After a 12-hour outage, a homeowner sees value in pairing batteries with a $5,000 generator

"It allows the fuel you have to stretch so much further during an outage."

Following a 12-hour blackout, a homeowner comparing a whole-house generator with a solar-and-battery system discovered an unexpected compromise: using both together.

The homeowner had been choosing between a $5,000 generator and a solar-plus-battery setup priced at $30,000 or more, but commenters said batteries do not have to replace a generator to be useful.

Here’s what to know

In a Reddit post, the homeowner said they already had propane on hand. Installing a Costco generator would likely add a few thousand dollars more, while enough battery storage to cover more than a day seemed costly even before installation.

"Am I missing something?" the original poster asked.

The r/SolarDIY community said yes.

"Solar + batteries will reduce your electricity bill vs just the generator for backup," one user wrote. "If you are only using batteries for backup, then yes it will never justify. If you use batteries for load shedding, night time use, etc, then payback will significantly improve."

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One commenter suggested an inverter-charger, which would serve two purposes by charging batteries and converting stored power for household use. They recommended pairing that with batteries and a smaller generator.

That setup, the commenter said, could involve running the generator for two three-hour stretches each day during a prolonged outage, once in the morning and once at night, with the batteries carrying the load in between.

More background

Another user said their utility offered a demand and time-of-use plan with off-peak electricity priced at half the standard residential rate. The homeowner also said their electric-vehicle rate was about 5 cents per kilowatt-hour, which would make charging batteries relatively inexpensive.

Noise also came up in the discussion. One person who had gone through an outage lasting nearly a week wanted enough storage to cover about eight overnight hours without starting a generator.

The homeowner said their closest neighbor was 600 feet away, so noise was not a major issue.

What can be done?

Covering an entire house during an outage was not the only strategy discussed. Commenters advised starting with the essential circuits.

One person recommended a 10- or 12-circuit transfer switch linked to battery storage, with solar panels later added to recharge the batteries.

The homeowner said they were interested in a mixed setup while waiting to build a full solar system. Another commenter cautioned that generators left unused could fail when an emergency comes.

One participant, who keeps a 14,500-watt generator mostly as backup, described how the two systems complement each other.

"But battery + solar complements a generator," they wrote. "It's not an either/or. It allows the fuel you have to stretch so much further during an outage."

Where can I learn more?

The cost of batteries and the logistics of using a generator have led other homeowners to consider similar choices.

• Two seniors comparing batteries and a generator heard from owners who said batteries may not be enough.
• A Pennsylvania homeowner with 30-kWh storage considered a $1,000 backup generator for rare outages.
• A homesteader weighed battery backup for outages, while a four-day blackout pushed others toward generators.
• An Indiana couple looking for an indoor generator after storms learned that batteries still need to be recharged.