Backup Power in
Battery backup and standby generators for houses in Chilmark, Menemsha and along South Road and North Road on Martha's Vineyard.
Build Your Power PlanUp-Island, the power reaches Chilmark along roads lined with trees and stone walls. It is beautiful country and a hard place to keep lines up, and the houses are often far apart, so restoration goes one road at a time.
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 Chilmark
On August 13, 2019, a downed wire on Menemsha Road cut power to 906 Chilmark customers, 48.2 percent of the town, and to every home in Aquinnah. Eversource said a tree brought down by heavy rain may have caused it.
The March 2018 nor'easters left some Chilmark homes without power for nearly four days, with Eversource crews on North Road until 3 a.m., according to the MV Times. On March 12 that year, 53 percent of Chilmark was out at 9 p.m., the highest share on the island.
Who supplies the power
Eversource serves Chilmark, like the rest of Martha's Vineyard, through the island's undersea cables from the Cape. Up-Island outages usually start with a tree or a downed wire on a single road rather than at the cables.
Which system fits a Chilmark home?
We install all three, so we can recommend the one that suits the house and the budget.
Savant Power
For a smaller up-Island cottage, Savant Power puts battery backup on the circuits you choose with modules in the existing panel, and there is no engine to hear across the fields.
Relay modules in your existing panel and Savant Power Storage batteries, so you choose which circuits get backup power and see your usage in the Savant app. Modules typically run $2,000 to $10,000, and battery backup $10,000 to more than $100,000.
Standby generator
For the multi-day outages Chilmark has seen, a propane standby generator recharges a battery system or carries the house on its own.
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 Chilmark
The Squibnocket shore is eroding. After the January 2024 storms, part of Squibnocket Road was undermined and the conservation commission sought an emergency repair order. For houses near the water in Squibnocket or Menemsha, equipment goes above the flood level and well back from the eroding edge.
Up the hills, the issue is more often access and quiet. A HUB or battery cabinet indoors needs no clearance from neighbors, and a generator pad goes where the propane truck can reach it.
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 Chilmark
We are only in Chilmark in summer. What happens if the power goes out in January?
We are only in Chilmark in summer. What happens if the power goes out in January?
With a HUB, the circuits you protect keep running with no gap, so heat, freeze protection, the well pump and the network stay up. A generator behind it covers a long outage, and you can check on the house remotely.
Is a generator noisy up-Island?
Is a generator noisy up-Island?
A standby generator runs only during outages and for a short weekly exercise. Where quiet matters, a battery system carries the house with no engine running at all, and a generator can be the backup to the backup.
How do you handle installs on the Vineyard?
How do you handle installs on the Vineyard?
We plan visits around the ferry, coordinate a licensed island electrician for the connection, and bring in RoseWater's technicians to commission the system.
Ready to plan backup power in Chilmark?
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.