but as these myths show, the reality is far more exciting. Today’s energy management and storage solutions are safe, reliable, flexible, and most importantly, controlled by advanced energy management system (EMS) devices, allowing the whole system to not only offer whole-home backup during blackouts, but significantly cut down energy bills, brings long-term value, and empower energy freedom.
