For six days last spring, Pete Borutski and his family listened to the ceaseless crash of trees snapping, accompanied by the unending roar of the generator. By the time the ice storm was over, 150 trees had been demolished around their home, and Pete had had enough.
“The generator drove us nuts. I knew that battery backup was an option, so I started looking into it,” he says.
Battery backup systems have been gaining traction in recent years, as homeowners discover that they are reliable, efficient, and silent sources of backup power. They can also significantly reduce hydro bills even when the power remains on.
As Pete looked into options, there was one model in particular that caught his eye. He was impressed, but the nearest dealer was in Toronto. An experienced entrepreneur, he decided to sign up as a dealer.
“I thought I’d install one system in my house, and one at my office, and see how well it worked. If it performed as advertised, I’d start selling them in Simcoe County and Muskoka.”
Pete and his son Adam already run several other companies, providing office equipment, furniture, telecommunications, and other technology services to businesses in the area. “I always believe that you sell where you sleep – so I only sell things that I’d use myself,” Pete explains. “These batteries fit the bill, and then some.”
Battery power
The Always On units are at the forefront of rapidly evolving battery design. They are modular, meaning homes can have as little as 10 kWh of battery backup. They are sealed units, so there’s less risk to children or pets. They have a simple app interface giving homeowners – and service teams – remote access.
Best of all, they don’t require the hydro company to perform a disconnect.
That may not sound like much to the uninitiated, but it’s actually a big deal, Pete explains. “Most other battery systems and generator hookups need to have a hydro crew come out and disconnect the power before the system can be finalized.” That’s an added expense – typically around $1,500 – but it’s also an enormous delay.
“People can end up waiting months for hydro to perform the disconnect,” Pete says. “They’ve bought their battery or generator, and are just sitting there, waiting for someone from hydro to be available for something that is not their top priority to complete.”
An Always On installation is incredibly fast: two installers can complete the entire job in roughly one day. The connections need to be made by a master electrician, but there’s nothing overly complicated about the work that’s required.
“The actual effort is very similar to installing a hot tub,” Pete explains.
Even the electrical permits are simple. “You could call me today, and I can likely have a system in place for you tomorrow,” Pete says. “We can get this installed before the power goes out.”
And be assured, he adds, the power is going to go out again.
The ice storm of 2025 might once have been considered a once-in-a-lifetime event, but climate change means that’s no longer the case. On top of that, the power grid is aging at the same time as demand is climbing.
“The grid is in trouble. Hydro knows it, we know it,” Pete says. Repairing damage from storms, upgrading systems to resist future weather events, and expanding to meet a growing demand for electricity is costing billions of dollars – which gets reflected in electric bills.
“Ontario Hydro announces their new rates every November. This year, those rates went up more than 20 percent. And they’re not likely going down next November.”
A battery system lets you combat those rate increases.
Hydro in Ontario is commonly priced according to time of use: it’s more expensive at times when everyone is using power, and cheaper when there is excess power available. Charging the batteries when the hydro rates are cheapest, so they can run the home during the day when rates are highest, is a simple way to achieve savings and can provide return on investment for the batteries.
Further, the batteries allow Hydro’s Ultra Low Overnight model to be even more practical for home and business owners, giving an extra 60 to 80 percent savings over the Time of Use rates.
Selecting a battery sized to meet your home hydro needs means the most you’ll pay is just 3.9 cents/kWh.
Couple a battery with solar panels – which Always On also installs – and the savings are even higher.
“With the right combination of panels and battery, your home can be net-zero.”
The provincial government is currently offering a $5,000 rebate for batteries and another $5,000 for roof-mounted solar, adding even more savings. Always On has a usage calculator on their website: just enter your power usage for up to three months, and it will indicate the potential savings and the size of battery you need. The QR code at right offers a quick way to get a quote.
Then it’s just a matter of making a call and watching the savings add up.
TEXT A. WAGNER-CHAZALON
PHOTOS ANDREW FEARMAN
