Find the Right Backup Power Option for Your Home

Not every home needs the same solution. Compare the main approaches to backup power and find the option that fits your priorities, budget, and power needs.

Inside a garage, a large gray battery energy storage system is on the floor next to a white wall, with an electrical panel above it. To the left, a black metal shelving unit holds various toolboxes and equipment. A large glass door is open to an outdoor garden with greenery and a wooden fence.

Battery Backup

  • Provides automatic backup during outages

  • Quiet operation with no fuel

  • Can help shift electricity use away from expensive time-of-use periods where applicable

  • Can pair with solar to store excess energy for later use

  • Best for homeowners who want seamless, everyday energy management plus outage protection

  • Limitation: runtime depends on battery capacity and how much of the home is being powered

Outdoor air conditioning unit attached to the side of a house with grey siding, a window, and a small electrical box above it, surrounded by a garden with grass, shrubs, and pathway lights.

Standby Generator

  • Designed for longer-duration outages

  • Can provide extended runtime as long as fuel is available

  • Often capable of supporting larger household loads

  • Automatically starts during an outage

  • Good fit for homeowners concerned about multi-day outages or extended grid failures

  • Limitation: requires fuel, maintenance, outdoor space, and produces noise/emissions

A modern house with solar panels on the roof during sunset, featuring a beige exterior wall with electrical boxes and small plants in the yard.

Battery + Solar

  • Start with dependable battery backup and add solar for daytime recharging and greater energy independence.

  • Provides automatic backup power during outages

  • Solar panels can recharge the battery during daylight hours

  • Stores excess solar energy for use at night or during higher-cost time-of-use periods

  • Can reduce reliance on utility electricity

  • Best for homeowners who want backup protection plus everyday energy savings

  • Limitation: performance and savings depend on sunlight, system size, energy use, and utility rate plan

Already have panels? Check the health of your existing solar system with PanelSitter’s free two-minute check before exploring battery options.

Exterior view of a modern house at twilight with a landscaped yard, outdoor lighting, a covered patio with dining furniture, and utility boxes.

Battery + Generator

  • Battery provides immediate, quiet backup

  • Generator can take over or recharge/support the system during extended outages

  • Gives the homeowner both short-term flexibility and long-duration resilience

  • Can reduce unnecessary generator runtime

  • Strong option for homeowners who want a more comprehensive backup strategy

  • Typically the highest-cost solution

Backup Power Isn’t Just About Outages

Battery systems may provide value even when the grid is operating normally. Depending on your utility rate plan and system configuration, a battery may help store lower-cost or solar-generated electricity and use it later during higher-cost time-of-use periods.

Whole-home or essential-load backup?

Essential-load backup prioritizes selected circuits, such as refrigeration, lights and Wi-Fi. Whole-home backup connects more of the home, but does not mean every appliance can run together indefinitely. Ask for a written load list and runtime estimate. Power (kW) determines what can run at once; usable energy (kWh) helps determine how long it can run.

Will my solar work during an outage?

Most standard grid-connected solar systems shut down when the grid fails. A compatible solar-and-battery system with the required backup equipment can keep selected loads powered and recharge from available sunlight. Confirm compatibility with your existing inverter. Recharging depends on sunlight, household demand and battery conditions.

Balance daily savings with outage reserve

Where supported, a backup reserve setting holds some stored energy for outages. A higher reserve leaves less energy for routine bill savings. Ask your installer to explain the app, your utility rate settings and a reserve appropriate for your priorities, including monsoon season. Review any utility-program dispatch rules before enrolling.

Backup Ready Arizona provides preliminary educational guidance and may receive referral compensation from participating providers. It does not design, engineer, sell, or install systems. A qualified provider must verify loads, system compatibility, permits, utility requirements, eligibility, final pricing, and expected performance before purchase.

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