Backup by Biolite is a giant (but sleek!) battery that keeps your fridge running during outages

As power outages get more frequent, people who'd never much thought about residential home battery backup systems are probably starting to give it some consideration. Plenty of companies are happy to address that need and this week at CES, I got to check out Biolite's solution. Unlike something that needs a pro to install, using the Backup is almost as easy as plugging it in (you also need to mount it somewhere in your home).

In person, the battery is remarkably thin and the matte silver finish is about as unobtrusive as you can get. That's all part of the design — BioLite says it's designed to fade into "forgotten places" in your home. Behind the fridge, under a counter top, on the wall beneath a desk. 

Personally, I'd love one so I'd never have to worry about the pickles going bad in the fridge again when a storm knocks out the the power at my house, as it did recently. (I ate the pickles. I should not have eaten the pickles.)

The concept will be familiar to anyone who's ever used an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) — something gamers have been using for years to ensure uninterrupted play. In essence, it's a large battery plus inverter that plugs into your wall. You then plug in any appliance or device you don't want to ever lose power — a fridge is a good example. When the power inevitably goes out, the battery senses the lack and flips the output to feed from the stored charge. When power is restored, the cells refill themselves, ready for next time.

It's app-connected so you'll have a log of when and for how long your power goes out, and of course get notifications when things happen. You can also use Backup on-demand when your power is perfectly fine, or even schedule it to come online at certain times, something you may want to do when you're dealing with higher electricity prices for peak usage periods.

Amy Skorheim / Engadget

Positioned at one edge towards the corner are three ports, one that connects to an outlet and two AC connections. One of those is intended for the included BioLite power strip, which packs three more AC ports and two each of USB-C and Type A connections. A vertical mounting kit is provided, but if you want to mount it horizontally, you'll need to purchase a separate mount from Biolite.

It ships in two configurations, Backup Complete, a two-unit set with a 3 kWh total capacity that can deliver 30 to 60 hours of power (for reference, an average house in the US eats up around 30 kWh per day). The Backup Core holds 1.5 kWh of juice and is probably better suited to something like a home office setup. The larger Complete version is eligible for a 30 percent tax rebate, as it meets federal requirements that stipulate a backup system be at least 3 kWh and be physically installed in the home.

Pricing is $3,000 for the Complete model and $2,000 for the core. The Biolite rep pointed out that, should you get the rebate, the larger set works out to just $2,100 so really it's a ">popcorn at the movie theater situation — just get the large for a little bit more. The Backup by Biolite is available for pre-order now and units are expected to ship in May.

Amy Skorheim / Engadget

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