My system and the savings

The garage — DELTA Pro Ultra + Ultra X and the smart inlet box.The Smart Home Panel 3 — my main panel, all 32 circuits run through it.The panel mounted in the laundry room — clean install, replaced the old service panel.Live in the EcoFlow app — both batteries ~93%, solar trickling in. This snapshot caught an optional top-up just before the peak window; the bulk of charging happens overnight on the cheap super-off-peak rate.

My setup — tap any photo to enlarge.

My system

Why I went with this setup

I didn't want a sealed box bolted to the wall that I could never touch or take with me. A few things sold me on the modular approach:

• •Expandable on my timeline. I can add another battery whenever — start with what I need now and grow it when a long outage (or the budget) says so. The smart-panel install was a one-time permitted job; after that, adding a battery is plug-in — no new permit or electrician each time.
• •Solar-ready. Panels wire straight in when I'm ready — no separate grid-tie inverter or utility project.
• •It comes with me. If I ever move, the batteries and inverters come along — the bulk of the investment isn't stuck to this house. Only the hard-wired Smart Home Panel and inlet box stay behind.

More on the tradeoffs in modular vs. fixed home batteries — including where a fixed system like a Powerwall is the better call.

My savings

I switched from Dominion's standard rate (Rate 8) to time-of-use (Rate 7) in April, with the battery covering the expensive on-peak window. Every full month since has landed well below what the same usage would have cost on my old Rate 8. Here's June as a worked example:

Heads up — my usage runs high for a home. A few reasons: I charge an EV at home, easily one of the biggest loads a house can add; I run a 24/7 server/network rack; and I keep the system in EcoFlow's EPS mode (Emergency Power Supply) — an EcoFlow standby mode that keeps the battery online so it takes over in under 20 ms with no gap the instant the grid drops, which sips a little power around the clock. Most homes use well under what I do, so don't anchor on my totals: the analyzer sizes everything to your actual bill, not mine.

≈ 40% lower — every full month I've been on Rate 7.

June: $311 → $190, a 39% cut. July, with more usage: $523 → $304 — 42% (before ~$85 in separate reward-program credits). Same ~40% whatever the month's usage — see the bills below.

And Dominion's rates just climbed again — a new rate case took effect July 2026, raising both plans. As electricity keeps getting more expensive, switching to time-of-use with a battery pays off even more.

Straight from my own bills — electricity charges only. My Dominion bill includes gas too, but that's not factored in here. Yours will differ with your usage and rate; that's what the analyzer works out for your home.

What it cost me

I built this up in stages, not all at once:

That install ran high, and I'll be straight about why: my house is older, so it needed a 4-wire upgrade, a new disconnect, and added grounding, plus a sub-panel I chose to add that wasn't required. A newer home or a simpler job comes in well under that.

I caught a 2025 federal tax credit on part of it — but that credit expired December 31, 2025, so a 2026 buyer won't get it. That's why we won't pretend it still exists.

So what's the payback?

I save around $2,400/yr on my bill (my usage runs high). On savings alone:

• •At today's rates, held flat: about 10 years.
• •With energy prices rising ~6%/yr (Dominion raised rates twice in 2026 alone): savings grow too, pulling it in to about 8 years.

But payback isn't the reason to buy — not for me, and probably not for you. The real return is backup: when the grid drops, my house keeps running — fridge, Wi-Fi, AC, no spoiled food, no scramble in a hurricane. The bill savings just ride along on top.

Keep in mind my install ran high partly because it's an older home. Most homes need less, so your numbers will likely come in lower — and adding solar takes you further off the grid. Run your bill through the analyzer to see yours.

My actual bills — nothing hidden

The proof behind those numbers: my Dominion bills, month by month, with personal details redacted. Swipe through and tap any bill to read it full-size — including the months I made mistakes.

Apr 2026 · Rate 8

May 2026 · the switch

Jun 2026 · Rate 7

Jul 2026 · Rate 7

What's next for my setup

I'm growing this in stages — battery first, sun next:

1. 1.A small ground-mount array to start — solar panels, testing placement in the yard.
2. 2.Then panels on the roof of the main house.
3. 3.And expanding the battery over time as my needs grow.

The goal: run as much of the house on my own solar and battery as I can.