The Best Backup Power Sources for an Outage

After a summer of extreme heat and strain on the Arizona electric grid, it’s more important than ever to have a reliable backup power source for your home. A backup power source will keep your family safe and comfortable during a power outage, and the peace of mind it provides is invaluable. 

There are a few options when it comes to backup power for your home. We’ve found that solar with battery storage and/or whole-home generators are the best options for power outage protection in most cases.

Solar Panels with Battery Backup 

On their own, residential solar panels generate power for your home so you can buy less from the grid and save money on your electric bills. When paired with solar battery storage, they become a personal power plant that can not only generate but also store electricity.

How Solar Batteries Work for Backup Power

Solar batteries work by storing the excess energy your solar panels produce during the day. The stored energy can be used to power your home at any time, including during a power outage. 

Depending on how much storage you install, batteries can keep your essentials or entire home running for several hours before they need to be recharged. You can control what the stored energy is used to power and conserve it by prioritizing essentials like your refrigerator and wifi router.

Benefits of Solar Battery Storage for Backup Power

There are many benefits to using a battery storage system for backup power, especially if you have or plan to install solar panels.

Reliable Backup Power 

Solar battery storage systems provide reliable backup power day or night so you can keep your essentials on during a power outage. 

No Fuel Costs 

There are no refueling costs associated with solar batteries—they are charged by your solar panels, which run on sunlight. 

Electric Bill Savings 

Batteries provide benefits that go beyond backup power. They can also be used to power your home with solar energy at night and help you avoid on-peak rates to keep your electric bills as low as possible. 

No Fossil Fuel Use 

Solar batteries do not use fossil fuels to run which makes them the most environmentally friendly choice for home backup power. 

Eligible for Solar Incentives 

Solar battery storage qualifies for the 30% federal solar tax credit!

Standby Generators 

If you’re looking for whole-home backup power and don’t plan to install solar panels, we believe standby generators are the best option, although they can also be added to houses that have solar panels and we often include them in our off-grid solar installations. 

How Do Standby Generators Work? 

Generators are a backup power source that runs on fossil fuel—typically natural gas, diesel, or propane. Most whole-home generators can automatically detect a power outage and will switch on as soon as an outage is detected. They can be sized to power your entire home and can run continuously for several hours or even days. 

Benefits of Generators for Backup Power 

Reliable Backup Power 

Generators provide reliable backup power for your home during a power outage and can run for long periods of time. 

Fast Installation 

Generators can be purchased and installed quickly. 

More Affordable 

Whole-home generators are more affordable to purchase and install than whole-house solar with backup power. 

Find the Best Backup Power Source for Your Home 

If the heat waves we’ve seen this summer have taught us anything, it’s the importance of reliable electricity. Power outages are inconvenient at any time, but during a heat wave, they can be downright dangerous. 

SouthFace Solar & Electric can recommend the best backup power solution for your home, based on your specific needs and budget. We install solar plus battery systems and backup generators in Arizona and can design a custom system that gives you the reliable backup power you need to keep just your essentials or your entire home running during a power outage. We’ve been bringing more power to Arizona homeowners since 2008 and are proud to be a trusted local expert in solar battery and backup generator installation.

After we tested four 2,200-watt generators for our guide to portable generators, it was clear to us that the Honda EU2200i is the best. The EU2200i was the quietest, lightest, and most powerful generator we looked at—it even exceeded its listed capabilities and powered household items that caused the other generators to overload. Its distinguishing feature is its high-quality Honda engine, which is significantly larger than those of the other 2,200-watt-range generators we tested. Starting a gas engine can be frustrating, and that alone could keep someone from buying a generator, but only the EU2200i started on the first pull of the cord every single time we used it. In addition, you can easily monitor the EU2200i’s power output through a Bluetooth-connected app, so during an outage you can manage (and maximize) the generator’s operation from indoors. This is a relatively new feature that not many generators have. The EU2200i also has an onboard carbon monoxide detector that shuts the generator down if a concentration of the deadly gas gets too high, which can happen if the generator is running in an enclosed area. (And that’s why you should never run one of these indoors or even in your garage with the doors open.)