EcoFlow’s battery-backup kits for the home can reduce your energy bill

EcoFlow is now selling Whole-Home Backup Power Solutions that bundle together a variety of the company’s products that are already available a la carte. The kits are basically a more scalable version of Tesla’s Powerwall+ without the long installation wait times, that also remains portable so you can take some of that idle power with you for an off-grid getaway.

The new EcoFlow kits make it easy to choose the right amount of backup power for your needs and budget. Prices start at $3,699 and approach $20,000 if you want unlimited emergency power. That’s a lot of money (even after a US tax credit) compared to noisy gas generators, but EcoFlow’s emission-free kits don’t require maintenance and could also help reduce your day-to-day energy bill.

All three of the kits are built around EcoFlow’s expandable Delta Pro power stations with 3.6kWh of lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery capacity and up to 3600W of AC output. Our recent review of the Delta Pro paired with an EcoFlow 400W folding solar panel showed the solar generator capable of keeping an RV, off-grid cabin, e-bike, and lots of gadgets regularly charged on a three-week road trip.

Both the EcoFlow Starter and Advanced Kits are meant for homes with power inlet boxes (NEMA L14-30P) and transfer switches already installed by a professional. The more capable Smart Control Kit requires an electrician’s assistance to wire an EcoFlow Smart Home Panel into your main breaker box.

EcoFlow’s so-called Starter Kit ($3,699) isn’t a kit at all, as it only includes a single Delta Pro unit. You plug the Delta Pro into your home’s power inlet box with a 30A cable (NEMA TT-30P to L14-30R) sold separately. Otherwise, without that transfer switch installed all you’re getting is a big-ass battery you can wheel into your kitchen to plug your fridge into, along with a smattering of other devices like your phone, laptop, a lamp, and maybe a space heater or microwave. The Delta Pro can be recharged from a wall socket in 2.7 hours and supports up to 4800W of solar input.

The Advanced Kit (starting at $7,498) delivers two Delta Pros that you chain together with an included Double Voltage hub for up to 7200W / 240V of output and 7.2kWh of capacity. This kit also includes the generator cable to hook up the Double Voltage Hub to your power inlet box.

7200W is enough to power just about any heavy-duty household appliance, including your washer and dryer. The kit can be expanded to add two Extra Batteries for 14.4kWh ($13,096) of total capacity or even four Extra Batteries for 21.6kWh ($18,649), which is enough capacity to power a standard home for about a week, according to EcoFlow’s calculations.

Of course, you could also choose to keep things old school for less than $1,500 with a traditional 9000W gas-powered generator plugged into your home’s power inlet box. But they’re noisy and messy and release toxic emissions into the environment, so they can’t be used indoors, whereas EcoFlow’s solution is silent and clean and could even save you money when combined with an EcoFlow Smart Home Panel.

That’s where EcoFlow’s Smart Control Kit (starting at $5,298 for a single Delta Pro configuration) comes in. It builds upon the Advanced Kit with the inclusion of an EcoFlow Smart Home Panel (SHP) for scheduled use during peak hours and automatic 20ms switchover in case of an outage. (Some gas generators can also be setup for fast switchover by installing an automatic transfer switch.)

The SHP integrates directly into your home circuitry to create 10 single-phase power circuits (or five split-phase circuits) that can be managed independently and prioritized via the EcoFlow app. The app also shows you real-time energy reports and lets you schedule cutover to your Delta Pro(s) for the hours when energy prices are most expensive. You can then recharge the batteries from the grid when prices drop or from your AC-coupled solar panels.

And if you have any money leftover, Ecoflow is also pushing its auto-starting dual-fuel Smart Generator ($1,399) to keep charging the Delta Pros for as long as you add LPG or gas, as well as its solar-tracking robot oddity to help keep your panels pointed directly at the sun.

EcoFlow’s Whole-Home Backup Power kits are available now in the US, where owners can apply for a 30 percent tax credit as a result of the government’s Inflation Reduction Act 2022. Europeans will also be offered an alternative backup solution soon that combines EcoFlow’s Power Kits (which we just reviewed) with a Smart Home Panel for up to 30kWh of total battery capacity and support for up to 9600W of solar input.