Why the Tesla Backup Switch is a Game-Changer for Home Backup Power
Tesla has a knack for bringing emerging technologies into the mainstream. The Model Y did it for electric vehicles and the Powerwall did it for home battery storage — but there’s a new Tesla offering to keep an eye on: the Tesla Backup Switch.
The Tesla Backup Switch is a small but mighty device that increases the capabilities and lowers the cost of Powerwall backup battery systems. Let’s explore why the Tesla Backup Switch is a game-changer for protecting your home from power outages.
- What does the Tesla Backup Switch do?
- What are the benefits for homeowners?
- Do other battery brands have backup switches?
- Where is it approved and available?
Let’s start with the basics of how the Tesla Backup Switch works and how it’s different from traditional backup battery systems.
What does the Tesla Backup Switch do?
The Tesla Backup Switch is a crucial component of a Powerwall system that detects power outages and instantly switches your home to solar + battery power. All backup battery systems need a device like this (often called a “gateway”) to safely disconnect your home from the grid and allow your solar and battery system to stay active. This safety feature is required by utilities to prevent the backflow of your solar electricity from harming lineworkers as they repair the grid. Without it, your solar + battery system will shut down during power outages.
The Tesla Backup Switch plugging into an electric meter.
In a traditional battery backup system, the gateway is mounted to your wall in a box that’s roughly the size of a pillow. Typically, these systems also require a dedicated breaker box (known as a “sub-panel”) that limits which appliances you can power during an outage. As you can imagine, installing these additional components takes hours of labor on your dime.
The key innovation of the Tesla Backup Switch is that it plugs directly into your electric meter, which is why it’s often referred to as a “meter collar.” It also wires into your existing breaker box, which means you can power any system in your home during outages while reducing the cost and clutter of the installation.
Tesla Backup Switch vs gateway
What are the benefits for homeowners?
The benefits of using a Tesla Backup Switch for your backup battery system fall into three buckets.
1. Use any appliance during power outages
Traditional backup systems wire into a sub-panel, which means you have to pick a limited number of appliances you can power during blackouts. Oftentimes, this means powering the bare essentials like refrigeration, medical devices, Wi-Fi, and certain outlets and lights.
The Tesla Backup Switch wires into your main breaker box, which means you have access to all lights and appliances in your home during outages — including heating and cooling systems.
2. Less clutter on your wall
The Tesla Backup Switch eliminates the need for mounting a gateway box and sub-panel on your wall. This improves aesthetics and frees up garage space. More importantly, it translates directly into benefit number 3.
3. Lower installation costs
With fewer components, Tesla Backup Switch systems are much quicker and more cost-effective to install. Solar companies in our network have reported installing these in under an hour — roughly one-third of the time of a typical installation — reducing the system cost by $3,000 to $5,000.
Do other battery brands have backup switches?
The Tesla Backup Switch is the first “meter collar” device to be introduced and approved in the United States — but it won’t be long until other manufacturers follow suit. Given the clear benefits to homeowners and installers, we’re expecting similar devices to be available in early 2025.
Which utilities have approved the Tesla Backup Switch?
As a crucial safety device, the Tesla Backup Switch requires utility approval before it can be offered to homeowners. As of October 2024, the Tesla Backup Switch has been approved by the following utilities?
Arizona
California
Colorado
Hawaii
Michigan
Montana
Nevada
New Jersey
North Dakota
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Washington
Washington
Wyoming
