Montana Homeowner Chooses Solar + Battery for Resilience and Peace of Mind

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Before: Life Without Solar

For homeowners in rural Montana, life can be beautiful—but it comes with its own set of energy challenges. Our client, who is a 35-year veteran in utility-scale renewable energy, lives on a property with two residences: a primary home and a rental house. Both are fully electric, with no propane or wood heating, and a critical electric well for water supply.

“When I think about fires or winter outages, if Park Electric’s lines were down, we would have no source of backup power,” he explained. “We could go out for less than the cost of batteries and buy a diesel generator, but that wasn’t what I was interested in doing. I wanted battery storage that would be powered by our solar panels.”

The property sits in a rural area served by Park Electric Cooperative, with long stretches of overhead distribution lines. Winters are harsh, winds howl constantly, and power outages are always a real possibility. Even with reliable service from Park Electric, the risks of fire, winter storms, or extended outages made energy resilience a critical concern.

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The Journey: Why They Chose Solar

Interestingly, the decision to install solar was not financially driven.

“I honestly didn’t think that hard about it at all,” the client said. “OnSite presented that information to us… but in some ways, this was something that I was just going to do. Really. So it wasn’t about, did it pencil out or not in some ways for me.”

His motivations were personal and values-driven: reducing carbon emissions, participating in the energy transition, and ensuring the home had reliable backup power. With decades of experience in large-scale wind and solar projects, he was predisposed to embracing solar—but he wanted it to make a difference in his own life, not just on paper.

He added a bit of humor and perspective:

“We don’t necessarily make a financial decision about everything we do in our lives. We don’t run a spreadsheet if we’re going to go on vacation. And we may not run a spreadsheet when we’re going to buy a car. So we just decided we wanted to do it. And we did it.”

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Experience: Installing and Using the Systems

The property now has two solar systems:

1. Rental / Ranch Hand Home
   
   
   
   • Rooftop solar, ~15 kW
   • Installed May 2023
   • No battery storage
2. Primary Residence
   
   
   
   • Ground-mounted solar, 15 kW
   • Battery storage included
   • Installed January 2024

The client worked with OnSite to design systems tailored to each home, balancing functionality and environmental impact. He appreciated the installer’s clarity and professionalism:

“OnSite presented that information to us in a clear, straightforward way.”

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Real-World Performance

The battery system proved its value immediately during real-world outages. In December, a widespread outage affected approximately 70,000 Montanans. The home’s batteries provided power for about 24 hours for all his essential loads, keeping the well operational and the heating system running, while the solar panels continued generating electricity and recharging the batteries during daylight hours despite the grid outage.

In another instance, a neighbor texted him to ask:

“Does your solar system work when the power is out?”

He replied, “Yes,” clarifying that it was the solar energy stored in his batteries that kept the home running:

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“We had this outage, and in this case, it was after dark. The house was powered entirely by the solar energy stored in our batteries, since the grid was down and there was no solar production at night.”

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More recently, during a March 12 outage, the stakes were even higher. Power lines running from his property across the river went down and sparked a fire on the opposite bank. As high winds raised concerns about embers crossing the river, he relied on his system not just for comfort, but for safety:

“I spent the day and night worrying about whether the high winds would blow embers across the river onto our property. Fortunately the fire was contained. But because of the batteries I did have power—and importantly, the pump in our well was working. That allowed us to have hoses connected around the house and outbuildings in case we needed to fight the fire on our side of the river.”

Drawing on lessons from a previous outage, he also adjusted how he used energy during the event—turning baseboard heat down, shutting off the hot water heater, and supplementing with a wood fire to extend battery life. Despite limited solar generation over those days, the system carried the home through approximately 36 hours without grid power.

Unlike a standard grid-tied solar system, which shuts down during outages, a solar-plus-battery setup can continue powering essential household systems when utility service is interrupted. These moments reinforced the peace of mind that had motivated the installation in the first place.

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Impact: Environmental and Personal Benefits

Beyond safety and resilience, the systems also provide environmental benefits: reducing reliance on fossil fuels and contributing to a cleaner energy footprint.

“There’s comfort and pride to generating some of your own electricity and doing it in an environmentally friendly way,” he noted.

The client benefits from net metering through his local electric co-op, where exported electricity offsets his consumption, with credits applied against usage.

While he doesn’t personally focus largely on ROI, he acknowledges that solar offers long-term stability:

“Even though our rates are relatively low, electricity prices are rising nationwide. Solar provides long-term price certainty, and once installed, the fuel cost of solar energy is zero.”

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Reflection: Advice to Others

When asked what he would share with homeowners considering solar and batteries, he emphasized research, references, and values:

“Talk to a bunch of different companies, get quotes, check references. Consider safety and environmental benefits. It’s not always about the numbers; sometimes it’s about peace of mind and what feels right for you.”

He underscored the importance of resilience, especially for rural homeowners:

“The batteries give me peace of mind… even in an area with reliable service, we have skinny lines running across the countryside and harsh winter wind. Having that solar and battery combination is a safety and comfort factor.”

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Closing Thoughts

This story is a reminder that solar is not just about savings—it’s about empowerment, independence, and aligning energy choices with personal values. For this Montana homeowner, solar and battery storage are tools for environmental stewardship, safety, and peace of mind—a real-world demonstration of the transformative potential of residential renewable energy.

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