> LifePo4 batteries cannot be used in freezing temps.

Yikes so much wrong with this comment in general but this stands out as completely wrong. They do indeed work although you must lower the charge rate and they don't discharge as fast. They even have special low temp versions also powerwalls are installed outside and in unheated garages all over VT so there goes that they also have a liquid cooling/heating system as do many other major brand backup systems. And a 500gal tank for a genny are you nuts a week more like a month and a half at ten gals a day.

Sol-ark 15kw plus batteries and solar will do exactly what you want.

But once you start sizing the battery bank for 96hrs of backup with December solar conditions you realize it’s very cost prohibitive. 24hrs can be reasonably accomplished. If you need more than 24hrs it is more cost effective and reliable to shoot for 24hrs of battery and add a small generator that the inverter will call online when batteries run low.

Upon further reflection, the person called police dispatch with follow-up information: Dec. 27, at 1:43 a.m. “I need to amend my report and share that when I was looking for the source of disturbance in my back yard, I heard a scuffle, rustling of leaves, and a loud thump. Out of nowhere, a bright conical light - as bright as day! - shone into my yard and I clearly heard a voice say “Get in loser … we’re doing butt stuff.”

Name and shame the shitheads that canned your whole shift

Nevermind the batteries. The claims on powerwalls and backup battery systems are often quite exaggerated. Also they need to be heated. LifePo4 batteries cannot be used in freezing temps. You need to keep that in mind. If you use them in freezing temps, they will be destroyed. Solar power is irregular. For example, the last few days would not have produced any meaningful solar power. One Bluetti EP500 that you reference is 5.1 kwh. I use ~10kwh/day which is super low compared to almost anybody else. (Typical house is more like 30-50 kwh/day.) So if you want to power your house for a long length of time, you'll need a bunch of them. And you will always use more power than you say you will.

Do the whole house propane generator with a 500g tank and automatic transfer switch. You 'll be able to do a whole week without power.

edit: I should mention, the batteries should have BMS that disconnects when temps get low, but that's doesn't always happen.

Damn this is a ton of good info. I almost went into the generator maintenance stuff but figured OP wasn't even considering a route where that would matter.

Another really good idea is to call your electric provider and chat with them. They may very well have recommendations, programs, contractors they like to work with, etc.

I'm pretty much in the same boat as OP currently but have LPG onsite. Just a tricky run to the house and not enough money to get the infrastructure setup and generator purchased...

I appreciate the drugsplaining...but SWIM has plenty of experience in that arena.

Sure is. Cultivating purpose through power and influence.

Exactly, that’s it. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

I wish. It was extremely quiet this morning.

Yes exactly “all working as intended” 🫡

Sauv sauna in Burlington

This is such a complicated topic, since there are so many variables.

u/whaletacochamp has hit on a lot of great topics to think about.

I'm no expert by any means, but I take a key interest in energy (I'm a physicist, so it is a thing I think about a lot, I guess).

You managed 4 days without power, so I'm pretty sure you now have a good idea of what your needs are for the household, so make a list of priorities and for how long it would need to be an option.

Data is your friend here. First, track your normal energy usage globally; look at the use in the house over a year, but best to log it over a few years to account for variations. Pretty easy to do with your electric billing. Next, look at energy requirements for the things that are important to make the house function, for example, Refrigerator, well and sump pump, heat sources, basic lights. Some can be measured directly with a Kill-A-Watt meter in an outlet, others might take some math (like calculating several 15W LED's on a light circuit).

I'll reiterate u/whaletacochamp here, you NEED a transfer switch to prevent power flow when you switch between an islanding power system versus the power grid.

Moving on...

Weigh the Pros/Cons of every system (I'll list a few):

Battery Backup*:

Pros-

Cost: Can range from pretty cheap cost upfront (but there may be hidden costs for a turn-key system from a place like GMP), to very costly upfront (and later, if not well-designed).

Maintenance: Low/No Maintenance.

Readiness: Always ready/generally seamless back up (Charged up via grid before failure**, or with solar/wind to add to the system post-failure).

Lifetime: This is a wildcard, as the systems are pretty new, but claim to have a 15-20 year lifetime.

*This highly depends on how you set your battery up and any agreements you have with the electric grid provider. Lots of research is required to have a fully independent battery system, but the grid provider cannot touch your 'saved' energy.

**There is always the possibility, although small, that the grid is using your battery prior to grid failure, so it's not guaranteed it will be fully operational at any given time.

Neutral -

Power: Scalability costs money, and there are less installers with experience.

Cons-

Depending on the battery distribution scheme, your household power consumption may mean it lasts less than 24-48 hours. If you only power key sub-systems, or are willing to shutdown breakers, this might go further; especially if you can recharge the battery via solar or wind).

It's a black-box system, unless you build it yourself, or like to hack (ymmv, caveat emptor).

Standalone Gas Generator:

I'd only recommend small gas generators in an emergency, but a small contractor-type generator that can do 3000W-5000W is a nice thing to have. Have several heavy-duty power cords to plug in and a place to set it outside the house while it runs, you can run a few things in the house directly. I have a small Honda 4000W that can easily run at nominal load for 24 hours on a tank of gas.

Use ethanol free gas, start it twice a year to make sure it runs well. Change the oil once a year. Keep a clean run of ethanol free gas in a 2 gallon can and it's all good for an emergency situation for a few days. This is a great option for less than $1000.

Full House LPG/Diesel/NG:

These are expensive to install, but can easily be sized to run your whole house as long as there is fuel. A smaller scale system isn't that much cheaper to build.

If you have the infrastructure to supply them with fuel types, it's not a bad thing to think about, especially LPG or NG.

Pros-

Power: Easy to scale to full house requirements, smaller range between minimum and maximum power costs. Lots of installers out there with experience in setting these up.

Proven reliability/lifetime with maintenance: Over a century old technology, just more bells and whistles.

Cons-

Cost: Really steep if there is no fuel on-site, plus maintenance costs. Reliant on fuel costs/supply.

Maintenance: Minimum of annual professional maintenance to check engine/generator. Can be cheaper if you know a thing or two about engines or generators. Same goes for repair costs.

One can almost hear the loons 💙

Idk how others are getting so lucky with Starlink. We’ve had it for less than a year and are on our 3rd dish. The previous 2 malfunctioned. The most recent got water inside that caused it to short out. When the service is good, it’s good, but the issues with their shitty equipment is making me lose my mind!

No

>https://www.bluettipower.com/

Me 3. StarLink is magic for us. Doesn't change my opinion of Elon much, though.

I know someone that has 2 Tesla powerwalls installed along with solar and he loves it. It’s a really slick system. The walls are about $7500 each I believe but Green Mountain Power has a subsidy plan. Worth looking into.

You're right. Downvote for the bot on the way. Thanks for the heads up!

Depending what your house uses for power and what car/truck you use, you can often buy a 1-2kw inverter for your 12V and keep the important things going (oil heat, lights, internet, refrigerator, etc.)

You won't be able to use things like electric heat/cooking, dryer, etc but those things can usually wait for power to come back on.

You will need to idle your car while it is on, but efficiency, cost, noise and smell-wise it is far superior to buying a separate unit.

Even better if you have a hybrid or EV.

I also go places on vacation, where I am a tourist. It's nice to see other places and meet the people who live there and spend my time and money there.

And I'm glad i live (Vermont, in case that's not clear) in a place that others consider a nice enough place to visit that they become tourists here. I appreciate them coming here and I know they contribute to the economy and the culture.

I think in the real world, Vermonters, like most everyone, treat tourists with appreciation and respect. That's been my experience. However, there's a real hostility towards them on this message board. I chalk it up to the internet tending to bring out the inner dick in people. Everything they may do that's impolite or inappropriate gets amplified and-all the good things they do is downplayed-to-ignored.

Cars do that also. It's easy to go with your worst impulses when you, and the subject of your ire, are separated by thousands of pounds of steel and glass, traveling at some unnatural velocity and you'll most likely never see them again, especially in a context where you'll experience a consequence for your bad social behavior. Similar thing happens on the internet.

Thanks. We will also look into this. Sounds like it might be the easiest solution. Will keep on researching!

first part maybe, ufo definitely not.

acid doesn't make things appear from nowhere, it just makes things look a little more... fun. stuff breathes, has extra color. there aren't dragons farting out unicorns, this isn't a cheap sitcom

r/replications has some fairly accurate representations.

We know about the water in the toilet trick and we usually fill our tub with water before a storm. We also have a stream that runs through our property. Just concerned about our pump tank backing up because it won't be able to empty without power. We will contact the company that pumps our septic and ask what the capacity is when we don't have electricity.

I'm in the Green Mountain Power Power wall program and have a redundant propane generator for if the power doesn't come back right away. Haven't had a moment's outage since they were installed. https://greenmountainpower.com/rebates-programs/home-energy-storage/powerwall/