Backup Power in
Home battery backup and standby generators for Belmont, from the Pleasant Street and Common Street districts to the rest of town.
Get a Savant QuoteBelmont runs its own utility, and Belmont Light actively encourages home batteries. It has a battery storage incentive program for residential systems, with or without solar, and says a battery can provide short-term coverage during outages.
Boston Backup Power is a division of Boston Automations in Norwood. We design and install RoseWater Energy systems, Savant Power and Generac and Kohler standby generators, and licensed electricians and gas fitters make the connections.
Authorized RoseWater Energy Dealer. Authorized Savant dealer. Authorized Generac and Kohler partner. Updated .
Storms and outages in Belmont
On a 90-degree afternoon on June 12, 2017, heat and age caused a single transformer at the Hittinger substation to explode, blacking out between a quarter and a third of the town. Some neighborhoods were out for nearly 10 hours.
On December 13, 2014, a supply problem from NStar cut power to one of Belmont Light's three substations, and nearly 2,000 customers lost power at 12:51 p.m. until about 2:20 p.m.
Who supplies the power
Belmont Light, the town's municipal light department, supplies Belmont. In 2016 it finished a 0.8-mile underground 115 kV transmission line to an Eversource substation in Cambridge, built to improve reliability. A home battery needs an interconnection application to Belmont Light.
Which system fits a Belmont home?
We install all three, so we can recommend the one that suits the house and the budget.
RoseWater Energy
Belmont Light's 2017 transformer failure lasted nearly 10 hours in places. A RoseWater HUB carries a large house through that kind of outage with zero transfer time.
Whole-home battery backup with zero transfer time and power conditioning, for large homes where nothing can blink. Most projects run $125,000 to $1,000,000.
Standby generator
A standby generator on natural gas suits a Belmont house that mainly needs heat and refrigeration through a long outage, on a lot with room for a pad.
A Generac or Kohler standby generator on natural gas or propane that starts on its own when the power goes out. Most installs run $7,500 to $20,000.
Where the equipment goes in Belmont
Most Belmont houses have a basement or garage that can take a Savant Power Storage cabinet or a RoseWater HUB. In a local historic district, keeping the equipment inside avoids the review that an outdoor unit would bring.
Permits in Belmont
Belmont's Historic District Commission requires a Certificate of Appropriateness for all exterior alterations visible from a public way, and no building permit for exterior work in a district can be issued without one. The districts are Pleasant Street, Common Street and Richardson Farm.
How to start
For a RoseWater system, start with the Power Plan. For Savant Power, use the Savant quote form. For a standby generator, use the generator quote form. If you are not sure which one fits, use the contact form or call (781) 333-8003 and we will talk it through. We reply within one business day.
Questions about backup power in Belmont
Does Belmont Light help pay for a home battery?
Does Belmont Light help pay for a home battery?
Belmont Light runs a battery storage incentive program for residential batteries, with or without solar, and a separate program for listed batteries enrolled in demand response. Check its current terms. We size the system and help with the interconnection application.
Is a battery enough, or do we need a generator too?
Is a battery enough, or do we need a generator too?
For outages like Belmont's 2017 and 2014 events, a few hours to most of a day, a battery sized for the essentials is usually enough. For multi-day outages, add a generator or solar to recharge it.
We are in the Pleasant Street district. Can we add backup power?
We are in the Pleasant Street district. Can we add backup power?
Yes. Equipment inside the house is not an exterior alteration. A visible generator would need a Certificate of Appropriateness.
Ready to plan backup power in Belmont?
Tell us about the house and what has to stay on. We visit, size the system and give you a written proposal. We reply within one business day.