How We Achieved Energy Independence: EG4 Battery Backup + Enphase Solar

Added: 2026-06-02

[00:00:00]Our power company sends us checks in the mail. Since we produce more energy than we use, our only bill is the connection fee to stay on the grid. Hi, I'm Anna and I live on a farmstead with my family and a collection of animals. If you saw part one, you know that a few years ago I had a baby and we left our off-grid house in the middle of nowhere to move to a new home on the grid.

[00:00:21]>> [music] >> Then we slowly started building back our energy independence. First came the solar array and now the batteries.

[00:00:28]>> [music] >> This is the system. The EG4 18 KPV hybrid inverter manages everything.

[00:00:34]Solar, battery and the house simultaneously.

[00:00:37]Two EG4 lithium iron phosphate wall mounted batteries wired in parallel [music] give us just over 28 kilowatt hours of storage.

[00:00:47]All of it sourced through Santan Solar who gifted some of the EG4 equipment.

[00:00:52]They're a solar company that ships nationwide making energy independence more affordable. [music] We already had an Enphase solar system but to match our storage with our most comparable battery, we would have needed three units. [music] Instead, we got the same capacity with two EG4 batteries for about a third of the cost. And I'll show you the setup trick we used to stretch our back of hours but first, here's what makes this inverter special. [music] This hybrid inverter gives you the flexibility to run off-grid, use the grid as backup or sell your excess energy back like we do.

[00:01:21]>> [music] >> The inverter can handle up to 18 kilowatts of solar input giving us a lot of room to grow. It also supports AC coupling which means it works alongside our existing Enphase microinverters instead of replacing them.

[00:01:34]>> [music] >> And going forward, we're not locked into one brand and we can monitor everything through the EG4 app. We're building a guest house on the property so our energy needs are going up >> [music] >> and when we do expand, we can add panels from any manufacturer.

[00:01:48]Setup-wise, we added a dedicated sub panel for our highest draw appliances with the dryer, baseboard heaters and oven. So those massive loads run grid power only and don't burn through our battery. Then, the EG4 system backs up our entire main panel with [music] our fridge, small appliances, well pump, pellet stove, lights, and all our other devices.

[00:02:08]>> [music] >> And the batteries now power the house at night instead of pulling from the grid.

[00:02:12]If you're looking for battery backup, solar panels, or a whole kit, check out San Tan Solar and use code It's Anna French for 5% off.