Many home-energy systems are prone to inconsistent power supply. For instance, solar panels are useless when snow covers the ground, and wind generators are not reliable when there’s a shortage of electricity. You can also create a backup power supply by adding a battery bank to your home.

Kilowatt-hours

The amount of electricity consumed by a household is measured in kilowatt-hours. This number shows how much energy is needed to power a single device for an hour. Your monthly electric bill displays this amount, and it can also show usage statistics.

Number of Days

Unfortunately, building a battery bank that can provide a short-term power supply is not practical. Instead, you should design a system that can provide a few days of power to accommodate unforeseen events. For instance, if you live in a rural area, you might want to install a battery bank that can provide three days of power.

Battery Specifications

A battery’s voltage is rated according to its number of hours. For instance, a 400amp-hour battery can provide 4 amperes of current for a hundred hours. The constant voltage of a battery does not change as the battery is discharged.

A 400amp-hour battery with a rating of 6 volts can provide 2.4 kilowatt-hours of power. To determine its energy capacity, multiply the operating voltage by the Amp-hour rating.

Number of Batteries

A battery bank that can provide a few days of power for an average American household would require around 90 kilowatt-hours of energy. The previous example showed that a 400amp-hour battery can provide 2.4 kilowatt-hours of power. In order to design a system that can provide a few days of power, you’ll need 38 batteries. Aside from the batteries, you’ll also need to consider the power consumption of an inverter.