The 8-step framework

1. STEP 1

   Map the circuits you actually need to back up

   Before anything else, decide what must stay on in a blackout: the fridge and freezer, the modem and router, a few lights, any medical equipment, and a sump pump if you have one. That short "essential loads" list sizes your battery and shapes the wiring - it is far cheaper to group those circuits now than to re-wire later. Everything else (oven, aircon, pool pump) is a nice-to-have that drives cost up fast.

2. STEP 2

   Decide portable power station, fixed home battery, or both

   A portable power station is plug-and-play - move it around, run it on a build site, take it camping, and plug the fridge and modem straight into it during an outage. A fixed home battery wires into your switchboard and solar, stores far more, and backs up chosen circuits automatically. In a new build you can plan for a fixed battery and still start with a portable unit. Decide the direction now so the electrician leaves the right provisions.

3. STEP 3

   Plan the switchboard and an essential-loads sub-board

   This is the decision that only makes sense during the build. Ask your electrician to group the must-stay-on circuits onto an essential-loads sub-board (or a backup/changeover board) and to leave physical space and spare ways in the main switchboard. Retrofitting this after lock-up means opening walls and re-terminating - planning it in while the board is being built costs very little.

4. STEP 4

   Size capacity and output to the job

   Two numbers matter: watt-hours (how long it runs) and watts (how much it runs at once). Add up the continuous draw of your essential loads to check the inverter rating covers them simultaneously, then size the stored watt-hours for how many hours of outage you want to ride through. Startup surge on fridges and pumps matters too - leave headroom rather than sizing to the exact nameplate figure.

5. STEP 5

   Plan solar and battery to work together

   If you are installing rooftop solar, decide early how a battery charges from it and whether you want expansion batteries to grow capacity later. For a portable setup, check panel wattage and the connector suit the power station's solar input and charge limit. Either way, position roof penetrations, conduit runs and the inverter location while the roof and walls are open, not after.

6. STEP 6

   Choose where the battery or power station lives

   Batteries want a cool, ventilated, accessible spot out of direct sun - a garage, plant room or shaded external wall, never a hot roof space. Decide that location now so cable runs from the switchboard and solar are short and tidy, and so there is clearance for airflow and maintenance. A portable station needs a bench or shelf near a power point and within reach for recharging.

7. STEP 7

   Leave room for an EV charger and future expansion

   Even if you are not buying an EV yet, running a conduit and leaving switchboard capacity for a charger now is dramatically cheaper than trenching and upgrading later. The same thinking applies to battery expansion and a larger solar array - size the supply and leave the provisions so future-you can bolt capacity on without another electrician opening the walls.

8. STEP 8

   Know how it switches over in a blackout

   Understand whether your setup changes over automatically (the essential circuits keep running without you touching anything) or manually (you plug loads into a portable unit). Automatic changeover needs the sub-board and inverter planned in; manual is simpler but means someone has to act. Decide which you want before the fit-off stage so the wiring matches, and label the board so anyone in the house knows what stays on.

FAQs