Short answer
A home battery installed with solar in Washington, DC keeps chosen circuits running during a grid outage and recharges from the panels the next day. A 10 kWh class battery typically runs $12,000 to $16,000 installed, and the federal homeowner tax credit that once covered batteries ended on January 1, 2026.
What the job is
What a battery installation includes
A battery system is more than the cabinet on the wall. It needs a gateway or transfer switch that disconnects the house from the grid during an outage, current sensors on the main lines, and usually a backup loads panel holding the circuits you want kept on. Installed with new solar, the battery, inverter and gateway are designed together from the start.
Sizing starts with a list: the fridge, sump pump, internet, lights, a few outlets, maybe a gas furnace's blower or a medical device. We add up what those draw and how long you want them running, then pick the battery and backup panel to match.
What moves the price
What moves the price of a battery
- Capacity and powerMore storage or a higher power rating means a bigger or second unit.
- Backup scopeWhole home backup needs more equipment than a critical loads panel.
- Panel workMoving circuits, a new backup panel or a service upgrade add cost.
- Mounting locationBasement, garage or exterior placement changes wiring and protection.
2026 planning ranges
- 10 kWh class home battery, installed$12,000 to $16,000 installedSource: a1solarstore.com
- Tesla Powerwall 3, installed$13,000 to $16,500 installedSource: a1solarstore.com
Published market ranges, not our quote. Your price depends on the roof, the equipment and the permit path.
Inside this job
Partial backup with a critical loads panel
The most common setup moves the essential circuits to a small backup panel fed by the battery. In an outage, those circuits stay on and the rest of the house goes dark, which stretches a single battery a long way. It is also the most affordable route, and a battery recharging from solar each day can carry essentials through a multi-day outage when the weather cooperates.
Whole home backup
Backing up the entire house means the gateway sits between the grid and the main panel, and the battery has to start and carry everything, including central air, an electric range or a well pump. That usually takes two or more batteries and careful attention to starting surges. It works, but it costs considerably more, so we price both routes side by side.
Sizing the battery
Two numbers matter: how much energy the battery stores, which sets how long it lasts, and how much power it can deliver at once, which decides what it can start. A battery with plenty of storage but limited power may run the fridge for a day and still fail to start a central air compressor. We size for both, and show you in the app how a reserve setting keeps charge back for outages.
Choosing between options
Partial or whole home backup?
| Partial backup | Whole home backup | |
|---|---|---|
| What stays on | Chosen essential circuits | Everything in the house |
| Batteries needed | Usually one | Often two or more |
| Large loads like central air | Usually not included | Included if sized for the surge |
| Relative cost | Lower | Higher |
Washington conditions
Paying for a battery in DC after the federal credit
The federal 25D credit for homeowner-owned systems, which also covered batteries charged by solar, ended on January 1, 2026, so a battery bought in Washington now is priced at its full installed cost. For households at or below 80 percent of area median income, DC's Solar Advantage Plus rebate offers up to $10,000 toward solar or solar plus storage, while Solar for All was waitlisted as of mid-2026. We check which programs apply before you decide on size.
Step by step
How a battery installation runs
Call with your list
What you want running in an outage and for how long.
Panel and load check
We read the main panel and measure what your circuits draw.
Design and price
Battery, gateway and backup panel chosen, with a written price.
Permits and Pepco
Electrical permit and the interconnection application for storage.
Install day
Battery, gateway and backup panel installed, circuits moved.
Outage test
We cut the grid under control and show you the backup working.
Batteries we install include Tesla Powerwall, Enphase IQ Battery and FranklinWH, matched to the solar inverter so the system runs as one.
Time on site
How long a battery install takes
With new solar, the battery goes in alongside the panels, and the extra work is mostly inside: the gateway, the backup loads panel and moving circuits. Permits and Pepco's interconnection cover the whole system together, so the battery rarely adds much to the calendar.
On install day the power is off while circuits move to the backup panel, so we schedule that part for a time that suits you and tell you in advance how long the house will be without power.
Straight answers
Solar Battery Installation questions we hear in DC
It depends on what is running. With essentials on a backup panel, one battery can last through the night and recharge from solar the next day; whole home loads drain it much faster.
No. Net metering credits your daytime solar at the retail rate, so a battery is for backup, not for making solar pay.
Sometimes, if it is sized for the compressor's starting surge. Many single-battery systems leave central air off the backup panel.
Not for homeowner-owned systems. The 25D credit ended on January 1, 2026. Income-qualified DC households may be eligible for local programs.
Usually in a basement, garage or on an exterior wall near the main panel, placed to meet the manufacturer's clearances and code.
Most systems can be expanded later, as long as the gateway and inverter support it. We plan for that at the start if you think you will.
Related work
Jobs that often come up alongside this one
Battery Retrofit for Existing Solar
Adding a battery to a system that is already producing.
See this job about Battery Retrofit for Existing SolarSolar Battery Repair
Batteries that stopped charging or did not switch over.
See this job about Solar Battery RepairEV Charger Installation
Level 2 charging at home, set up to use your solar.
See this job about EV Charger InstallationElectrical Panel Upgrade for Solar
Service and panel upgrades that make room for solar.
See this job about Electrical Panel Upgrade for Solar