North Shore
Always-on RoseWater Energy systems for coastal homes and country estates from Marblehead and Manchester-by-the-Sea to Hamilton and Ipswich.
Boston Backup Power designs RoseWater Energy systems for homes on the North Shore, from Swampscott and Marblehead up the coast to Manchester-by-the-Sea, Gloucester and Newburyport, and inland through Hamilton, Wenham and Topsfield.
The coast here is beautiful and exposed. A house on the water deals with salt air and storm surge, and a house in the horse country inland deals with long roads, old trees and overhead lines. A RoseWater HUB keeps the systems you rely on running through both, with zero transfer time and conditioned power every day in between.
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Storms and outages on the North Shore
Coastal storms are the main threat to power on the North Shore. Nor'easters drive wind and salt spray onto exposed points like Marblehead Neck, Nahant and Cape Ann, and heavy wet snow brings down old trees on the roads through Beverly Farms, Hamilton and Topsfield.
The Blizzard of 1978 is still the storm people here measure coastal flooding against, and newer nor'easters have flooded low roads along the shore since. Those are the big events. Between them, the power flickers, sags and surges far more often than it goes out.
National Grid serves much of the North Shore, and several towns, including Marblehead, Danvers, Peabody and Ipswich, run their own municipal light departments. A HUB treats the power at the panel the same way on any of them.
Homes on the North Shore
The North Shore has some of the oldest large houses in the state. Shingle-style summer houses on Marblehead Neck and along the Manchester and Beverly Farms shoreline sit next to newer homes built on the same lots. Inland, Hamilton, Wenham, Topsfield and Boxford have farms and estates with barns, pools and long driveways.
Older coastal houses were not built with a mechanical room in mind. They tend to have shallow basements, stone foundations and electrical service that has been added to over the years. We look at all of that on the first visit, because the room the HUB goes in matters as much as the size of the system.
A lot of these houses are full of things you do not want to replace after a surge: lighting control, shades, a wine room, a theater and a security system that has to stay up when nobody is home.
Salt air, flooding and where the system goes
On the coast, the HUB belongs inside, away from salt spray and above any water. RoseWater designs its HUBs for indoor installation in a garage or basement, and they do not need air conditioning. They need a space about 3.5 feet wide, 3 feet deep and 8 feet high, with 36 inches clear in front.
A basement on a waterfront lot is often the wrong place. RoseWater's warranty does not cover water damage, so if the basement has ever taken on water from a storm surge or a high water table, we look for a garage, a raised mechanical room or an upper level instead. Your electrician and the local building department will tell you where electrical equipment has to sit in a flood zone.
Where there is no good room inside, the HUB40 can go outdoors in RoseWater's powder-coated, climate-controlled outdoor enclosure. On an oceanfront lot we review the location with RoseWater's engineering team before we commit to it.
Cabinet sizes and specs for each system are on the HUB20, HUB40 and 3-Phase pages.
Homes we design for on the North Shore
Oceanfront houses
Shingle-style and newer homes on Marblehead Neck, Nahant and the Manchester and Cape Ann shoreline, where the location of the equipment matters as much as its size.
Country estates
Homes on acreage in Hamilton, Wenham, Topsfield and Boxford with barns, pools, wells and long overhead service lines.
Second homes and part-time houses
Remote monitoring can send alerts to you, to us and to RoseWater, so you know how the house is doing when you are not there.
Homes with a generator
A generator only starts after the power is already out. Pairing it with a HUB covers the gap and conditions the generator's power too.
Towns we serve on the North Shore
- Swampscott
- Marblehead
- Nahant
- Salem
- Beverly
- Beverly Farms
- Prides Crossing
- Manchester-by-the-Sea
- Gloucester
- Rockport
- Essex
- Ipswich
- Hamilton
- Wenham
- Topsfield
- Boxford
- Newburyport
- Andover
- North Andover
- Lynnfield
If your town is north of Boston and east of Route 93, we cover it. Ask if you are not sure.
How a project runs on the North Shore
We schedule North Shore site visits so we can see the house, the panel and the rooms that could take the cabinets in one trip. If you already work with an electrician, a generator dealer or a solar company, we coordinate with them. If you do not, we bring in a licensed electrician we trust. RoseWater technicians deliver and commission the system with us, and we support it after that.
Build your Power Plan
Use the Power Plan on this site or call us. You pick what has to stay on, from the network and lighting control to the well pump and the wine room.
Site visit
We look at your electrical service, the main panel and subpanels, and the rooms that could hold the cabinets. On new builds we work from the single-line diagram, riser diagrams and panel schedules.
Design with RoseWater
We register the project with RoseWater's engineering team, size the HUB and battery storage to your plan, and send you a written proposal.
Electrical tie-in
A licensed electrician connects the system at the main panel. We coordinate your electrician or bring in one we trust, along with any generator or solar partner.
Commissioning
RoseWater technicians deliver the cabinets and commission the system on site with us. Commissioning by RoseWater-trained personnel starts the three-year warranty.
Integration and support
We set up monitoring and alerts, tie the system into your home's other systems, and stay your first call for service and warranty questions.
The first step is the Power Plan. If you would rather talk it through, use the contact form or call (781) 333-8003. You can also read about our backup power installation and design services and whole-home battery backup for homes.
Questions about backup power on the North Shore
Can a RoseWater HUB go in a basement on a waterfront lot?
Can a RoseWater HUB go in a basement on a waterfront lot?
Only if the basement stays dry. RoseWater's warranty does not cover water damage, so on a lot that floods or has a high water table we look for a garage, a raised mechanical room or the HUB40 outdoor enclosure instead.
We already have a standby generator. Do we still need a HUB?
We already have a standby generator. Do we still need a HUB?
A generator and a HUB do different jobs. The generator starts after the power is out and runs as long as it has fuel. The HUB carries the house through the gap with zero transfer time and conditions the power from the grid and the generator. RoseWater recommends pairing a HUB40 with a generator for many larger homes.
Does it matter if my town has a municipal light department?
Does it matter if my town has a municipal light department?
No. A HUB works the same way in Marblehead or Ipswich as it does on National Grid. It treats whatever power arrives at your panel.
Plan Your North Shore System
Tell us which systems have to stay on and where the house sits. We will look at the best spot for the equipment and design the system around it.