The 5 best home battery and backup systems of 2022

If you have a power outage and it looks like the power will be off for an extended period of time, you need backup power from a battery system or battery backup unit.

You can either maintain power for a few hours with an air-cooled home generator that is powered by either gasoline or propane, or you could buy a much more expensive liquid-cooled generator that will keep your lights on for a while longer.

But if power outages are regular events where you live, you might want to consider installing a set of backup batteries to supply you with electricity when you are off the grid.

These battery storage systems can either consist of dry or wet batteries. Typical dry batteries are lithium-ion batteries used in mobile devices or lithium ferro phosphate batteries commonly used in solar battery backup systems. They do not tend to work well in very hot or cold environments, and some will not work at all if the temperature stays below freezing.

Wet cell batteries use a liquid electrolyte to generate electricity. Lead-acid batteries use lead plates that sit in an electrolyte of sulphuric acid –or acid batteries. Batteries can also contain gel. Gel batteries are a form of lead-acid battery in the class of VRLA (value-regulated lead acid). The acid electrolyte is mixed with a type of silica to produce a gel that will not leak if the battery falls over.

Other batteries have absorbed glass matting (AGM) in place to hold the electrolyte in contact with the plates of the battery. However, AGM batteries can lose power in very cold conditions.

For a seemingly never-ending supply of power, consider a solar panel system to connect to your energy storage system. Your battery backup system will be charged using solar power so that you have a regular supply of solar energy from your solar batteries. 

Solar batteries, also known as solar PV (photovoltaic) systems, will charge your home battery system with renewable energy. If you cannot afford a full set of solar panels, a 13.4KWh Tesla Power wall, and a UPS that is also a surge protector and switches itself on during power outages, how can you run your important items if the power goes out?

If you only want to run a few low-power items, charge your mobile devices or plug in a light, then a portable battery with a solar charger might be more aligned with your budget. I have included some of these lower-cost items at the bottom of this list. 

There are a few important considerations and calculations you need to make before you decide how big your backup system needs to be. You want your home battery storage system to be adequate for your needs. There is more on that at the bottom of this guide.