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For Southern Californians whose homes survived despite being near January’s wildfires, returning home has often been a struggle.
Some properties required extensive smoke remediation, along with ash and debris cleanup. Nearby businesses providing essential goods and services were either destroyed or closed. And for many, power outages made it impossible to return to life as normal.
Jason Bulquerin considers himself fortunate that his neighborhood was outside of the burn area. But a power outage would leave his neighbors without electricity for days — something he was fortunate to avoid.
Bulquerin is among a growing number of people across the country installing battery-based whole-home backup power system to protect against outages and potentially save money on energy bills.
Last year, he installed several large EcoFlow DELTA Pro Ultra battery units, connecting them to his household electrical system with the EcoFlow Smart Home Panel 2. The system can provide days of critical backup power and can recharge with solar panels as well as fuel-based generators during an extended outage.
Bulquerin also owns several ultra-portable EcoFlow RIVER series portable power stations, which he lent out to his neighbors during the outage.
“One of my neighbors came home with a newborn, so he was borrowing my RIVER 2 Pro to power his fridge,” he said. “Another neighbor didn’t have internet, so I put my satellite internet receiver next to our fence powered by a RIVER 3 Plus so that he and his family could use Wi-Fi.”
“Each morning, they would bring the EcoFlow unit back so I could recharge it for them with my whole-home system. It was a hectic couple of days, but I’m sure glad I had my home backup ready so my wife and I were comfortable and even able to support my neighbors.”
Backup systems like Bulquerin’s not only offered comfort during the outage, but could rove critical during a disaster, ensuring access to vital updates from authorities about evacuation or imminent danger, said Brian Essenmacher, who leads business development for EcoFlow across the United States.
As Southern California communities begin to rebuild and reflect, Essenmacher said the conversation around how to better prepare for such events in the future needs to be at the forefront.
“Wildfires remain an ongoing threat and the power grid is always at risk,” he said. “Even without an active fire, power companies will come under increasing pressure to proactively shut down the grid anytime weather conditions become a concern.”
Beyond wildfires, the region is vulnerable to power disruptions from earthquakes, Santa Ana wind events and extreme heat.
Essenmacher said backup solutions exist for all different budget categories and individual power needs. Because the portable power station market is so new, many people are unaware of what’s available on the market and how powerful the technology has become.
EcoFlow launched in 2017 with a single portable power station and has already grown to a $1-billion-plus global leader in the emerging category of portable and home energy storage.
“From small portable power stations that can keep the Wi-Fi going and charge portable devices, to whole-home solutions connected to rooftop solar, we can offer tailored devices to ensure you remain connected and safe when it matters most,” he said.
EcoFlow’s current range of products include the powerful DELTA series and the extremely portable RIVER series. The company’s flagship DELTA Pro 3, for example, can power heavy-duty appliances, making it an ideal choice for families needing to maintain a semblance of normalcy during power outages.
RIVER series units can keep essential devices like smartphones, laptops and network devices up and running. This ensures that in times of emergency, communication lines remain open and that you can have power wherever you go.
EcoFlow’s products were in high demand following the wildfires. The company responded by donating DELTA and RIVER to evacuation shelters and individuals. EcoFlow also worked to deploy equipment at the first responder camp set up at the Pasadena Rose Bowl so that firefighters and others housed there could charge mobile devices to stay connected on the job and with loved ones back home.
Essenmacher said battery-based systems can provide backup power without many of the drawbacks of generators, such as noise, exhaust, outdoor space requirements, maintenance and potential for fuel shortages during an emergency. For people that do want to use a generator, pairing it with a portable power station means the generator only has to run for a short period to recharge it and avoids the inconvenience of having to run the generator 24/7.
Larger, battery-based whole-home backup systems also can save on power bills by integrating with solar panels as well as offering the ability to charge the batteries with grid power during off-peak rate hours and use the battery during peak hours, he said.
All of this technology would be moot if it were not easy to use. EcoFlow’s solutions are controllable and highly customized through a mobile app. The company’s newly introduced EcoFlow OASIS AI platform can provide recommendations and automations to maximize the capabilities of and potential energy from a customer’s system.
“As Southern California heals from, and reflects upon, the recent tragedy, top of mind for families is safety and protection for when the next disruptive incident occurs,” Essenmacher said. “Renewable energy technologies are a sustainable and forward-thinking way individuals can empower themselves with the tools needed to navigate natural disasters.”