Keep the lights on, on or off the grid.
Honest, tested guides to solar and battery backup for your home, cabin, van, or homestead. No installer calls. No fluff.
Start with your setup
Same gear, different goals. Pick where you are.
Home Backup
Home battery backup and solar backup power to ride out outages and shave your bill, right here in town.
Off-Grid & Cabins
Off-grid solar systems and kits for cabins and homesteads, full independence past the power lines.
RV
RV solar panels, kits, and battery power for RVs, trailers, and motorhomes.
Gear & Components
Solar gear and components, panels, batteries, inverters, and charge controllers, compared.
Mini Splits
Mini split heat pumps, the other half of an electrified home: sizing, wiring, warranties, and where to buy.
Solar Carports
Solar carports and solar pergolas: what they really cost, what you can actually buy, and which parts you are not allowed to install yourself.
How much solar and battery do you actually need?
Answer a few questions about what you want to run and for how long. We size the panels, battery bank, inverter, and controller, then point you at gear that fits.
Open the sizing calculator →Latest guides
All guides →DIY Solar Carport: What You Can Build and What You Are Not Allowed To
You can build the structure. In most states you cannot legally wire the array. Here is where the line sits, what the parts cost, and what DIY actually saves you.
Solar Carport Cost in 2026 (And the Credit That No Longer Offsets It)
What a solar carport really costs in 2026: $3.62 per watt, roughly $18,100 for a one car system, and the 30% federal credit that expired before you got here.
Solar Carport Kits: What You Can Actually Buy in 2026
There is no solar carport in a box. We priced the three layers you actually buy, named the one purpose built product, and flagged the structures that cannot carry panels.
Recent reviews
All reviews →Cooper & Hunter MIA 12,000 BTU Review: The Quiet One, With a Warranty Catch
A quiet, efficient, genuinely affordable single zone heat pump that covers summer cooling and real winter heating down to 5 degrees. Budget for a licensed installer to protect the warranty, and set expectations that this is a value brand, not a premium one.
Daikin 19 Series 12,000 BTU Review: The Premium Benchmark You Cannot Self Install
The reliability and warranty benchmark for a single room, a quiet efficient inverter heat pump from the biggest name in HVAC, with coverage that outlasts almost every rival. Budget for professional install and a higher price, because both are non negotiable here.
MRCOOL DIY 5th Gen 12,000 BTU Review: The Warranty That Survives a Self Install
The strongest pick for a homeowner who wants real install savings without losing the warranty, now on current R-454B refrigerant at 23.5 SEER2. Go in clear eyed about the parts only warranty, uneven support, and leak risk at the QuickConnect fittings.