Patio solar array keeps a home running, from fridge and lights to water heating, with extra summer power to spare

The setup doubles as backup power during outages and a daily electricity source.

A homeowner says patio-roof solar panels have generated roughly 10 megawatt-hours of electricity over two years, with a battery system keeping essential appliances powered around the clock.

The 10-panel array can sometimes produce more energy in summer than the batteries can store.

What to know

In a Reddit post, the homeowner said an EcoFlow DPU battery system is tied to a manual transfer panel. That configuration powers a refrigerator and hybrid water heater, along with televisions, Wi-Fi, and indoor and outdoor lighting.

The system includes two batteries and recharges through an outlet connection whenever the charge falls below 10%. According to the original poster, the batteries have usually cycled between about 10% and 90% nearly every day.

The homeowner estimated that around 3 to 4 kilowatt-hours of potential production goes unused when the batteries are already full, leaving some summer solar output unconsumed.

More background

An uninterruptible power supply keeps electricity available when grid service goes down, which is what the homeowner meant by describing the arrangement as "UPS style." In practice, the system serves both as outage protection and as a regular power source.

"Awesome set up which gives my whole house UPS style back up and power during outages," the original poster said.

For wider backup coverage, the homeowner said the system can be manually connected through a generator inlet to power the entire electrical panel, including a 3-ton air conditioner. They also pair it with a 3,600-watt inverter generator and keep 100 gallons of propane available for a prolonged outage.

Commenters pointed to another factor: the electricity used to run the inverter itself.

Estimates varied, but one owner said they measured about 40 watts at idle, with swings no greater than 50 watts. That operating draw was also part of the buying decision for another commenter using a Delta Pro 3.

What can be done?

Other users shared how they were using their own systems and trying to optimize them in similar ways.

One commenter said they had powered their entire house for a year with a DPU, an SHP2 panel, and solar panels, while also running into problems.

They also complained about software that showed savings in euros despite their rate settings and said they were unhappy with support. On the solar side, the owner used the low-voltage input when needed in winter while keeping the high-voltage input maxed out year-round.

Another commenter described a seasonal lake house in northern Minnesota with 10 solar panels rated at 585 watts each and said the system had saved $68. Their next steps were to deal with two large pine trees shading the panels and add another battery, with the goal of making the house largely independent from the grid.

The original poster said they were very happy with the setup, and the main remaining upgrade may be more battery capacity to avoid wasting excess solar generation.

"Overall super impressed with the system that's been running non stop, 10% to 90% basically everyday for 2 years," they concluded.

Where can I learn more?

Other homeowners have also used solar panels and batteries to run their homes and reduce grid dependence.

• In the U.K., a homeowner's solar-and-battery setup generated 1 megawatt-hour in its first month.
• A homeowner's Guardian 6000 powered two-thirds of the house before two weaknesses emerged.
• A California homeowner's 52-panel off-grid system powers two EVs, air conditioning, and a well.