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Comment by abetusk | Hacker News Reader

1.6 KWh capacity with 2.4 KW output [0].

I couldn't find a price on the website (the $99 is just for a reservation) but from this thread it looks like it's priced at $1k [1].

For context, in the USA, 30 KWh is a rough estimate for average daily home usage [2].

[0] https://pilaenergy.com/tech-specs#faq

[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43333996

[2] https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/use-of-energy/electricit...

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Thanks for bringing more details to the thread - We've just launched, and for folks who like what they see and want to be first to get Pila the (refundable, cancel anytime) $99 deposit will lock in $999. Once we start shipping and fulfilling through other distribution channels, price will increase to $1299

Also, spot on that the average home draws about 30kWh, and with an EV driven average daily ranges that'll jump to about 60kWh.

This is an interesting idea and I wish you a good luck building a profitable business around it.

Before starting to apply voltage to a home electric gird, I guess you need to disconnect it from the central grid - how do you do that? Or do you detect when the grid goes down and comes back up?

Pila detects when the grid goes down & when it returns. This is done by all home batteries & Pila is no different.

The point IMO is not to backup your whole home though. That already exists with Generac (20-50K if you need to dig a new gas line) or Powerwall (10-20K depending on electrician and needs). All need permits.

This is meant as a more precise, room-by-room backup solution!

Maybe I’m wrong though, just wanted to position.

> I couldn't find a price on the website (the $99 is just for a reservation) but from this thread it looks like it's priced at $1k [1].

The pre-order page says it will be $1300 after the pre-order period.

Given these stats and the price in the sister comment, this costs $24,400 for a day of backup.

This makes the LCD displays on the front page of the website listing "5 days 6 h ours" and similar on a single unit very misleading. That amount of backup would cost $128,000.

I assume it least has enough smarts to only show the battery capacity for whats in it. It can't run a whole house, so comparing it against an entire household's average load might be unrealistic.

Correct, 1 can’t run your whole house, but you can get 1 per room and backup your whole house that way.

For folks that are looking for true whole-home backup, with every load protected, investing in something like a Powerwall would be the way to go. I don't see Pila trying to compete with whole-home systems. We were inspired to build Pila because many folks I've spoken with over the years are most concerned just about backing up a few key loads (fridge, wifi, charging phones, some lights). For them a $10-30k whole home system is a lot of extra spend, and if they rent those systems may be off the table to begin with.

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