Whole-Home Backup VS Partial Home Backup

When you plan an energy storage system for your family, you will face a choice between a whole-home backup or a partial-home backup.

Imagine you and your family are having dinner and chatting when your home encounters a sudden power outage. The air conditioning no longer produces cool air, and the house begins to get hotter. The plates need to be washed, and the laundry is sitting in the washing machine. The kids are already too hot to sit still while you may worry about the food in the refrigerator. The lunch you are about to take tomorrow may spoil.

This scene is familiar to you, right?

According to the Department of Energy: The frequency and length of power failures are at their highest levels since reliability tracking began in 2013 – with US customers on average experiencing more than eight hours of outages in 2020.

Two Scenarios

Some power outages are caused by extreme weather, which gets more frequent due to climate change. Families living in areas that are more affected by the weather are experiencing more power outages. An energy storage system is a must for continual power in these conditions.

Families able to use more clean and renewable energy sources can choose to use an energy storage system to lower your energy bill, protect the environment, and prevent loss of power.

When a household chooses an energy storage system, there are two key backup scenarios from which to choose. The first is whole-home backup, where enough batteries are chosen to power the entire house in the case of a grid outage. The second is a partial home backup, which doesn’t require the same amount of storage. In this scenario, the homeowner decides which circuits in the house should continue to be powered in the case of a grid outage, and which can go without power. For instance, the air conditioner is chosen to be powered while the electric vehicle (EV) charger is disconnected during the outage.

No matter which scenario you choose, your dealer can design the system to support your household needs.

Choosing a Backup Option?

Partial home backup is preferred for short-term power outages, and whole-home backup is a better option for powering all appliances or for off-grid usage.

Do you occasionally suffer from power outages and have a mostly stable power supply coming from the grid? If so, a partial backup is probably optimal. Or do you live in an environment with regular sunshine, and you want to make more use of it? A solar system installation combined with a whole-home backup would be the better option for you.

Define Your Partial Backup Needs

The average US household has an energy demand of about 30 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per day. Examples of common household appliances are lights, television, internet modem and router, laptop, refrigerator, freezer, microwave, air conditioner, pool pump, electric vehicle, dishwasher, washing machine, and electric dryer.

With a partial home backup, you can choose the essential appliances that you need to power. Calculate the total power and choose a backup solution that meets the needs.

If you want to power all the appliances or even use your own power without the supply from the grid, a whole-home backup is surely the choice for you. It will create a microgrid system so that you can generate and use your own power without using the grid.

Conclusion

Your local dealer can help you analyze your home power use specifics and design a system that meets your needs, whether for whole-home or partial backup.

Evaluate the grid situation in your home, calculate the power you need for the necessary appliances, and choose the right backup plan. If you are not sure what you need, contact FranklinWH for professional help, and to find a dealer near you at info@franklinwh.com.