A Portable Power Station Provides Battery Backup for Your Home—or Anywhere
As leading Vancouver electricians, our team at TCA Electric is always looking for the newest and best solutions for our customers. Often, technologies will emerge that make electrical services more effective, affordable, convenient, or sustainable. But in the case of portable power stations, homeowners can attain battery backup power that provides all of these benefits!
Portable power stations are an emerging alternative to backup generators that provide battery power for your home without many of the drawbacks of full generators. In addition, these devices can be removed and taken with you anywhere you need to go, such as on a camping trip or other excursion.
We’ve provided backup generator installations for many years—but here’s why we’re recommending portable power stations for many of our customers.
What Is a Portable Power Station?
A portable power station is exactly what it sounds like: it’s a rechargeable, portable battery device that can be used as backup power. If you’ve ever used a portable charger for your phone, it really is just like that—but at a much larger scale.
Portable power stations are charged using your electrical panel. The devices we install—from EcoFlow—are also expandable, meaning you can install a single unit and expand it over time as needed.
Benefits of Portable Power Stations
Sustainable
Compared to a generator, portable power stations are more sustainable. Where generators rely on fossil fuels to provide electricity, these power stations charge directly from your electrical panel, avoiding additional carbon emissions in the process.
Convenient & Flexible
While generators perform their function effectively, they’re also generally limited to just powering your home in an emergency. While a portable power station can and does perform this function as a battery backup for your home, it is also much more convenient and flexible, with additional use cases that a generator cannot provide.
For instance, much of the original interest in EcoFlow emerged from camping enthusiasts. This is because these devices can be used to provide power during camping trips. They’re weatherproof enough to be used outdoors, but they can also be used indoors due to the lack of emissions.
EV owners can also use them as portable chargers in an emergency—for example, if they can’t reach a charging station in time.
Affordable & Easy to Install
Home battery backup devices are generally much easier to install than a full generator. They charge directly from your electrical panel, and provided you have enough power, installation can be quite straightforward, requiring only a qualified electrician.
On the other hand, installing a backup generator typically involves more than one trade, as landscaping, concrete, and gas line installation may all be needed. This causes costs to add up quickly and increases the overall time the project will take.
What Battery Backup Devices Are Available?
A number of companies have introduced battery backup devices to the market in the last several years. Tesla introduced the Powerwall, a wall-mounted battery system that provides backup power (but is not portable). Other brands like Generac and Anker have portable battery devices as well that may be used for EV charging.
At TCA Electric, we primarily work with EcoFlow’s line of portable power stations. We’ve found they are highly effective, flexible depending on your power needs, readily expandable, and perform well in a wide variety of situations, both indoors and out.
Looking for a Backup Generator? Consider Battery Backup Alternatives!
At TCA Electric, we’ve increasingly recommended battery-style portable power stations as an ideal alternative to backup generators. While backup generators perform their function well, the elevated installation costs, carbon emissions, and lack of portability have made batteries the perfect alternate option for most homeowners.
If you’re interested in backup power generation for your home, reach out to TCA Electric today! Our team will be happy to answer your questions and help determine which type of backup power device makes the most sense for your needs.