Four Battery Backup Myths That Need To Die

Fifteen years ago, one of the hardest parts of selling solar was explaining why your panels shut down in a blackout. No grid meant no power, even on a sunny day.

Today, batteries fix that. Yet I am seeing thousands of homes getting large batteries with either no backup at all or poorly designed backup. That’s because – as batteries go mainstream – a set of myths has taken hold.

Let’s knock them over.

Myth #1: You should not even bother installing backup

Some shonky retailers actively advise against any backup, blaming warranties or vague electrical issues. This is rubbish. Good hardware, installed properly, can back up a home or essential circuits, and it is covered by warranty when done right. Any retailer advising against backup is showing their cards: they don’t have faith in their subcontracted installers to handle the slightest complication. Avoid these retailers at all costs.

Myth #2: Backup must be whole house or nothing

The opposite of the retailer who is scared of wiring a backup circuit is the retailer who claims anything less than a whole-house backup is subpar. Whole-house backup is not always the best choice. In many homes, backing up only essential circuits is smarter. Your battery lasts longer, avoids overload, and delivers power where it matters when you can’t top up from the grid.

Myth #3: Backup limits self-consumption

I am now seeing at least one new-to-Australia manufacturer claim that if a circuit is not backed up, it cannot use the battery for self-consumption. That is horseshit from a clueless support team. A battery can both support normal daily use on all circuits and also provide backup on only essential circuits. These two things work together with proper design and well-trained installers.

Myth #4: Three-phase homes need three-phase backup

If you are putting a battery on a three-phase house, it’s a valid design to use a single-phase battery system. I only back up one phase on my three-phase house, and it works perfectly, including solar charging the battery during blackouts¹. Don’t be pressured into spending more on a three-phase battery system if you don’t need or want it.

The good news is that these backup myths are excellent filters. For sure, any retailer who repeats Myth #1 or manufacturer who repeats Myth #3 should be filtered out immediately. If they cannot get backup right, they are not the people you want designing or supplying the most valuable electrical system in your home.

Phase Shift is a weekly opinion column by SolarQuotes founder Finn Peacock. Subscribe to SolarQuotes’ free newsletter to get it emailed to your inbox each week along with our other home electrification coverage.