I think I found my substitute for the Home Integration System, Biolite Backup is currently doing a kickstarter.

[invertedspear]

Seems like I could install these in a few places around my house, and connect "core" devices to them. In the event of prolonged outage, I can run an extension cord to my truck and recharge them. While it may not be as easy as the promise of the HIS. It seems like it'll be a hell of a lot better in practice. If I had the funds ready I'd buy 2 of the 3kWh kits right now.

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[Runaway Tractor]

So... A UPS with a flashy marketing scheme? I hate to break it to you, but small UPS devices to power critical devices have been available retail for about 30 years. You can go get one at Walmart.

Donating money to this vaporware Kickstarter would be poorly spent.

 

[hajalie24]

I have a bunch of portable power stations, no name brands that I've acquired during various deals. Would recommend, I used a few times during outages to power my freezer and fridge. Recharging from solar is a pain but now that I have this truck I can recharge it pretty quickly if I need to, just make sure to have 1 extra on rotation!

 

[invertedspear]

I like the idea of going with cheaper UPS / portable power stations, either way. In retrospect I agree with @Runaway Tractor that it's a lot of marketing, but they do have a great form factor for stowing them in out of the way places.

I'd need to do the math as most UPS systems seem to not display their capacity in the same formats. I'm seeing a lot of "volt-amps" and such. But yeah, this is probably a much better way to roll-our-own backup system.

 

[Runaway Tractor]

I'm seeing a lot of "volt-amps" and such.

VA is Watts adjusted for power factor. Hard to explain it basically accounts for reduced efficiency not accounted for in plain old watts. Google will explain power factor much better than me. Don't worry about it too much for this purpose. Your backing up your house, not a data center.

You need only worry about the battery capacity in watts and the maximum load it can support. Math will tell you how long it will support a given load.

 

[Scorpio3d]

Honestly, you could do the same thing with a power wall or similar battery backup system. I think you can hook them up even without solar.

 

[RocketGhost]

So... A UPS with a flashy marketing scheme? I hate to break it to you, but small UPS devices to power critical devices have been available retail for about 30 years. You can go get one at Walmart.

Can’t run a fridge or microwave off one the the Walmart ones.

 

[chl]

Seems like I could install these in a few places around my house, and connect "core" devices to them. In the event of prolonged outage, I can run an extension cord to my truck and recharge them. While it may not be as easy as the promise of the HIS. It seems like it'll be a hell of a lot better in practice. If I had the funds ready I'd buy 2 of the 3kWh kits right now.

The price per kWh storage is not competitive by my calculation:
$1949 / 1.5kWh = $1299 per kWh

Compare with the Power Wall 3 from Tesla:
$8400 / 13.5kWh = $622.22 per kWh

Both warranted for 10 years.

Better alternative for outage:

Ford Lightning with ProPower 9.6kW on-board gives 240V x 30A = 7.2kW output
and depending on your battery that's a full load for 13-ish hours on the SR (98kWh) battery or 18-ish hours on the ER (131kWh) battery assuming fully charged HV Lightning battery.

Connect it to a few emergency circuits (TV, Internet, Coffee Pot, Refrigerator, bathroom light) through a $400-ish transfer switch (Generac 6853) with a $50-$100 generator cord and you'll be good for a few days-ish.

 

[Howard_Scott_Warshaw]

VA is Watts adjusted for power factor. Hard to explain it basically accounts for reduced efficiency not accounted for in plain old watts. Google will explain power factor much better than me. Don't worry about it too much for this purpose. Your backing up your house, not a data center.

Since AC voltage is a sine wave with a zero crossing, it's very likely that's peak current draw does not coincide with the voltage peak. When that happens, you get off-unity power factors. Your still drawing and paying for the watts, but not all the watts are doing useful work.

Most common analogy is a horse pulling a boat up a river. horse is pulling from shore so the force and the load are out of sync.

Maybe that makes sense, maybe it doesn't. maybe I'm drunk during the day again. who knows

 

[invertedspear]

One of my issues is that I don't have an attic or basement, and my electric service is on the opposite corner of my house from my garage. So any wiring is overly expensive. Plus rewiring any outlets to specific circuits involves expensive plaster repairs as well. This draws me to these types of solutions that go between the outlet and the appliance(s). I get that power walls and equivalent systems are likely lower cost per unit of storage, but there are additional costs that get systems like this in cost parity and it's hard to beat the convenience of a wall mounted, no wiring solution.

 

[Zprime29]

@TaxmanHog recommended a portable battery backup in another thread and I bookmarked it as I thought it was a great idea. Amazon had them 50% off during their last Prime Day sale. I'm looking hard at getting a couple for my solution.
https://www.f150lightningforum.com/...-after-tornado-power-outage.19617/post-393079

 

[Whammy Bar]

One of my issues is that I don't have an attic or basement, and my electric service is on the opposite corner of my house from my garage. So any wiring is overly expensive. Plus rewiring any outlets to specific circuits involves expensive plaster repairs as well. This draws me to these types of solutions that go between the outlet and the appliance(s). I get that power walls and equivalent systems are likely lower cost per unit of storage, but there are additional costs that get systems like this in cost parity and it's hard to beat the convenience of a wall mounted, no wiring solution.

I'd wager a guess that the wiring would be the same cost as one of these janky batteries, but would provide you with far more benefit.

 

[MountainAlive]

The price per kWh storage is not competitive by my calculation:
$1949 / 1.5kWh = $1299 per kWh

Compare with the Power Wall 3 from Tesla:
$8400 / 13.5kWh = $622.22 per kWh

Both warranted for 10 years.

Better alternative for outage:

Ford Lightning with ProPower 9.6kW on-board gives 240V x 30A = 7.2kW output
and depending on your battery that's a full load for 13-ish hours on the SR (98kWh) battery or 18-ish hours on the ER (131kWh) battery assuming fully charged HV Lightning battery.

Connect it to a few emergency circuits (TV, Internet, Coffee Pot, Refrigerator, bathroom light) through a $400-ish transfer switch (Generac 6853) with a $50-$100 generator cord and you'll be good for a few days-ish.

Coffee is definitely an essential circuit for me.

 

[chl]

I'd wager a guess that the wiring would be the same cost as one of these janky batteries, but would provide you with far more benefit.

Yes indeed.
I have the same issue, generator inlet in backyard (from an old gas generator) and no access for the lightning to get close enough, so got a 30A 100ft generator cord for about $200 which will reach from the truck bed in my driveway around the outside of my house to the inlet.

I could have run a lot shorter one through my attic but not as convenient.

 

[chl]

One of my issues is that I don't have an attic or basement, and my electric service is on the opposite corner of my house from my garage. So any wiring is overly expensive. Plus rewiring any outlets to specific circuits involves expensive plaster repairs as well. This draws me to these types of solutions that go between the outlet and the appliance(s). I get that power walls and equivalent systems are likely lower cost per unit of storage, but there are additional costs that get systems like this in cost parity and it's hard to beat the convenience of a wall mounted, no wiring solution.

I have a similar situation, generator inlet is in my backyard (where I used an old gas generator) and no access for the lightning to get close enough to it and the 50ft cord I have.

So I bought a 30A 100ft generator cord for about $200 which will reach from the truck bed in my driveway around the outside of my house to the inlet.

I could have run a lot shorter one through my attic - I do have an attic and it would be closer to 100ft that way - but not as convenient.

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