Own Your Battery
Energy storage can supply backup power during power outages and help you manage your electricity use. If you have solar, a storage battery enables you to use more of the power produced by your solar system.
Battery storage enables you to have backup power. During extreme weather or environmental events, outages have the potential to last several days. Batteries can provide critical backup power for your essential devices and appliances, such as refrigeration, air conditioning, electric heating, lighting, and electric well pumps.
The length of time a battery storage system can provide backup power for your home depends on the size of the battery and the amount of electricity you need. Your storage provider should help you assess how long a battery — or a battery paired with solar — should be expected to last under backup power operation.
Under favorable solar conditions with limited home electricity use, pairing solar with a battery storage system can help your devices stay powered for multiple days.
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How It Works to Purchase & Sell Energy
Purchasing Energy – Importing Electricity from the Grid
When your home consumption exceeds your solar capacity, you may need to draw power from the grid, and you will be charged on bill at the retail rate.
Selling Energy – Exporting to Grid or Battery from Excess Solar
When you export electricity, the credit amount varies depending on if you export to the grid or to the battery. If you export to the grid, you are selling back to BEC at the avoided cost rate, and the credited amount will be reflected on your bill. If you export to the battery, the excess power will be stored and can be used to lower your energy use or for an emergency outage.
Energy Storage & Solar Power Systems
A common myth about solar power is that you can count on it only when the sun is shining. You do need sunshine to generate electricity with solar, but what about the times when the sun isn’t shining? Most people rely on electricity from the power grid to supplement their solar-generated power. But residential solar energy systems paired with battery storage—generally called solar-plus-storage systems—provide power regardless of the weather or the time of day without having to rely on backup power from the grid. Here are the benefits of a solar-plus-storage system:
- Around-the-Clock Power: If you are enrolled in BEC’s Time Based Usage rate, your electricity in the evening is likely more expensive because of the higher demand on the system. With solar plus battery storage, you can use electricity generated during the day in the evening when your solar system is not producing, rather than using the higher cost energy from the electric grid.
- Pocketbook Protection: If your utility raises electricity rates, you can avoid that with a battery. Battery storage lets you leverage low-cost energy that has already been generated and stored, ensuring your rates stay low and don’t affect your monthly budget. In some cases, you can even sell the energy you’re storing back to the grid when the rates are higher and bank the profit.
- Better Monitoring: A solar-plus-storage system can help you to better track the energy your system is generating through monitoring capabilities, providing an enhanced level of transparency and precision. These systems allow you to track the energy your home is producing and using in real time.
- More Energy Self-Sufficiency: While most jurisdictions require homes to be connected to their local utility even if they don’t use any electricity from the utility, a solar-plus-storage system takes you closer to “off the grid” status. Battery storage means you don’t have to rely on your utility to deliver electricity to your home most days of the year. And you can always keep some battery capacity in reserve, so that if the power goes out in your neighborhood, your house will be the one with the lights on.
You may be sold on the merits but curious about the costs. A solar-plus-storage system varies from home to home. It is easier and more cost effective to install panels and battery storage at the same time. If you purchase a battery on its own or a solar-plus-storage system, the purchase is eligible for federal tax credits.
Contact us to learn more about installing solar and/or battery storage to your home.
Member Owned Battery Frequently Asked Questions
Each home or business has unique energy needs, and the system design is customized based on electricity consumption. We evaluate every site to determine the proper system size. Bandera Electric Cooperative offers on-bill financing for qualified members.
You are eligible to participate if you are a homeowner, landlord, or commercial property owner and you meet the following criteria:
No credit score is required since the Energy Saver Program Charge is tied to the property and not the member. No minimum annual income required. Renters are eligible for monitoring services only, with approval from the landlord. Landlords are eligible for all missions and are billed directly. Commercial members must meet the same criteria as residential members plus have 24 months of electric billing history with BEC. |
| No, you are more than welcome to join the program and pay cash for your system. |
| Yes, there are battery backup solutions available for most solar systems. We'll need to evaluate your current setup to determine which batteries are compatible. |
| Yes, if you set the battery to self-consumption mode (such as with Enphase systems), the batteries will take over when the solar panels cannot meet the home’s energy needs. The batteries will continue to provide power until they reach the state of charge you've designated. |
| The duration of backup power varies based on several factors, including the household's energy usage and the available battery capacity. During an outage, solar panels can supply energy during daylight hours, while the battery provides power in the evening or when solar production is low. |
| Most systems come with an app or webpage that allows you to monitor the state of charge and manage your system. For example, Enphase offers both an app and a webpage where you can track performance and make adjustments as needed. |
| Adding a generator to a PV system or a PV and battery setup (microgrid) is typically possible. However, a site visit is required to assess your current system and determine compatibility. |
| We recommend the Enphase system. The Enphase micro inverter system has no single point of failure. Unlike a system with a central inverter, where a failure halts all solar production. Enphase uses one microinverter per module, so if a microinverter fails, the rest of the system continues producing solar energy. |
| Each battery comes with its own warranty, degradation rate, and expected lifespan. Enphase batteries, for example, offer a 15-year warranty. |
| Yes, batteries are part of the solar system and should be included in your homeowners insurance coverage. |