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SOLAR INSTALLATIONKelowna

SERVICE 04 · BATTERY BACKUP · SHEET 05

Battery Backup Installation in Kelowna

Grid-tied solar switches off in an outage, by design. A battery and a backup panel keep the circuits you choose running until FortisBC restores power.

Book an assessmentCall 250-250-2525
Clean garage wall with a plain white home battery cabinet, a solar inverter and a backup sub-panel, bikes on a wall rack

OVERVIEW

Why a battery is the only way solar keeps the lights on

When the grid goes down, a grid-tied solar system has to stop sending power out, so line crews aren’t working on lines that are live. That means panels alone go dark during an outage, even at noon in July. A battery with an automatic transfer switch lets your home keep running on stored and solar power while it is cut off from the grid.

We size the battery to what you want running and for how long. A fridge, furnace fan, internet, some lights and a few outlets for one evening and night is a modest battery. Running air conditioning or a whole house for a day is a much larger one. The quote shows both, so you can choose.

Call 250-250-2525 and tell us which circuits you can’t be without.

Close-up of a residential backup sub-panel with breakers beside a plain battery cabinet
FIG. S4 The backup panel holds the circuits you choose: fridge, furnace fan, internet, lights, a sump or well pump.

SPEC SHEET

Battery Backup Installation at a glance

Typical size
10–15 kWh for essentials; 20–30 kWh for most of a home
Backup panel
Critical-load sub-panel or whole-home transfer
Switch-over
Automatic, typically within a second
With solar
Recharges from the panels during a long outage
Rebates
None on FortisBC. BC Hydro homes: up to $5,000 with Peak Saver
PST
Batteries are not PST-exempt

INCLUDED

What a battery installation includes

  1. 01

    Circuit choice

    We walk the panel with you and pick the circuits that matter.

  2. 02

    Sizing

    Hours of backup for those circuits, shown for summer and winter loads.

  3. 03

    Backup panel

    Critical loads moved to a sub-panel, labelled clearly.

  4. 04

    Placement

    Indoors or in a garage, within temperature limits, with clearances to code.

  5. 05

    Permits

    Electrical permit and inspection, plus FortisBC review if paired with solar.

  6. 06

    Test

    A real outage test at handover, so you know it works before you need it.

PRICE

What battery backup costs in Kelowna

Set-upTypical installed priceCovers
One battery, critical loads$13,000 – $19,000~13 kWh: fridge, furnace fan, internet, lights, outlets overnight
Two batteries, most of home$24,000 – $34,000~26 kWh: adds cooking, laundry, some cooling
Add to an existing solar system+ $1,500 – $4,000Inverter or gateway changes, depending on your equipment

Typical ranges, not quotes. Kelowna is FortisBC territory, so no battery rebate applies. On the westside, BC Hydro homes can claim up to $1,500, or up to $5,000 with Peak Saver.

Book an assessment Rebates and utility rules

WHEN THE GRID GOES DOWN

Why Kelowna homes add backup

FortisBC outages from storms, vehicle collisions and wildfire-season shut-offs usually last hours, sometimes longer at the edge of the grid. A battery covers the gap automatically, and with panels it recharges each day.

Battery backup Kelowna outage guide

Dark thunderstorm clouds over a Kelowna neighbourhood at dusk with power poles along the street

CIRCUITS

What a single battery typically runs

CircuitTypical drawHours on ~13 kWh*
Fridge + freezer0.1–0.2 kW averageall night
Furnace fan0.3–0.5 kW runningmost of a winter night
Internet + phone charging< 0.05 kWdays
LED lights (a few rooms)0.1 kWall evening
Sump or well pump0.5–1.5 kW when runningdepends on cycles
Central air conditioning2.5–4 kWa few hours only

* Together, essentials (no air conditioning) typically run through an evening and night on one battery. Ranges, not guarantees.

TIMELINE

From first visit to switch-on

The usual sequence for a Kelowna installation. Your written plan carries real dates.

Kelowna power outage guide

Typical Kelowna home solar installation timeline Seven steps over about nine weeks: assessment in week 0 to 1, design and quote in week 1 to 2, FortisBC application in weeks 2 to 5, permits in weeks 3 to 5, installation in week 5 to 6, inspection in week 6 to 7, interconnection and switch-on in weeks 7 to 9. W0W1W2W3W4W5W6W7W8W9W1001 AssessmentYou + us02 Design & written quoteUs03 FortisBC applicationFortisBC04 PermitsUs05 Install daysCrew06 InspectionInspector07 Interconnection & switch-onFortisBC + you Our workUtility or inspector
FIG. G A typical home takes 6–10 weeks from first visit to switch-on. Install day itself is the short bar.
Timeline as a table
StepWhoWeeksWhat happens
AssessmentYou + us0–1Bills, roof, panel box, shade. Usually one visit or a video call.
Design & written quoteUs1–2Panel layout, single-line drawing, price, timeline and payback in writing.
FortisBC applicationFortisBC2–5Net-metering application; FortisBC reviews it and approves construction.
PermitsUs3–5Technical Safety BC electrical permit; a City of Kelowna building permit if structural work is involved.
Install daysCrew5–6Usually 1–3 days on site for a home: mounts, rails, modules, inverter, wiring.
InspectionInspector6–7Electrical inspection of the finished work under the permit.
Interconnection & switch-onFortisBC + you7–9Interconnection Agreement signed, meter set for net metering, system commissioned.

QUESTIONS

Questions about battery backup

  1. Q01Will my solar panels work during a power outage?
  2. Q02How long does a home battery keep the power on?
Q01Will my solar panels work during a power outage?

Not on their own. Grid-tied systems are required to shut off when the grid goes down, so line crews are safe. To keep power during an outage you need a battery and a backup panel, which switch your chosen circuits over automatically.

Q02How long does a home battery keep the power on?

A single battery of about 13 kWh typically runs a fridge, furnace fan, internet, lights and a few outlets through an evening and night. With solar panels recharging it, a battery can keep those circuits going through a multi-day outage in summer.

AREAS

Where we install

Battery Backup Installation across Kelowna, including:

All 20 neighbourhoods

OTHER SERVICES

Also installed

  1. 01 Residential Solar InstallationPanels on your house, sized to a year of bills and connected to FortisBC. Size5–12 kWOn site1–3 daysUtility stepFortisBC net metering Roof mid-installation with aluminium rails across dark shingles and the first black modules clamped in place
  2. 02 Business & Farm Solar InstallationRoof or ground arrays for shops, offices, wineries, orchards and strata. Size15–50 kWOn site3–10 daysUtility stepFortisBC, 50 kW cap Ground-mounted solar array on steel posts beside rows of apple trees
  3. 03 Off-Grid Solar InstallationStand-alone solar, batteries and backup generation for places without a line. Size2–15 kWOn site2–5 daysUtility stepNone Tidy off-grid power shed with a wall-mounted inverter-charger and a rack of plain battery modules
  4. 05 Solar Repair, Maintenance & Re-InstallationDiagnostics, repairs, cleaning and remove-and-reinstall for re-roofing. Visit1–3 hoursRe-install1–3 daysUtility stepUsually none Solar inverter on a stucco wall with small status lights and a tool bag on a shelf below

WORK ORDER № SIK-014

Start with a free assessment

Tell us where the property is and what you’re after. We reply within one business day with next steps, or a straight answer if solar doesn’t suit it.

OR CALL250-250-2525

  • A year of FortisBC bills helps most
  • A photo of your electrical panel, door open
  • Plans for an EV, heat pump or pool

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