An off-grid system powers your whole home with solar panels, batteries and usually a backup generator, with no connection to the grid at all. It’s most common on rural properties a long way from the power lines.
A common sign
“Connecting our block to the grid would cost a fortune.”
About off-grid solar and battery systems
An off-grid system needs to make and store enough power to run your home through the darkest, cloudiest weeks of the year. That’s why it usually has more panels and battery storage than a grid-connected home, plus a generator for backup.
Getting the size right is everything. A specialist will look at every appliance you plan to run, and how you live, before designing the system. Ask too about ongoing maintenance, because you’re the power company now.
Rural blocks far from the power lines
Homes where grid connection is costly or unreliable
Upgrading an older off-grid system
Ask how the system is sized for winter, not just summer. And ask what the backup plan is when the sun doesn’t shine for days.
Not sure where to start?
Don’t waste money on upgrades you don’t need. A professional home energy assessment shows where your house loses heat and power, so your budget goes where it makes the biggest difference.
Find an assessor near meOff-grid solar installers
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More in solar and batteries
Make your own power, keep the lights on through an outage, and get more out of a system you have already paid for.
Panels, inverter and the wiring to the board. The size that suits you depends on when you actually use power.
Stores what the roof makes in the day for the evening, and keeps the lights on in an outage if it is wired for it.
Adding panels, replacing an ageing inverter, or fitting a battery to a system that never had one.
Connects your home battery to a virtual power plant, which can pay you for letting the grid draw on it at busy times. Some battery rebates require it, so ask before you choose a battery.
Panel cleaning, output checks and isolator faults. A system quietly underperforming for years is common.
Before you choose an installer
Related goal
See what to consider when choosing solar and a battery, and what to ask before you commit.