You may also need to upgrade your wiring and electrical panel and get permission from your local authority. In my case, here in Scotland, that meant asking my distribution network operator. The US equivalent is an electric distribution utility or local distribution company. They may have to upgrade your connection. I needed a new cut-out with a bigger fuse to handle my EV charging, battery, and air-source heat pump, but the upgrade was free. Your mileage may vary, and it can take a while to hear back. Your installer will likely handle this process for you.

You also need to choose an installer. I recommend shopping around, reading reviews, and getting multiple quotes. The Greener Energy Group installed my battery, and they were excellent. There was a site visit to discuss the work, and the installation was completed in a day. The installers need a suitable location for the battery (mine was installed in the garage, but they are weatherproof, so they can also be installed outside), and they must run cable to your main fuse board.

The EcoFlow PowerOcean system stood out because of its 15-year warranty, modularity (expandable to 45 kWh), stylish design, and accessible smartphone app. I went with a 6-kW hybrid inverter (thinking we may get solar panels down the line) and two 5-kWh batteries. With hindsight, I should have gone for three or four, but I’ll get into that later.

The EcoFlow PowerOcean sports a sleek gray metallic design, and it’s only 188 millimeters deep (around 7.5 inches). It’s pretty unobtrusive, but it’s better if you can tuck it away in a garage or basement because that will also help with operating temperatures, though the PowerOcean also has built-in heating to avoid reduced performance when it’s very cold.

Powering Up

Configuring my EcoFlow PowerOcean was a breeze. My current EV tariff (Intelligent Octopus Go) offers cheap electricity between 11:30 pm and 5:30 am, so I have the battery fill up during those hours, and it starts to discharge every morning at 5:31 am. We are a family of four, and I work from home.