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BLUETTI continues to build on its core competency of building slick battery systems with even more features that optimize them for use in the home. They were at CES 2024 in Las Vegas this year showing off their ever-increasing line of modular energy storage systems that were designed to be wired into the home’s electric panel and connected to a stationary rooftop solar system.
CleanTechnica sat down with BLUETTI’s Director of Sales Brian Shircliffe at CES 2024 to get grounded on BLUETTI’s new products for the year ahead. We dug into how their products integrate with solar and BLUETTI’s home energy storage products can reduce the amount of rooftop solar needed to power the home.
The Install
BLUETTI is moving to the home starts with their EP800 and EP900 home energy storage units and their B500 expansion batteries that allow homeowners to right size the system for exactly their needs. The move into larger, stationary systems is new territory for BLUETTI and to make it easier for customers, BLUETTI added some additional touch points with customers after the initial sale.
BLUETTI’s new EP500, EP800 and EP900 solutions were purpose built to help homeowners more easily add battery backup and solar to their homes whether they are connected to the grid or not. As a modular home backup solution, BLUETTI’s kits are more manageable by a single person than a massive 10+ kilowatt-hour, 200+ pound battery that needs equipment and a few people to manhandle it to get it mounted.
Installation can either be done by the homeowner if they’re comfortable with tapping into their home’s electrical system or by a local licensed electrician.
The result is a system that delivers the same energy storage benefits to the homeowner but at a lower cost than a traditional home energy storage system. The challenge is that while it’s easy to use BLUETTI’s web system design software to build a system that’s perfect for the home, it’s challenging to actually get it installed. People often bite off more than they can chew which is where BLUETTI’s after purchase service comes in.
Their team reaches out to customers after the purchase with standard updates about shipment timing and tracking info, but that’s nothing new. For their home systems, Shircliffe said that BLUETTI’s team also reaches out to ask if the customer has any questions about the installation for their system. They’re not trying to sell anything but rather, they’re just looking to open the door for customers who might realize they need help later on.
If that’s the case, they can reach out to BLUETTI via email or phone to talk through their specific situation and get technical support or even get plugged into a local installer. This is a bonus that comes with BLUETTI’s systems that customers are increasingly taking advantage of, Shircliffe said.
Solar
BLUETTI’s home energy storage systems art designed to be wired directly into the home and can be connected directly to a rooftop solar system with industry standard MC4 connectors. They continue to make it easier for customers to purchase a battery system with solar included, though they do not sell any solar panels intended for installation on the roof — yet.
They typically partner with local solar installers and electricians to assist homeowners with installations and add any rooftop solar panels the customer needs for their system. With BLUETTI already selling a range of portable solar panels to complement their portable power stations, a move into fixed install solar panels is a fairly logical step forward.
The week after CES at Intersolar in San Diego, BLUETTI’s booth housed a last minute addition that brought up more new questions than it answered. A small wedge of roofing material with four solar roof tiles that looked like rough prototypes joined the party. They didn’t have much information to share about it, with just a small sign teasing BLUETTI’s possible entry into the solar roof tile party.
The sign simply noted that the tiles would be waterproof, easy to install, and come in red and black options. Beyond that, they were tight lipped about the new addition. We’ll be keeping our eyes out as more information about these tiles surfaces. Intersolar was absolutely buzzing with excitement over the tease.
Overall
Once the core energy storage system is installed, the possibilities are nearly endless in terms of how it’s actually used in the home. Most consumers will simply install it and let the system operate how it’s intended with the battery soaking up excess solar production during the day, allowing the homeowner to use the stored power after the sun goes down.
More advanced customers can fine tune their system to work better with the specific quirks of their utility. Installing a BLUETTI energy storage system allows them to maximize self-consumption or even using the battery to store cheap power at night, using it to power the home during the day if the solar can’t cover it.
For more information about BLUETTI’s home energy storage products or to purchase one for yourself, head to their home energy backup website.
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