Hybrid / backup power first-year cost estimator
Enter must-run loads (fridge, lights, pump), hours, solar DIY vs kit, generator backup hours, and battery autonomy days. You get honest USD ranges for year one. No account. No email. Runs in your browser.
Complements the free hybrid-power questions checklist. Numbers are typical U.S. DIY / consumer street ranges (2024–2026); your utility interconnection, permits, and installer quotes will differ — often by a lot.
Your critical loads
Average Wh/day including compressor cycling — not nameplate watts × 24.
LED string / essential rooms only. 20–60 W is common for a calm critical set.
4 h
Evening + morning essential lighting. Daytime solar does not erase night hours.
Well / pressure / utility pump when it runs. 0 if city water or gravity. Peak start can be higher than running watts — size inverter for start, cost for Wh.
0.5 h
Many wells run minutes, not hours. Honest week average beats a panic day.
Router, medical device, freezer share, phone/laptop charge. Leave low if unsure.
Solar, generator, battery
DIY assumes you can mount, wire DC safely, and size a charge controller. Kit assumes a retail portable or home-backup package. Whole-home grid-tie installs are outside this tool.
Match scale to daily Wh and poor-sun days — not to Instagram roof porn.
40 h
Storm + maintenance runtime. 20–60 h is a calm suburban planning band; 0 = no gen year one.
Hardware once + fuel for the hours above. Noise / HOA / fuel storage are separate questions.
1.5 d
Days of must-run Wh without sun or generator. 0 = no battery bank year one. 3+ days gets expensive fast.
Permits and licensed work vary by county. “Pro” is a partial-help band — not a full turnkey quote.