You may also need to upgrade your wiring and electrical panel and get permission from your local authority. In my case, here in Scotland, that meant asking my distribution network operator. The American equivalent is an electric utility or local distribution company. They may have to upgrade your connection. I needed a new breaker and a larger fuse to accommodate my EV charger, battery, and air source heat pump, but the upgrades were not free. Your distance may vary, and it may take time to hear. Your installer can handle this process for you.
You also need to choose an installer. I recommend shopping around, reading reviews, and getting lots of quotes. The Green Energy Group I put my batteries in, and they were great. There was a site visit to discuss the job, and the installation was completed in one day. The installers need a suitable location for the battery (mine was installed in the garage, but they are not weatherproof, so they can also be installed outside), and they must run a cable to your main fuse board.
The EcoFlow PowerOcean system stood out because of its 15-year warranty, flexibility (expandable up to 45 kWh), sleek design and accessible smartphone app. I went with a 6-kW hybrid inverter (thinking we can get solar panels down the line) and two 5-kWh batteries. In hindsight, I should have gone for three or four, but I’ll get into that later.
EcoFlow PowerOcean has a sleek gray metal design, with a depth of only 188 mm (approx. 7.5 inches). It’s not impressive, but it’s better if you can put it in the garage or basement because that will also help with the operating temperature, although the PowerOcean also has internal heating to avoid reduced performance in very cold weather.
Power up
EcoFlow via Simon Hill
EcoFlow via Simon Hill
Setting up my EcoFlow PowerOcean was easy. My current EV (Intelligent Octopus Go) charge provides cheap electricity between 11:30pm and 5:30am, so the battery is charged at those times, and starts discharging every morning at 5:31am. We are a family of four children, and I work at home.
