Home battery backup · Halton and Hamilton
Plan for three days in the dark.
Ontario asks every household to be ready to last at least three days in an outage. A home battery keeps the fridge, the furnace fan and the sump pump running. Tick yours to see for how long.
Pick a plan by what has to stay on.
Start from what you can't be without and size up from there. The calculator above shows the hours for each.
| Plan | What stays on | Why people pick it |
|---|---|---|
| Essentials | Fridge, sump pump, lights, internet | One battery on a small backed-up panel: food cold, basement dry, internet up. |
| Essentials and heat | All of the above, plus the furnace fan and the well pump | A gas furnace keeps running in a winter outage, and a well keeps pumping. |
| Solar-recharged | The battery plus panels on the roof | Sunny days refill the battery, so a long outage doesn't drain it for good. |
13.5kWh in one battery
It hangs in the basement and switches on by itself.
It charges while the power is normal and takes over when the grid goes down. No fuel, no pull cord, no exhaust.
- Batteries per home
- 1 to 3
- Charges from
- Grid, solar, or both
- Rebate
- $300 per kWh, up to $5,000
Capacity from a widely sold home battery's spec sheet. Rebate: Home Renovation Savings.
In March 2025, an ice storm cut power to nearly 400,000 Ontario homes and businesses.
That is why the province asks for three days of readiness. A closed fridge keeps food cold for about four hours; a full freezer, about two days.
Sources: news.ontario.ca, ontario.ca
From the load check to the switchover.
- 01
Load check
We walk the house and list what has to stay on, with the wattage from each label.
- 02
Sizing
One to three batteries, plus panels if you want them, with the runtime written down.
- 03
Rebate and permit
We get the rebate pre-approval and the electrical permit before anything is bought.
- 04
Install day
Usually one day. We test the switchover with you before we leave.
What people ask before a load check.
Something else? Call 905-555-0188.
How long will a battery last in an outage?
It depends on what you run. Use the calculator above: tick what has to stay on and it shows the hours. We confirm it at the load check with your own appliances' labels.
Do I need solar panels?
No. A battery charges from the grid and holds that power for an outage. Panels let it recharge in daylight, which matters in a long outage.
Does solar recharge it in winter?
Less than in summer, and not while snow covers the panels. Plan your essentials around the battery alone, and treat winter sun as a bonus.
Is a battery quieter than a generator?
Yes. It makes no engine noise and no exhaust, needs no fuel, and switches on by itself.
Is there a rebate?
Ontario's Home Renovation Savings program pays $300 per kWh of battery storage, up to $5,000 and no more than half the cost, with written pre-approval before you buy.
Book a load check.
We walk the house with you, list what has to stay on, and send a written plan with the runtime and the price. Nothing to sign on the day.