Entirely on what you're running, which is why the calculator shows two numbers. On essentials alone — lights, internet, fridge, cameras, water pump — two battery modules carry most houses right through the night, and that covers almost every outage on this coast. Run two or three minisplits as well and the same bank lasts a quarter as long. Add modules until the second number looks right to you. The figures assume a steady average draw; the load audit gives you the real one.

Either, and it's your choice. Most houses here are split across two legs of the panel. One inverter backs up one leg — about half your circuits — and you decide which half: lights, internet, fridge, water pump, cameras, the sockets that matter. For most people that covers everything they actually miss during an outage, and it is a practical starting point for many homes. Add a second inverter and the other leg is covered too, which is genuinely the whole house. Because both inverters share the same battery bank, the second leg costs much less than doubling the system.

Briefly, and we would rather tell you now than have you discover it. The grid passes straight through the system untouched; when it fails, the batteries take over in approximately 20–30 milliseconds, depending on configuration — barely one cycle of the AC wave. Lights may blink once. Most equipment — air conditioning, fridges, pumps, routers, TVs and gate motors — rides through without restarting, though some sensitive electronics can still reset depending on their own power supplies. A desktop computer without its own little UPS may reboot, so if you work from home we'll suggest a small one for the desk. Compare that to a generator: 10 to 30 seconds of full darkness, every time.

Nothing dramatic — and that is deliberate. Grid power runs through the unit on a normally-closed path, so in most fault conditions, or when we switch it off for service, the system transfers to bypass and CFE carries straight through to the house as it did before we arrived. You lose the backup until it is repaired, but the house stays on grid power. It also means we can service or swap a unit without leaving you sitting in the dark waiting for us. A fault that also takes out the bypass path, or a problem upstream in your own panel, is the exception — no electrical equipment is immune to every failure mode, and we would rather say so.

If you want redundancy beyond that, two smaller inverters — one per leg — mean a single failure only takes out half your backup while the other leg carries on. That is one reason to consider a pair of 3 kW units instead of one larger box. The battery bank is shared between them, so that redundancy covers the inverters, not the batteries.

Yes, and plenty of people choose to. Air conditioning is far and away the biggest load in a house on this coast, so carrying it is the difference between a few hours of runtime and a whole night on the same batteries. Leave the minisplits off the backup and they simply go quiet during an outage, while lights, internet, fridge, water pump, cameras, gate and ceiling fans carry on exactly as normal. It costs nothing either way — we decide it together at install, and it can be changed later if you add batteries.

We install LiFePO₄ (lithium iron phosphate) batteries, rated for 6,000+ cycles and typically 10 to 15 years of service in a home like yours. They are not the lithium chemistry that makes the news — LiFePO₄ is specifically chosen for thermal stability, which matters in a climate like ours. Capacity fades gradually rather than failing outright, and individual modules can be replaced without touching the rest. Warranty differs by model: the Growatt AXE 5.0L-C1 carries 5 years as standard with a 10-year option, and the Growatt Hope 5.0L-B1 carries 5 years. Check the manufacturer datasheets on the equipment page for the terms that apply to the model you choose.

Quiet rather than silent, and it's worth being precise. At rest and on light load you will not hear it. The only moving part is a cooling fan, and under heavy load it becomes audible — Growatt rates the unit at up to 75 dB flat out, which is a real number and we would rather quote it than pretend. In practice that only happens when the house is pulling hard, and it is mounted indoors: bodega, garage, service patio or utility room, not in the garden. A generator, by contrast, sits outside at 60–75 dB continuously, all night, whether you are using 200 watts or five kilowatts. It needs roughly a metre and a half of wall, ventilation, and to stay out of direct sea air.

Yes. Every system uses a Growatt solar-ready inverter/charger with its own MPPT solar input, so panels can be added afterwards without replacing anything. If you already have solar, we can often integrate the existing array; bring us the inverter model and we'll tell you straight away whether it plays nicely. Depending on the property, adding solar may also require CFE interconnection approval or sign-off from a condominium or HOA.

A little, and here is the honest arithmetic. The equipment draws standby power around the clock — up to about 75 watts on the larger units, roughly 50 kWh a month — a couple of hundred pesos on a basic tariff, and noticeably more if you are on DAC. Recharging after an outage adds very little on top, because you are only replacing what the outage drained. Solar changes the picture: a well-sized array can cover the standby draw and more, which is why solar can be added later. Every system we install is built ready for that.

This is what the system is for. It rides through the outage automatically, and if you're not on the peninsula you can check the state of the house from your phone. For multi-day outages, a solar-paired system recharges during daylight and can extend runtime considerably — how far depends on how much your panels generate, the weather, shading, the battery's state of charge and what you are running. It is not unlimited power, and heavy cloud after a storm reduces what the array produces. Pre-season inspections are recommended, and are best booked ahead of the June-to-November season rather than during it.

Yes, and this is the part most people underestimate. The system regulates incoming power continuously, so the sags, brownouts and everyday voltage swings that quietly destroy A/C compressors and appliance boards are substantially reduced before they reach the backed-up circuits. That is voltage regulation, not lightning or transient surge protection — a direct strike or a large transient still needs dedicated surge protection, which we can specify separately. Much of the value here shows up long before a full blackout does.

Two separate things, and it is worth keeping them apart. The equipment carries the manufacturer's warranty, which differs by model: 5 years on the Growatt SPE inverters, 5 years on the Hope 5.0L-B1 battery, and 5 years standard on the AXE 5.0L-C1 with a 10-year option. Those are Growatt's terms, administered through Growatt. Our own installation workmanship is warranted separately by us. Support is local: you call or message +52 984 452 8700 and reach the people who installed your system, not a call centre in another country.

Yes. We can coordinate with your property manager, builder or architect, send photo updates through the install, and commission the system on a video call so you see it tested yourself.