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EG4 WallMount 314Ah All Weather Battery

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• Introduction
• How does it work?
• But does it actually save money?
• Peak shaving isn't just about homeowners
• Your battery could have several jobs
• Conclusion

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Introduction

Once you have a grid-connected battery system installed and can control and monitor it through an app, you start to see that it can do much more than simply provide backup power when the grid goes down.

The more EG4 battery systems we install, the more I'm starting to believe that this is where residential energy storage is heading. It may start with homes that experience frequent power outages, where having a battery means keeping the refrigerator, internet, heating system and other important loads running when the grid fails. But as battery technology becomes more common, I think we'll see more homeowners installing energy storage even when their grid is relatively reliable.

Why? Because a battery doesn't have to sit there waiting for a power outage.

When most people think about a battery energy storage system, they think about backup power. The power goes out, the battery takes over, and the lights stay on. But a grid-connected battery can do much more than keep the lights on during an outage.

How does it work?

Let's say your electricity provider has a time-of-use rate. During the overnight hours, electricity might be cheaper, while the late afternoon and evening are more expensive because that's when electricity demand is highest.

Instead of buying all of your electricity from the grid during those expensive hours, your energy storage system can charge the battery during the cheaper period. When the expensive period arrives, the battery can supply some or all of the power your home needs.

For example, here where I live in British Columbia, BC Hydro's optional time-of-day pricing currently provides a 5-cent-per-kWh discount between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. and a 5-cent-per-kWh surcharge between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. BC Hydro specifically identifies battery storage as one way customers can take advantage of this difference.

So instead of thinking of the battery only as an emergency power source, you can think of it as a way of moving electricity through time.

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But does it actually save money?

A battery doesn't create free electricity. It takes electricity from the grid, stores it, and then delivers it back to your home later. There are losses involved in charging and discharging the battery, and batteries also have a finite cycle life.

So if the price difference between cheap and expensive electricity is very small, the savings may not justify the cost of installing and cycling a battery.

The numbers have to make sense.

You need to look at the difference between the cheap and expensive electricity rates, how much energy you can realistically shift, the efficiency of the battery and inverter, and the cost of the battery system itself.

For example, if you can store 10 kWh overnight and use that energy during the expensive period, you're moving a meaningful amount of your electricity consumption away from the higher-cost hours. But you shouldn't assume that all 10 kWh you put into the battery will come back out. Some energy is lost during the process.

That's why at IOTG Solar, we believe the first question shouldn't be "What battery should I buy?"

The first question should be:

"Does a battery actually make financial sense for the way I use electricity?"

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Peak shaving isn't just about homeowners

The same basic idea becomes even more important for larger electrical loads.

A business might have equipment that creates a large spike in electrical demand. A properly designed battery energy storage system can discharge during that period and reduce the amount of power being drawn from the grid.

Where I live here in British Columbia, BC Hydro describes this as load limiting or load shaping: using stored energy during periods of high demand and recharging the battery when demand is lower.

This is one reason battery storage is becoming an increasingly important part of the electrical system. Batteries can store electricity when it's available and discharge it when it's needed, helping shift energy across the day and reduce peak demand. Here in Canada the Energy Regulator reported in October 2026 that battery storage is playing an increasingly important role in managing peak demand and shifting electricity availability.

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Your battery could have several jobs

This is one of the things I find most interesting about modern energy storage. The same battery could potentially have several different jobs depending on what is happening:

During the day: Store excess solar energy.

During an outage: Provide backup power.

During expensive electricity periods: Power the home instead of buying as much electricity from the grid. During periods of high demand: Reduce the amount of power being pulled from the grid.

The challenge is designing the system so that the battery has enough energy available when you actually need it.

For example, if your battery is programmed to save money by discharging during the afternoon but a power outage happens later that evening, you may want the system to maintain a reserve. Good energy management isn't simply about making the battery work as hard as possible. It's about deciding what job the battery should be doing and when.

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Conclusion

There is an important lesson here. A battery is not automatically a money-saving device. The electricity rate, your household's energy-use pattern, the size of the battery, system efficiency, battery cycling, and the cost of the installation all matter.

That's why energy storage should be designed around the way you actually use electricity, not around a battery salesperson's favourite product.

Education first. Sales second.

Before adding a battery, understand what problem you're trying to solve. If the numbers work, a battery can be much more than backup power. It can become another tool for managing the way you buy and use electricity.

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​Educational information only: This article is provided for general educational purposes and is not a substitute for site-specific professional advice. Electrical, building, safety, permitting, and equipment requirements can vary by project and location. Always verify requirements for your specific installation.

​Read our full Educational Disclaimer​

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