The recent severe winter weather in Texas led to a virtually unprecedented situation where millions of people were left without power, heat, and even water. Losing power wasn’t the only issue. Many that did have power through the whole ordeal faced enormous electric bills. During the height of the crisis, electricity costs rose up to $9 per KwH, pushing many electric bills to over $100 per day — with one customer reporting an invoice of almost $17,000.
As the climate changes, these “unprecedented” weather events are becoming more common. In this post, we’ll take a look at what we can learn from what happened in Texas and how solar installers can help prevent situations like this in the future.
What can the solar industry do?
To make sure their power stays on, and they’re not faced with outrageous bills, homeowners and businesses will be looking for ways to protect themselves for the next time disaster strikes. This is where battery storage can provide a real boost, delivering power during outages, and reducing dependence on the grid.
Improvements in solar storage technology have led more homeowners to consider storage as part of their solar installation — over 25% of solar systems will include a storage component by 2025, according to Mordor Intelligence. This trend is echoed in Aurora Solar’s research, as more than 70% of the solar installers that responded to our recent survey offer battery storage options already.
Solar storage resources
We’ve published a few resources recently that help lay out the case for solar energy storage and cover some of the basics:
Pocket Guide to Selling Storage — an in-depth guide to help installers highlight the benefits of storage to potential customers
How Solar Energy Storage Works — A detailed guide to all things solar storage
Solar Batteries for Home: A Comprehensive Guide — A deeper dive into solar batteries for the home, including why homeowners are turning to solar storage and some concrete financial numbers
According to our research, peace-of-mind is already a big driver for homeowners who are considering storage. However, suggesting solar storage without seeming insensitive or overly alarmist can be a fine line. The pocket guide lays out several ways to position storage to potential customers, and even has some helpful tips to overcome some common objections.
There are many reasons to consider backup power, from weather-related outages to simply looking for more energy independence. With natural disasters becoming more frequent, storage can provide peace-of-mind that the lights (and heat, and critical appliances) will stay on when the grid goes down.
The situation in Texas is ongoing, and many people still need assistance. If you would like to help, or need help, this page has some great resources you can look into.
Learn more about the fundamentals of solar by subscribing to our blog.