Solar power has become common enough that utility companies typically have no issues accommodating more solar users on the city grid. These users are generally offered “net metering,” which allows them to feed their excess solar power back into the grid in exchange for a credit on their utility bills. In many ways, this can feel like you’re “banking” your excess solar power for later use, and yet, more and more people are choosing to add battery banks of their own for their solar power systems. How does net metering compare to your own battery bank? What are the pros and cons of these options? Keep reading to find out.

The Pros of Net Metering

Net metering offers higher financial savings on utility bills by allowing homeowners to get credits on their utility bills. This offsets the costs of the energy you do pull from the grid, if only by a percentage of the total. Net metering doesn’t require the added cost of a solar battery bank, so you don’t have to increase your upfront investment when installing solar to make use of it—and you don’t have to worry about battery maintenance later. The grid also has no limits on the amount of power you can feed into it, unlike physical batteries, which have a maximum storage capacity.

The Cons of Net Metering

On the downside, without solar batteries, your system goes down when the grid goes down (even if it happens on a sunny day). You’re just as reliant on the grid as anyone else at night and during periods of cloudy weather as well, so it can often feel like you haven’t gained any energy independence. Additionally, not all utility companies offer net metering, and many of the ones that do buy back your power at a reduced rate. This means that you might sell your power back to the grid at, say, $0.10 per watt, but they’ll sell it back to you at $0.16 per watt—hardly a good deal for you.

The Pros of Battery Banks

Solar battery banks offer energy independence, allowing you to store excess power for later use and reducing your dependence on the grid. They also give you backup power, so you can keep your home’s lights on when the grid goes down, as well as helping you avoid using the grid during peak usage hours, when the cost per watt is even higher than normal.

The Cons of Battery Banks

In terms of drawbacks, the primary barrier for purchasing a battery bank is usually the cost. Batteries can often double the cost of a solar power system, making the initial investment much higher than for a grid-tied system with net metering. Battery capacity is also finite, meaning that you can only store so much power, and may drain it all during periods of cloudy weather.

The decision to buy Pylontech Force battery or rely on net metering depends on your individual priorities, budget, and desire for dependence from the grid. However, as the cost of solar batteries continues to drop, more and more solar users are finding that the added cost of a battery bank is well worth it.