The home office is a light load
A laptop, two monitors, a modem, a router and a desk lamp together draw a small fraction of what a battery can deliver. Even a single battery can keep a workstation running through a full workday with plenty left for the fridge and furnace.
Desktop workstations with high-end graphics cards and a space heater under the desk are different stories. We build the load list from what you actually run.
The weak link is upstream
Your battery powers your modem, but the cable or fiber node in the neighborhood runs on the provider’s own backup, which can be limited. During long wildfire shutoffs, some neighborhood equipment eventually loses power. A cellular hotspot or a backup cellular plan on your router covers that gap, as long as the local tower stays up.
Starlink and other satellite services are fully independent of the local wired network and are common in mountain towns for exactly this reason. Their terminals draw more than a modem, which we include in sizing.
Instant switchover, no restarts
The battery systems we install switch the house to backup automatically. Most electronics ride through without rebooting. If you run equipment that’s especially sensitive, a small desk UPS in front of it is still a good habit and costs little.
Is it worth it just for work?
For many remote workers in Xcel territory away from the foothills, outages are rare and short, and a UPS plus a hotspot may be all you need. The case for a full home battery gets strong if you’re in a wildfire-shutoff area, a mountain co-op territory with frequent outages, or you also want time-of-use savings. We’ll tell you which camp you’re in.
FAQ
Questions we hear
Will my internet work during a power outage if I have a battery?
Your modem and router will stay on. Whether the service works depends on your provider’s neighborhood equipment staying powered. A cellular or satellite backup covers the cases where it doesn’t.
Do I need a whole-home battery or just a UPS?
A UPS covers short blips and gives you time to save your work. If you have regular multi-hour or multi-day outages, or live in a shutoff zone, a home battery is the step up. Many people start with the UPS and add a battery when they go solar.
Can I back up just my office circuits?
Yes. A partial-home backup setup puts selected circuits — office, fridge, furnace, lights — on the battery. It stretches runtime compared with backing up everything.
Does Starlink work on battery backup?
Yes. It draws more than a typical modem, so we include it in the load list. It’s a common pairing in mountain homes where wired service is unreliable.