BATTERY STORAGE
Battery product pages assume you already know what you're buying. You probably don't yet — and that's fine. Pick your situation first. Products come after.
PATH A
Balcony solar is zero-export by law. Any surplus your panels make at midday — when nobody's home — is thrown away. A companion battery catches that surplus and gives it back at 7pm when you're actually using power.
HONEST LIMIT
This will not power your home in an outage the way whole-home backup does. It shifts your own daytime surplus into your own evening use. That's it. If you need outage backup, jump to Path B or C.
The first true plug-in balcony solar + storage combo in the US market. 1.92 kWh LFP, 1,200W output.
1.92 KWH · 1,200W · LFP
Legal only in Utah under HB 340. Expanding as other states pass their laws.
SEE CURRENT PRICE →Companion battery designed to pair with plug-in balcony panels. Store midday surplus, discharge at night.
LFP · APP-CONTROLLED · MULTI-PANEL
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Balcony-sized storage that works with any zero-export micro-inverter setup.
LFP · MODULAR
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Popular in Europe balcony market. Stores plug-in solar surplus, smart schedule.
LFP · APP · STACKABLE
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PATH B
"Semi-installed" means you buy a large battery, sit it in your garage or utility room, and either plug essential circuits directly into it or wire it to your panel through a transfer switch. No electrician required for the plug-in version. Getting a transfer switch installed usually runs $500–$1,500 and unlocks a lot more capability.
A transfer switch is a box in your electrical panel that says "if the grid goes down, this battery takes over these specific circuits." Without one, you're running extension cords. With one, your fridge, network, well pump, and lights come back on automatically when the grid drops.
REALISTIC CAPABILITY
A 6 kWh plug-in battery will run a fridge, wifi, and a few lights for ~24 hours. A 12 kWh unit does that plus a well pump for a day, or a mini-split for an evening. Not a central AC. Not an electric dryer. Not an EV charger.
Stackable up to 90 kWh. Runs a whole home for a day. Plug-in or panel-wired.
6–90 KWH · LFP · TRANSFER SWITCH READY
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3.84 kWh base, expandable. Pairs with Anker's Home Power Panel for automatic whole-home switchover.
3.84 KWH BASE · LFP · HPP-COMPATIBLE
Home Power Panel adds transfer-switch functionality without a full install.
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SMALLER NEEDS?
Just want to keep a fridge and phones running for a few hours? Portable power stations do that for far less.
SEE PORTABLE POWER →PATH C
This is the "flip a switch, everything works, seamless outage backup" tier. Tesla Powerwall 3, Enphase IQ Battery, FranklinWH aPower — all class-leading, all installed by a licensed contractor with permits and inspections.
We don't sell these. Every one requires professional installation, and every install is priced against your specific panel, service size, and local permit fees. Numbers below are early-2026 market ranges — anyone quoting you a flat internet price without seeing your panel is guessing.
$10,000–$16,000 fully installed. Equipment is typically $8,500–$12,000; installation, electrical work, and permits add $3,000–$5,000.
$22,000–$40,000 installed. Covers the full house — heat pump, well pump, fridge, EV charging — through a multi-day outage.
WHAT DRIVES THE PRICE
The advertised battery price is only 55–65% of what you'll pay — labor, electrical work, and permits make up the rest.
Homes with older 100-amp electrical panels (common pre-1990) usually need a panel upgrade first: add $1,500–$4,000. Ask any installer to inspect your panel before quoting a fixed price.
TYPICAL INSTALLED RANGE — VARIES BY REGION AND HOME
$11,500–$16,500 installed. Integrated solar inverter. Multi-unit installs drop the per-unit cost significantly.
~$6,000–$8,000 per unit installed; most homes stack 2–3 units. Best fit for existing Enphase microinverter systems. Longest warranty of the group (15 years).
~$18,000 installed. Strongest per-kWh value in a single cabinet. The aGate hub adds ~$1,500–$2,000 but enables circuit-level control and generator integration.
DON'T GET BURNED — 2026 INCENTIVES
The 30% federal residential credit (25D) ended December 31, 2025 and does NOT apply to 2026 installations. Many guides online still cite it — they're stale.
One nuance worth asking about: some 2026 battery systems can still access federal incentives indirectly through third-party leases and PPAs, where the lessor claims the 48E credit and passes savings through. Ask installers whether they offer that structure.
Everything else in 2026 is state and utility programs — rebates, storage-specific tax credits, and VPP enrollment bonuses. See your state's incentives or check the VPP tracker.
Powerwall 3, Enphase, and FranklinWH mentioned as reference points only. Professional installation required — we don't sell these.
RATES VERIFIED: JULY 2026
EARN MONEY BACK
A virtual power plant (VPP) is your utility paying you to share your battery during peak demand. When the grid strains, they pull a little energy from thousands of home batteries at once instead of firing up a peaker plant. You get paid; the grid stays up.
Programs like Xcel Battery Connect (Colorado) and ConnectedSolutions (New England) pay enrolled battery owners recurring money — often $300–$1,000/year — for staying enrolled.
INCENTIVES IN 2026
The federal 25D residential clean energy credit — the one that covered 30% of a home battery — ended after 2025. Battery incentives in 2026 are state and utility programs: rebates, storage-specific tax credits, and VPP enrollment bonuses.
If a site is still promising you the federal 25D credit, they haven't updated. Your actual 2026 options depend on your state and utility.
SEE INCENTIVES FOR YOUR STATE →PLAIN WORDS