Whole-home vs. backup battery systems

Whole-home battery systems are sized and configured to carry most or all of a home's electrical panel during an outage, including larger loads like HVAC where the system's continuous power output supports it.

Home backup batteries are typically smaller units wired to a sub-panel covering essential circuits only — refrigeration, lighting, networking, and a handful of outlets.

Neither category is strictly better; they're sized for different goals. A smaller home with modest essential loads may get everything it needs from a backup battery at a fraction of the cost of a whole-home system.