Emporia Energy debuts Alpha-ESS Smart Home Battery System – Solar Builder Magazine

Emporia Energy, a Colorado-based smart home energy management technology company, is introducing the Alpha-ESS Smart Home Battery System to its offering. What’s unique about this product in comparison to others on the market, according to Emporia, is its modularity. This helps it accommodate higher storage capacities and gives the homeowner a more customizable experience.

The complete Alpha-ESS home battery system includes three components – inverter, transformer, and battery module. The inverter comes in either 7.6 kW and 9.6 kW sizes and either ac or dc coupled. The 8.2 kWh 256Vdc Lithium Ion (LiFePO4) battery modules are equipped with BMS and intelligent EMS cloud monitoring. Up to 6 modules can be combined to accommodate up to 49 kWh of energy storage.

Compatible with both new-build solar installations and retrofits to existing solar, the Emporia Battery System, can be monitored and controlled in real time via the Emporia Smart Home Energy Management app. Emporia adds the Alpha-ESS to an offering of EV chargers, energy monitors, and smart plugs.

In addition to the new system, Emporia is expanding its Certified Emporia Installer network. These installers identify the needs of a home owner and craft a plan that works for their consumption.

Examples of benefits

This Smart Home Energy Management System will present the times when electricity costs are highest in the area. Homeowners can then set a “Time of Use” schedule in the app for the amount of energy they want to discharge from their battery during these peak hours. Then, the system will automatically adjust energy usage across connected devices and appliances and optimize the battery’s total energy storage.

In addition, homeowners can set a “Peak Demand Goal’ and the system will adjust energy consumption and discharge battery capacity to stay within their goal.

Additionally, homeowners with a solar system can utilize the Emporia Home Battery’s “Excess Solar” management features to optimize the consumption and storage of excess solar production. The Emporia system identifies when excess solar power is being generated, and users can configure their Smart Home Energy Management System to automatically turn on loads, such as charging an electric vehicle, turning on appliances connected to Emporia Smart Plugs, adjusting smart thermostats to pre-cool or heat their home, and charging their Emporia Battery with their excess production.

It can also be connected to draw from the grid to pre-charge ahead of when utility rates may be surging or there’s an interruption to the power supply due to weather or ongoing grid stress.

For more on home energy storage systems, check out this episode of The Pitch: