Essential Circuits and Backup Power in Sydney

A critical load panel separates your most important circuits onto a dedicated sub-board that your backup power source supplies during an outage. Without one, a battery or generator would need to power your entire house, which limits backup duration and requires a larger system. If you have a medical device, home office, or essential refrigeration that must stay on, a critical load panel makes your backup system significantly more effective.

Yes, but it must be done through a properly installed changeover switch. Connecting a generator directly to your power points (backfeed) is illegal in NSW and creates a serious electrocution risk for your neighbours, emergency services, and yourself. A licensed electrician installs an approved changeover switch or inlet point that safely isolates your property from the grid when the generator is running.

Only if it is specifically configured for backup operation. Standard grid-connect solar and battery systems shut down when the grid fails for safety reasons. Systems with islanding capability (such as Tesla Powerwall 3 with backup enabled, Sonnen, or certain Sungrow hybrid configurations) can continue to supply selected circuits. We install the required hardware and configure your system for backup if your battery supports it.

Duration depends on battery capacity and the loads on your critical circuits. A 10kWh usable battery supplying lights, fridge, internet, and phone charging (typically 500W to 1kW total) will last 10 to 20 hours. A fridge alone draws around 100 to 150W average but cycles on and off. We calculate expected backup duration from your actual load measurements before recommending a battery size.

Common choices include: main lighting circuits (not all), refrigerator, medical equipment, internet router and NBN equipment, one or two power points for phone charging and laptops, and security system. Common exclusions: electric hot water, dishwasher, washing machine, oven, and air conditioning (unless the system is large enough to support them). We help you select circuits based on your specific household needs.

Contact your electricity distributor directly. Ausgrid customers can register through ausgrid.com.au under 'Life Support.' Endeavour Energy customers can register via endeavourenergy.com.au. Your doctor or specialist may need to complete a form confirming the medical requirement. Registration requires renewal every 12 months in most cases. We can advise on the process but cannot register on your behalf.