You’re halfway through making dinner, and suddenly everything goes quiet. The lights go out. Your TV show goes dark. And then you remember the alert your utility sent you earlier that day.
Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) have become a reality for many California homeowners during periods of elevated wildfire risk. Utilities may temporarily shut off electricity when conditions create a significant risk of power lines starting a wildfire.
Fortunately, there’s a solution for these increasingly common inconveniences: Having a home battery backup installed. A home battery backup can keep your essentials running when the grid clocks out.
Why PSPS Events Leave California Homeowners Thinking About Backup Power
California utilities don’t wait until a fire rushes in to shut off power. During periods of high fire risk, they may schedule a PSPS to temporarily cut electricity to certain areas. This is designed to prevent energized power lines and other electrical equipment from sparking a wildfire.
According to the California Public Utilities Commission, utilities look at factors such as strong winds, low humidity, dry vegetation, and conditions on the ground when determining whether a shutoff is necessary.
There’s a good reason for the caution: The CPUC reports that electrical infrastructure issues have caused less than 10% of the state’s reported wildfires, but they have been associated with roughly half of its most destructive fires.
The stretch of the year when those conditions can develop has grown, too. UC Irvine researchers found that California’s annual fire season was longer between 2000 and 2019 than it was between 1920 and 1999, with the annual peak shifting from August to July.
That can leave Californians facing more days when a shutoff is possible.
And once the power is off, everyday conveniences become inconvenient pretty fast. Food in the fridge starts warming up, the Wi-Fi stops working, phones eventually need charging, and running the AC may be out of the question.
Battery backup gives you another option. With a battery, you can keep at least some of those things running until the power comes back on.
What Can a Home Battery Actually Keep Running During an Outage?
Keeping the fridge cold and your phone charged doesn’t take nearly as much electricity as keeping your entire house humming along like nothing happened. What your battery can power will depend on the size and how you have the system set up.
The exact slate of systems you’ll be able to keep operational will depend on a variety of factors, but many homeowners choose to prioritize their:
- Refrigerator and freezer
- Lights
- Wi-Fi
- Outlets
- Medical equipment
- Garage door opener
- Well or water equipment
If you want to go beyond the staples to power things like your central AC, electric water heater, or EV charger, you’ll need a much bigger battery.
How Long Will a Battery Backup Last?
There’s no universal countdown clock for a backup battery when the grid goes down. A battery that lasts well into the next day while powering a refrigerator, Wi-Fi, and a few lights could drain within just a few hours if it’s also powering your AC.
If the PSPS is slated to be on the longer side, being selective helps. Turn off unnecessary lights. Put off laundry (yay!), EV charging, and other high-demand tasks to leave more stored electricity for the fridge, communications, and anything else you’d rather not go without.
What If You Already Have Solar?
Solar panels alone usually won’t keep your house running during a PSPS. Most grid-connected systems shut down when utility power is lost so they don’t send electricity onto lines that crews expect to be de-energized.
If you add a battery to the mix, your battery can take the power your solar panels generate to keep your home running when the grid is down.
Solar production during the day may even be enough to replenish the energy you used overnight. That can be especially handy during shut-offs that last long enough to make every kilowatt-hour count.
How Much Battery Backup Capacity Does Your Home Need?
The right battery size for your home comes down to what you want to power, how much electricity those loads use, and how long you want them to run.
The system also needs enough output to handle appliances that may be running at the same time, including the extra burst of power some equipment needs when it starts up.
You’ll usually see batteries described using kilowatts (kW) and kilowatt-hours (kWh).
Kilowatts tell you how much power the system can deliver at once, while kilowatt-hours tell you how much energy it can store. Both matter when figuring out how well a battery can handle your priority loads and how long that stored energy might last.
Existing solar, your electrical panel, and larger electrical loads like AC or EV charging will also affect the size and setup that makes sense for your home.
How Much Does Battery Backup Cost in California?
Home batteries are a sizable investment. Most homeowners in California pay about $1,100 per kilowatt-hour. At that rate, a 13 kWh battery system averages about $14,000 before incentives, while a 20 kWh system averages around $21,000.
Those averages give you a useful starting point, but your actual installation could land higher or lower. The battery and inverter you choose, the electrical work involved, and any panel or equipment upgrades needed for the installation play into what you’ll pay.
There are incentives available, like the Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP) that can help minimize cost. Eligibility and incentive amounts vary, though, so check the current program requirements when pricing out your system.
Battery Backup vs. a Generator for PSPS Season
Battery backups and standby generators can both keep the lights on during a PSPS, but they go about it differently. Here’s a quick overview:
| Factor or Consideration | Battery Backup | Standby Generator |
| Power Source | Stored electricity, with solar recharging possible | Natural gas or propane |
| Noise | Quiet | Produces engine noise |
| Exhaust | None during operation | Produces exhaust |
| Runtime | Depends on stored energy and recharging | Can run as long as fuel is available |
| Solar Integration | Can pair with compatible solar systems | Not used for solar energy storage |
| Maintenance | Generally minimal | Requires periodic engine maintenance |
| Best For | Essential loads, solar integration, and quiet backup | Longer outages and larger continuous loads |
Frequently Asked Questions
A PSPS can play out a little differently based on your solar and battery setup and what you want to keep running. Here are a few of the questions we get most from homeowners on this topic.
Will my solar panels work during a PSPS?
Not usually. Most grid-tied systems shut down during an outage for safety. A properly configured solar-plus-battery system, though, can keep supplying power while the grid is down.
Can one battery power my entire house?
One battery can power an entire house in some situations, but its capacity alone doesn’t tell the whole story. The battery needs enough output to handle the appliances running at the same time, and larger loads like air conditioning can use stored energy fast.
Can a home battery run my air conditioner?
Yep, some batteries can run central AC. The battery will need enough output to start and operate the unit, though, because they pull a good amount of power.
Can I add a battery to my existing solar system?
Yep, you usually can. Compatibility depends on your existing solar equipment, inverter, electrical panel, and the battery system you want to install.
Do I need solar panels to install a home battery?
No. A home battery can charge from the electrical grid without solar panels. Pairing it with solar gives you another way to replenish stored energy during a longer outage when conditions allow.
How long does a home battery last during a power outage?
A home battery may provide several hours to a day or longer, depending on its capacity and what you’re powering. Single-battery systems can typically run priority appliances for about 24 to 48 hours.
Will a home battery turn on automatically during a PSPS?
Yep, it can. A properly configured backup system can automatically disconnect your home from the grid and begin powering the circuits included in your backup setup. That means you shouldn’t need to go outside and manually start anything when a PSPS cuts utility power.
Prepare Your Home for California’s Next PSPS
A PSPS alert is a lot less stressful when you know the fridge will stay cold, your phone will stay charged, and the lights won’t disappear along with the grid.
And if the outage stretches into the next day, having enough battery capacity to cover the things you rely on can make a long stretch without grid power much easier to manage.
Alpha Omega Electric can help you figure out how much backup makes sense for your home and install a system that works with your electrical setup and existing solar equipment. Give us a call today to schedule a battery backup consultation before the next PSPS alert pops up on your phone.
Sources & References
- California Public Utilities Commission – “Public Safety Power Shutoffs”
Explains how and why California utilities use Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS), including the wildfire risks that can lead to a shutoff and information for customers affected by these events.
https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/psps - California Public Utilities Commission – “Self-Generation Incentive Program”
Provides information about California’s Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP), including available incentives for qualifying battery storage and distributed energy systems.
https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/industries-and-topics/electrical-energy/demand-side-management/self-generation-incentive-program - EnergySage – “California Energy Storage Cost & Prices”
Provides current California battery storage pricing data, including average costs per kilowatt-hour and estimated prices for systems at several storage capacities.
https://www.energysage.com/local-data/energy-storage-cost/ca - University of California, Irvine – “California’s Wildfire Season Has Lengthened”
Summarizes research into changes in California’s wildfire season, including findings on how the length and annual peak of fire season have shifted over time.
https://specialreports.news.uci.edu/climate-change/the-problem/californias-wildfire-season-has-lengthened.php
