Let’s face it – warranties aren’t the easiest (or most gripping) documents to read. There are often a lot of details and fine print included that can be hard to digest, leaving many to wonder: what does the warranty actually cover? Am I vulnerable? Anything I might be missing?
To make it as easy as possible, we’ve read warranty documents for the top solar battery manufacturers, talked to them to confirm what is and isn’t included, and plan to point out the most important aspects of each in a series of articles. In this article, we’ll discuss the warranty from HomeGrid, a newer battery company that provides a lot of power and flexibility. Find out what solar + storage costs in your area in 2023
Highlights of HomeGrid’s warranty
Is based on battery lifetime of 10 years or 4,000 cycles (whichever comes first).
Covers shipping and labor associated with any necessary removal, repair, or replacement of equipment.
Will not be voided if you move and want to take your battery with you.
Has strong financial backing from TriWest Capital Partners and Koch Strategic Platforms.
Visit the EnergySage Marketplace to compare quotes for solar-plus-storage systems.
Quick overview: HomeGrid’s history and warranty
HomeGrid was founded in 2019 and acquired by Lithion Battery in 2021. They’ve grown significantly over the past few years, establishing partnerships with some key companies in the clean energy industry.
HomeGrid offers a comprehensive 10-year warranty for their battery products, which includes some unique features for added flexibility. For one, if you move and want to bring your HomeGrid battery with you, you’re able to do so without voiding the warranty. Additionally, if something does go wrong with one of your battery modules and the problem can’t be easily resolved, HomeGrid will ship you a new one that can be easily installed.
HomeGrid’s battery warranty at a glance CATEGORYHOMEGRID’S COVERAGEINDUSTRY STANDARD Product and performance10 years or 4,000 cycles10 years, plus a cycles or throughput clause End of warranty capacity60% at year 1060% at year 10 Labor for repairs/ replacementsYesNo Shipping of partsYesNo TransferabilityYes with no fee; can also take battery with you if you moveYes, no fee
HomeGrid’s product and performance warranty
A battery manufacturer’s product and performance warranty covers the integrity and output of the equipment itself – if your battery system has a defect or experiences unreasonable degradation, that should be covered by your product warranty. If there’s a defect with your battery, you or your installer should be able to tell that something is amiss and fix the problem immediately–often before the battery is ever installed. Regardless, it’s good to consider products with longer warranties for the peace of mind it provides.
HomeGrid includes a 10-year product warranty for all of their batteries. You can review and compare HomeGrid’s batteries in the EnergySage Buyer’s Guide.
You’ll also notice that many battery warranties will include a clause suggesting that your term may be cut short depending on your use of the battery – this is where cycles and throughput come into play.
Cycles
Every time you drain and charge your battery, it’s called a “cycle”. Like the battery inside your cell phone, your solar battery will gradually lose its ability to hold a full charge the more you use it. Because of this, some manufacturers guarantee a minimum number of cycles as part of their warranty agreement. But read this line carefully: oftentimes, manufacturers will guarantee a fixed product term OR a minimum number of cycles, whichever comes first. This means if you hit the warrantied number of cycles before your battery hits the end of its warranty period, it could end your warranty term. The confusing part here is that manufacturers will sometimes define a “cycle” differently–i.e., how much your battery needs to be drained and charged for it to be considered a “cycle”?
HomeGrid defines a “cycle” as up to 100 percent discharged and includes a warrantied number of 4,000 cycles for all of their batteries.
Throughput
Another clause that some manufacturers will put on their warranty pertains to throughput: the total energy a manufacturer expects the battery to deliver throughout its lifetime. Companies state these warranties in terms of megawatt-hours (MWh). For example, if your battery company provides a throughput warranty of 30 MWh, this means that the warranty is valid until the battery stores and delivers 30 MWh–or 30,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh)–of energy. Similar to a cycle life warranty, throughput warranties typically only apply if your battery delivers a set amount of energy before its warranty period is up.
Throughput numbers will vary quite a bit depending on the overall storage capacity of your system. Additionally, if your battery system contains several different battery cells–or modules–within it, your warranty may state a throughput by cell (which you can multiply by number of cells to get total throughput).
HomeGrid does not currently include a throughput warranty for their batteries.
HomeGrid’s end of warranty capacity rating
In addition to providing cycle or throughput warranties, most manufacturers also promise a certain level of performance by the time your warranty is up. This often presents itself as an end of warranty capacity rating.
As you’re comparing the end of warranty capacity ratings across various batteries, higher percentages are better than lower percentage guarantees.
HomeGrid includes an end of capacity rating of 60 percent for all of their batteries. You can check the end of warranty capacity ratings for each HomeGrid battery model in the table below: ModelInitial usable capacity (kWh)End of warranty capacity (kWh) Compact series5.12 kWh3.072 kWh Stack’d series - 2 modules9.6 kWh5.76 kWh Stack’d series - 3 modules14.4 kWh8.64 kWh Stack’d series - 4 modules19.2 kWh11.52 kWh Stack’d series - 5 modules24 kWh14.4 kWh Stack’d series - 6 modules28.8 kWh17.28 kWh Stack’d series - 7 modules33.6 kWh20.16 kWh Stack’d series - 8 modules38.4 kWh23.04 kWh
HomeGrid’s workmanship warranty
Battery companies should cover a replacement battery if you need it during their warrantied term–but, while the manufacturer may cover your replacement part, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll cover the labor costs to re-install that equipment. In fact, many manufacturers do not reimburse for labor associated with diagnostics, replacements, or repairs of their products.
More often than not, installers are the sole party responsible for providing workmanship–or labor–warranties for your battery installation. However, some manufacturers offer additional protection by tacking on their own workmanship warranty for a limited number of certified installers in their network.
HomeGrid does not currently offer a workmanship warranty for any necessary labor on their batteries. You can learn more about manufacturer endorsements and how they impact installer warranty offerings in this article.
How to make a warranty claim with HomeGrid: shipping & labor costs
Ideally, your storage system will continue operating smoothly for 10+ years, and you’ll never have to worry about HomeGrid’s warranty. However, if you experience any defects or performance issues with your equipment, HomeGrid will be there to help.
If you notice an issue with your battery, your first phone call should be to your original installer: having designed and installed your system, they are the most equipped to diagnose (and fix!) any potential issue. If you can’t get in touch with your installer, or if they’ve gone out of business, don’t worry: HomeGrid has excellent customer service and they’ll be able to connect you to an installer who can help. When you call their technical support line (725-373-5350), you can expect to actually reach an actual person (rather than a robot) as long as you call during the week from 8am to 5pm PST. They’ll be able to put you in touch with one of their installer partners to help resolve any issues.
Due to their modularity, HomeGrid batteries are extremely easy to replace and service in the field. Adding or replacing a battery module is as easy as removing the top piece of the battery system (as well as any defective battery modules) and adding new battery modules, taking just a matter of minutes for an installer to complete.
When it comes time for any repairs or replacements, there are two additional warranty considerations you’ll want to keep in mind: labor and shipping costs.
Labor costs for diagnostics, repairs or replacements
Many manufacturers cover replacement parts at no extra cost, but don’t pay for the labor costs necessary to re-install that equipment. Fortunately, HomeGrid isn’t one of those companies – they’ll cover any labor costs associated with removing, repairing, and replacing their batteries.
Shipping of parts
Similarly, not all equipment manufacturers will pay the costs to get equipment to you – but you won’t have to worry about this with HomeGrid. HomeGrid will cover the costs of shipping any battery modules for repair or replacement.
Limitations and exceptions to HomeGrid’s warranty
Every warranty has its exceptions – HomeGrid’s is no different. Warranty limitations aren’t meant to make it harder for you to take advantage of the offering; companies simply try to protect themselves from unjust or unreasonable claims.
Here are a few things that aren’t covered in your HomeGrid warranty:
Damage due to power washing, using cleaning solvents, painting, dropping, deforming, impacting, or cutting the battery with a sharp object.
Opening or dismantling the battery.
Damage due to a vehicle accident if you choose to transport the battery.
Placing a foreign object in the battery.
Installing the battery in an area with direct sunlight or that’s used by children or pets.
Acts of nature – this is a common one – most battery system manufacturers will not cover any damage caused by extreme weather events outside of their control, such as hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, etc. Fortunately, the hardware is pretty durable, and can withstand most storms without the added protection. Even better, should damage happen to occur during a storm, many homeowner insurance policies cover damage to solar-plus-storage systems.
Technical or cosmetic defects that do not interfere with the performance of the battery or actively degrade the system.
Other warranty considerations, and how HomeGrid stacks up
Transferability: HomeGrid warranties are transferable to new battery owners at no cost – but, even better, if you move and want to bring your HomeGrid battery system with you, you can do so without voiding the warranty! This is an anomaly in the battery space but is possible with HomeGrid due to the flexibility of their battery systems.
Bankability: in 2021, HomeGrid was acquired by Lithion; TriWest Capital Partners, a large Canadian private equity fund, is the majority shareholder in Lithion and is responsible for backing the HomeGrid warranty, making them highly bankable.
Escrows/insurance policies: HomeGrid does not currently have an insurance policy or escrow; however, they have strong financial backing by TriWest Capital Partners and Koch Strategic Platforms.
Eligibility: some manufacturers require customers to permanently connect to their monitoring system in order for their warranty to be valid. If you don’t maintain a WiFi connection to HomeGrid’s monitoring system (within reason – obviously it’s ok if you occasionally lose connection), your HomeGrid warranty will be reduced because they won’t be able to implement key firmware updates.
Customer reviews: an important part of understanding a manufacturer’s warranty offering is investigating how their customers feel about their equipment and the services that they provide. Any warranty can look promising on paper, but how the installer or manufacturer performs when honoring their warranty is also critically important. If you are interested in reading HomeGrid’s reviews, you can do so here.
What about inverters?
We use “battery” and “battery system” pretty interchangeably in this article, but there’s one important difference between the two: an inverter. Energy storage systems typically include both batteries and inverters, while certain batteries can be sold independently. Inverters are key to the functionality of a battery, so it’s important to make sure yours is covered! If your product includes a built-in storage-only or hybrid inverter, it’ll likely be covered in your battery’s warranty terms. On the other hand, if you pair your battery with an external, third-party inverter, expect it to come with a different warranty agreement than your battery.
HomeGrid batteries can be paired with hybrid inverters from a few different companies but they have a preferred partnership with Sol-Ark. With a HomeGrid system, you’ll have a separate warranty for your inverter and for the battery – check out this article to learn more about Sol-Ark’s warranty.
Finding the right battery for you
Finding the right storage system for your home means comparing multiple quotes from solar installers. Using the EnergySage Marketplace, you can find local solar installers near you, and make easy side-by-side comparisons of all your solar-plus-storage options, including equipment. By shopping around first, you can find the right option at the right price – warranties and all. If you have a preference for one type of equipment over another–HomeGrid or otherwise–simply note it in your account when you sign up so installers can quote you accordingly.
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