Enphase IQ Battery Evaluation: Much less Energy Than Opponents, However a Stronger Mannequin Is Right here

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Enphase IQ Battery 10/10T

Like

• 
  Modular battery
• 
  First rate capability and effectivity
• 
  Cheaper worth

Don’t love

• 
  Low energy output
• 
  Unfavorable buyer evaluations

A photo voltaic panel by itself will not make it easier to when the facility goes out. To guard your property from outages, you may want a home battery backup. However as a result of each dwelling’s vitality wants are a bit totally different, batteries are a fancy buy. Enphase provides an honest beginning place. 

Enphase is without doubt one of the most recognizable names within the photo voltaic battery and inverter world, providing three totally different battery fashions which can be every embedded with their famed microinverters. These batteries — the IQ Battery 3 and IQ Battery 10 fashions — are smaller and fewer highly effective than choices from different producers. Nonetheless, Enphase just lately launched a smaller, far more highly effective battery known as the IQ Battery 5P. This new battery rivals the facility output of bigger batteries at half the capability measurement, which is spectacular for a small battery. 

“The IQ Battery 5P is an extremely highly effective battery for the scale,” Ashley Martin-Golis, Enphase’s director of product advertising, instructed CNET. “And what that permits folks to do is be capable to begin up nearly any energy hungry equipment of their dwelling with one or two batteries. You possibly can have a comparatively small battery set up however nonetheless be capable to begin up your HVAC or your pool pump.”

Enphase’s batteries are designed to be put in in bundles, making a modular storage system the place capability and energy output stack with every battery put in. This modular design of smaller batteries makes it simpler for householders to get the capability measurement that is “excellent” for his or her dwelling. Simply remember that you possibly can’t set up the brand new IQ Battery 5P with Enphase’s different batteries. 

Solar batteries are a part of a fancy dwelling vitality system that relies upon quite a bit in your particular person dwelling, wants and solar panels. This makes it troublesome to do hands-on testing. This evaluate is predicated on specs and knowledge supplied by Enphase on-line and an interview with Martin-Golis to get probably the most correct and up-to-date data. 

This is what you must find out about Enphase batteries. 

What do I get with an Enphase IQ battery?

Enphase provides three totally different batteries: the IQ Battery 3/3T, IQ Battery 10/10T and its latest battery, the IQ Battery 5P. The IQ Battery 3/3T and IQ Battery 10/10T fashions are pretty commonplace for his or her respective sizes however endure from decrease than common energy output rankings. The IQ Battery 5P is Enphase’s latest technology of battery know-how, providing spectacular energy output rankings at a a lot smaller capability measurement. Word that the Enphase “IQ Battery 3T” and “IQ Battery 10T” have the very same specs because the IQ Battery 3 and IQ Battery 10. The “T” battery fashions are made thinner. This is a fast breakdown of Enphase’s battery specs.

Like:

• Modular

• First rate effectivity

• Cheaper worth

Don’t love:

• Low energy output

• Smaller measurement battery

System Parts

Enphase batteries operate as an all-in-one AC-coupled system and are primarily identified for his or her embedded microinverters. Nonetheless, there are a couple of different elements wanted to make this battery system work. This is a fast have a look at the system elements you possibly can anticipate to have put in with an Enphase battery:

• Embedded microinverters
• IQ system controller
• IQ combiner 

Each Enphase battery measurement comes with a sure variety of embedded microinverters, which assist your battery output energy.  Each system may also embrace an IQ system controller, which connects the battery to the grid and features as a centralized place for wiring. With the discharge of its new battery (IQ Battery 5P), Enphase additionally launched an up to date model of the IQ system controller, known as IQ system controller 3. It is available in two differing types, one kind permits you to enhance your capability enlargement and the opposite kind permits you to enhance your capability enlargement and add a generator. 

If in case you have photo voltaic panels, your battery system will embrace an IQ combiner part. The IQ combiner measures your vitality manufacturing and consumption and supplies a further place to centralize some wiring. You can view your manufacturing and consumption knowledge by means of the Enphase app. Extra particulars about Enphase’s system design and components could be discovered on its web site.   

Capability and modularity

Every of Enphase’s three battery choices provides a special storage capability. Right here is the usable capability of every Enphase battery:

• IQ Battery 3/3T: 3.36 kWh
• IQ Battery 5P: 4.96 kWh
• IQ Battery 10/10T: 10.08 kWh

Whereas these batteries are a bit on the smaller aspect, you’ll set up a number of Enphase batteries to stack further capability. You possibly can even combine and match the IQ Battery 3/3T and IQ Battery 10/10T fashions. However you will not be capable to combine and match newer technology battery tech (IQ Battery 5P) with older technology battery tech (IQ Battery 3/3T and IQ Battery 10/10T fashions). It is also necessary to notice that each one Enphase batteries are appropriate with and with out photo voltaic, that means you possibly can nonetheless set up Enphase batteries as a house backup with out photo voltaic panels.

Efficiency and effectivity 

By way of energy output, an Enphase battery by itself is fairly weak, except the IQ 5P battery. This battery shares the identical steady energy output as the opposite batteries in Enphases’s lineup (3.84 kW) however provides a powerful peak energy output ranking for its measurement (7.68 kW). To place this into perspective, the IQ 5P’s peak energy output is on par with a Tesla Powerwall’s peak output (7 kW), which is a a lot bigger 13.5 kWh battery. 

The IQ Battery 3/3T and IQ Battery 10/10T fashions each have weaker energy outputs in comparison with different batteries of comparable measurement. Nonetheless, energy output does enhance with further battery installations. The extra batteries you put in, the extra energy you possibly can stack. If in case you have a bigger dwelling or a house that has a number of giant home equipment, you may probably want a number of Enphase batteries. 

So far as effectivity goes, Enphase batteries are about common in comparison with the batteries we’ve evaluated. The IQ Battery 3/3T and IQ Battery 10/10T fashions each have a round-trip effectivity of 89%, with the IQ 5P having a barely larger round-trip effectivity of 90%. Which means that solely 10% to 11% of your electrical energy is wasted on its means into battery storage. The common round-trip effectivity for solar batteries is about 90%.

Guarantee

The warranties on Enphase batteries are fairly commonplace for batteries. It is price calling out the brand new IQ 5P’s 15-year guarantee. Most batteries include a 10-year guarantee, so we’ll give the IQ 5P bonus factors for having longer protection. Nonetheless, it has a decrease end-of-warranty capability assure. This is a fast breakdown of the guarantee particulars for every Enphase battery.  

Years lined: A selected period of time (years) that your battery is roofed beneath guarantee. After the desired variety of years move, your guarantee expires.

Cycles lined: A selected variety of full cycles your battery can carry out beneath guarantee. In case your battery surpasses the desired cycle rely, your guarantee expires. A “cycle” is the method of absolutely discharging (draining) and recharging your battery. In some battery warranties, your guarantee expires when you hit your specified cycle rely, irrespective of what number of years you might have left on the guarantee. At all times be sure that to test the nice print for cycle and throughput clauses. 

Finish-of-warranty capability assure: That is the producer’s assure that your battery will retain a sure share of its unique most capability by the point your guarantee interval ends. 

Buyer help

Buyer help with Enphase appears to be hit and miss, however principally miss. The corporate’s Better Business Bureau web page is flooded with unfavourable evaluations, with many complaints centered round failing or defective microinverters and unhealthy customer support experiences. Reviewers on Trustpilot and Yelp share comparable experiences concerning failing microinverters and battery techniques, together with frustrations surrounding Enphase’s lack of communication when issues come up.   

Enphase Enlighten app

Putting in an Enphase battery additionally provides you entry to the Enphase Enlighten app. Most batteries include an ordinary app for monitoring vitality consumption, manufacturing (in case you have solar panels) and predicting upcoming vitality payments. Enphase isn’t any totally different. There are not any stand-out options, nevertheless it does all the pieces you’d anticipate it to do, and that is completely nice. The app is extremely rated, and any complaints it does have tends to be focusing on its reporting timeframe. 

How a lot does an Enphase IQ battery value?

The Enphase IQ Battery 3/3T is about $2,000 to $4,000 earlier than set up and the IQ Battery 10/10T is about $8,000 to $10,000 earlier than set up. Because the IQ Battery 5P hasn’t been available on the market for very lengthy, dependable pricing data is unavailable. Nonetheless, as a rule of thumb concerning battery pricing, you possibly can usually anticipate to pay between $1,000 and $2,000 per kWh of storage, however there are exceptions. Different elements affecting battery pricing are location, the installer and what number of solar panels you might have.

For probably the most correct pricing, converse with an Enphase-certified installer in your space. We additionally suggest purchasing round for a couple of quotes from nationwide and native installers to see who’s keen to provide the finest worth.  

Is an Enphase IQ battery my best option?

As with most batteries, it actually depends upon what your vitality objectives are and the scale of your property. Enphase’s battery measurement choices are on the smaller aspect. These batteries have a a lot weaker energy output than competing batteries of comparable measurement, with the one exception being Enphase’s latest battery, IQ Battery 5P. This new battery boasts a a lot larger peak energy output ranking and matches the continual energy output of Enphase’s largest battery: the IQ Battery 10/10T. Nonetheless, the IQ Battery 5P continues to be a small battery (5 kWh). It is also price noting that Enphase’s batteries are usually cheaper than different batteries. 

There are tons of batteries out there available on the market, that means your property has a couple of battery choice. Most installers carry a number of manufacturers of batteries, so we suggest exploring a number of battery choices from installers in your space earlier than making your determination.

Learn extra: Need one thing smaller than a whole-home photo voltaic system? See our picks for one of the best portable solar panels and solar generators.

How we evaluated one of the best photo voltaic batteries 

Each battery is totally different and isn’t going to be the fitting match for each dwelling. With out an on-site inspection, it is troublesome to find out which photo voltaic battery is the “finest” battery. As a result of complexity of solar panel systems, we’re unable to do any type of hands-on testing of any of the photo voltaic batteries we evaluate. Nonetheless, there are goal methods to guage and examine these batteries. This is how we consider photo voltaic batteries.

First, we created classes to guage the battery’s effectivity, efficiency, capability and worth. We additionally gave every class its personal weight. Every class’s weight displays the significance we felt was related to the typical client. Listed here are the classes and their weights:

• Battery modularity (stackability) – 20%
• Guarantee – 20%
• Spherical-trip effectivity – 15%
• Depth of discharge – 10%
• Energy output – 10%
• Worth – 10%
• Buyer evaluations – 10%
• Battery capability – 5%

We checked out greater than 15 of the commonest batteries available on the market and picked up the information for every class to match the numbers. Every battery was given a tier-style ranking (from 1 to five) for every class to see which metrics of every battery have been above common (amongst these on our listing), common or under common. 

Ceaselessly requested questions