How Smart Panels Give You Real Control When the Power Goes Out

Key Takeaways

• Control every circuit from your phone during outages, no rewiring needed

• See exactly how long your battery will last and extend that time in real-time

• Solar keeps producing during outages and automatically recharges your battery

• Shift loads to solar production hours during normal operations to save money

• Make decisions based on data, not guesswork

1. Backup vs. Control (There's a Big Difference)

Traditional battery backup gives you power. Smart panels give you control over that power.

What changes during an outage:

• First hour: You want comfort and convenience

• Hour six: You're thinking strategically about essentials

• Day two: You're balancing battery charge against solar production

Traditional systems can't adapt. They run whatever circuits were designated at installation, draining the battery at a fixed rate whether you need it or not.

Real Minnesota example: A St. Paul family lost power during a January cold snap. They had solar, a Powerwall, and a SPAN panel.

Initially ran everything:

• Heat pump maintaining 68°F

• All lights throughout the house

• Entertainment system for the kids

• Even the electric kettle

By midnight, the app showed battery at 60% with only 5 hours left. That wouldn't get them to sunrise when solar could help.

Quick adjustments they made:

1. Shut off non-essential lighting

2. Set heat pump to manual (20 min every hour instead of auto-cycling)

3. Turned off water heater (tank holds heat for hours anyway)

Battery estimate jumped to 12 hours. By 7 AM, solar panels started producing even with overcast skies. Battery began recharging. By noon, back to 80% charge. Grid returned that afternoon.

They stayed warm, kept food cold, had internet. More importantly, they were never guessing.

2. How Solar Production Changes Everything

Solar panels during an outage do something powerful: they keep generating electricity even when the grid is down.

What a typical Minnesota solar system produces:

• Sunny winter day: 20–30 kWh

• Cloudy/snowy day: 3–10 kWh

• Often more than enough to keep a battery charged while running essential loads

The smart panel watches all of this in real time. When solar exceeds home usage, excess goes to the battery. When usage exceeds solar, the battery fills the gap.

Summer Storm Example

Power goes out at noon on a sunny July day:

• Your 7-9 kW solar array producing at full capacity

• Home load with AC running: 3 kW

• Smart panel routes solar to house first

• Remaining power charges the battery (up to the battery/inverter charge limit)

Battery started at 70%. Within two hours, fully charged. You've got abundant power, so you make different choices. Extra circuits you'd normally shut off. Kids watch TV. Run the dishwasher. Keep the whole house comfortable.

Evening arrives, sun sets. Smart panel switches to battery power. But because the battery spent the afternoon at 100% while solar did the work, you've got a full night ahead. By morning, solar starts again.

Why this matters: Multi-day outages become manageable. Each day brings new solar production. We've had customers go through 48-hour outages where battery charge never dropped below 60% because of daytime solar production.

As we covered in our article about what happens to your solar investment when utility rates change, owning your power generation protects you from rate increases. Smart panels extend that protection into daily operations, making sure you capture the full value.

3. What Managing Energy Actually Looks Like

You're not constantly adjusting circuits. Most of the time, the system runs on autopilot. But when you need to make changes, having that ability transforms the experience.

Early in an Outage

You're optimistic about how long it will last. Keep more circuits running. Not stressed yet. But you're checking the app occasionally, watching battery percentage and estimated runtime.

Middle of the Night

Solar isn't producing. Battery charge is your lifeline until sunrise. This is when you get conservative:

• Unused rooms go dark

• Entertainment systems off

• Keep: fridge, internet, some lights, enough heat to stay comfortable

• App shows you're drawing 800 watts

• Battery will last until morning

• That's all you need to know

When Solar Kicks In

Even on a cloudy morning, you see power flowing in. Maybe 2 kW, but that's covering half your load. Battery drain slows dramatically.

By late morning with sun breaking through:

• Producing 5-6 kW

• Turn things back on: hot water heater, more lights

• Run laundry if needed

• Battery recharging while you use power freely

Multi-Day Outages

You fall into a rhythm:

1. Run essentials at night

2. Open up circuits during peak solar hours

3. Charge devices, do laundry, cook, shower during solar production

4. Smart panel shows production vs. usage so you know when you have power to spare

4. Beyond Outages: Daily Energy Optimization

The outage capability gets attention, but smart panels change your relationship with energy every day.

What you start noticing:

• Basement freezer runs constantly, pulls way more power than expected

• Phantom loads from standby devices: 150 watts, 24/7 ($15-20/month for nothing)

• Electric dryer: 5,000 watts for 45 minutes  

• Running at peak evening rates: expensive

• Running mid-morning with solar: essentially free

Real savings for EV owners:

• Charging at 6 PM from grid: costs money

• Charging at 11 AM from solar: costs nothing (panels producing more than enough)

• Over a month: saves $40-50

This kind of visibility changes behavior naturally. You're not suffering or sacrificing. You're just making smarter choices about when you run things, based on actual data.

Time-of-Use Rate Strategy

For homeowners with time-of-use rates:

Morning (off-peak, low cost):

• Solar producing

• Use power freely

• Battery charging from excess

Late afternoon/evening (peak rates, high cost):

• Smart panel pulls from battery automatically

• You're using solar energy captured at 11 AM to run your home at 5 PM

• Avoiding peak rates entirely

Shifting 30-40% of usage to solar production hours significantly reduces grid electricity purchases. Combined with net metering credits, monthly bills drop even further.

5. Installation and Real Costs

What Installation Looks Like

1. Electrician removes old breaker box

2. Mounts new smart panel in same location

3. Reconnects all circuits to new breakers

4. Typically takes one day for most homes

Your home's wiring doesn't change. Just the panel itself.

Integration with Solar and Battery

• Tesla Powerwall: Plug and play

• Other brands (Enphase, FranklinWH, SolarEdge): Usually need small communication adapter

• Solar keeps producing, battery keeps storing

• Smart panel adds visibility and control

6. What If You Don't Have Solar Yet?

Battery only (no solar):

• Get all load control and monitoring

• Extend backup time through smart management

• Limitation: battery can't recharge during outages

Smart panel only (no solar or battery):

• Excellent energy monitoring system

• Track usage, find waste, experiment with load shifting

• Ready for future solar/battery integration

Most common approach: Install all three together (solar + battery + smart panel) as integrated system. That's when full value shows up. Each component enhances the others.

Already have solar? Adding battery backup? Add smart panel at same time.

Starting from scratch? Build the complete system from the beginning.

‍FAQs

What happens if internet goes out during a power outage?

Panel continues working based on your last settings. You can't make changes until connectivity returns, but everything runs automatically. Most smart panels include cellular backup so the panel communicates even if home internet is down.

Can I install this myself?

No. Requires licensed electrician, permits, and inspection. This is your main electrical panel and must be installed correctly and safely.

Will my regular electrician know how to work on this?

Yes. Once installed, any licensed electrician can service circuits, add new ones, or make changes. Uses standard circuit breakers and follows normal electrical code.

How long does installation take?

4-6 hours for most homes. More complicated situations (unusual locations, old wiring, multiple panels) can take longer. Most homeowners are running same day.

Compatible with every battery brand?

Works with Tesla Powerwall, Enphase, FranklinWH, SolarEdge, LG Chem, and most major systems. Some need communication adapter. Your installer confirms compatibility with your equipment.

What if my battery isn't big enough for my whole house?

That's the point. Instead of sizing a massive battery to run everything simultaneously, you size for essential loads and use smart panel to manage what runs when. Smaller battery, effective backup, better economics.

Do I still need a critical load panel?

Usually no. Smart panel replaces the need for separate critical load panel in most installations. Some edge cases with medical equipment might want both, but typical residential use handles everything.

Take Control of Your Home's Power

Battery backup without control is just hoping things work out. Hoping the battery lasts. Hoping the circuits wired six months ago are the ones you actually need.

Smart panels eliminate the hoping. You see what's happening. You control what runs. You make decisions based on real data.

When you combine that with solar and battery storage, you have a complete energy system that works during outages, normal operations, and through whatever changes utilities make to rate structures.

Greenway Solar designs complete systems across Minnesota:

• Solar sized to your usage and roof

• Battery spec'd for meaningful backup based on essential loads

• Smart panel integration so everything works together

• Training on how to use the system before we leave

Planning solar? Considering battery backup? Want to upgrade an existing system?

Let's talk through:

• Your specific situation and usage patterns

• Your concerns about outages

• A system design that makes sense for how you actually live

Because at the end of the day, this isn't about technology. It's about control over something that matters: keeping your home powered, comfortable, and functional no matter what's happening outside.

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