Every week a homeowner calls me and asks some version of the same question: “Should I get a battery or a generator?”
The easy answer is to recommend whichever one I happen to be selling that week. The honest answer is that it depends on your house, your outages, your fuel options, and how much you hate the sound of an engine running at 2 a.m.
I install both. I have no incentive to push one over the other. Here is how I actually think about it when I walk someone’s property.
What they actually do (in one paragraph each)
A battery stores electricity — either from your solar panels during the day or from the grid at night when rates are lower — and gives it back when you need it. During a grid outage it switches over in about 20 milliseconds, so fast that the microwave clock doesn’t reset. It is silent, emission-free, and it earns money back every single day by shifting your usage.
A standby generator is a permanently-installed engine that runs on natural gas or propane. It sits next to the house doing nothing until the grid drops. Then, within 10–30 seconds, an automatic transfer switch starts the engine and the generator takes over the whole panel. It does not earn anything during normal operation. Its only job is long-duration insurance.
Real Utah install pricing (April 2026)
I pulled these numbers from my own recent quotes — not brochure MSRP, not a national average. These are what Utah homeowners actually pay through BYOP, fully permitted and installed.
| System | Installed Price | Backup Duration | Rebate Available |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solar + single battery (critical loads) | $22,000–$28,000 | 18–36 hours, longer with sun | $2,000 Wattsmart |
| Solar + dual battery (whole home) | $28,000–$38,000 | 24–48 hours, longer with sun | $4,000 Wattsmart |
| Standby generator (14kW, natural gas) | $10,000–$13,000 | Indefinite (gas line) | None |
| Standby generator (22kW, natural gas) | $12,000–$16,000 | Indefinite (gas line) | None |
| Hybrid (solar + battery + 14kW generator) | $30,000–$42,000 | Effectively unlimited | $2,000 Wattsmart |
Prices include the unit, transfer switch where applicable, permit, inspection, concrete pad or wall mount, and commissioning. No dealer markup, no finance gimmicks.
Note: I don't install battery-only. Modern residential batteries ship with an MPPT (solar) inverter built in. Installing one with no panels means paying for hardware you won't use — and losing the daily bill reduction that makes the battery pay for itself. Every battery install I do is paired with solar panels. If you genuinely don't want solar, a standby generator is the honest recommendation.
When a battery wins
Batteries are the right answer when any of these describe your situation:
- You already have solar and it shuts off during outages. A grid-tied solar system without a battery cannot run your house when the grid is down — the inverter has to turn off for safety. Add a battery and the panels keep working. See Add Battery to Solar for the retrofit details.
- You want the power bill to start dropping immediately. Rocky Mountain Power credits exported solar at roughly half the retail rate. Storing your production and using it yourself is worth roughly double what exporting it is. A battery pays itself off whether or not the grid ever fails.
- Most outages at your address are short. If you lose power two or three times a year for 2–8 hours each, a single battery covers every one of those with silent, instantaneous backup.
- Noise matters. Battery backup is completely silent. You will literally not know it kicked in unless you check the app. In neighborhoods with tight setbacks or HOAs, that can be decisive.
- You value the $2,000-per-battery Wattsmart rebate. There is no equivalent rebate for generators. That alone changes the math on comparable systems.
When a generator wins
Generators are the right answer when:
- You have a well and rural infrastructure. If your water comes from a well, outages become survival events within 24 hours. In Eagle Mountain, Saratoga Springs, and other rural/semi-rural areas of Utah, a generator’s unlimited duration matters more than a battery’s silence.
- You have heavy continuous loads. Central AC, well pumps, electric range, hot tubs, and shop equipment can overwhelm a single battery’s continuous-power rating (typically 5–11kW). A 22kW generator handles everything in parallel without managing loads.
- Your outages tend to be long. If you are on a rural distribution line where a single storm can take you down for 24–72 hours, a battery runs out long before the grid comes back. A generator on a natural-gas line runs until the gas line fails — which effectively never happens.
- You want the lowest upfront cost for whole-home backup. A 22kW generator at $14k is cheaper than a dual-battery system at $25k, and it covers a larger slice of your house.
When both make sense (the hybrid)
The best setup for most homes that want real resilience is a single battery plus a mid-size generator. Here is why:
- The battery carries the first 12–24 hours silently. You don’t wake up your neighbors, you don’t burn fuel, the lights stay on for the common short outages.
- The generator only starts if the battery depletes before the grid returns. In Utah, that might happen once every 3–5 years.
- When the generator does start, it charges the battery while running the house. You can run for days or weeks at a time, with the battery smoothing out the load transients the generator handles poorly.
- The battery earns its keep daily through bill reduction. The generator earns its keep when you need it most.
A hybrid system runs about $23k–$29k in Utah. It is the closest thing to “grid optional” you can buy without going full off-grid.
Utah-specific factors that change the math
There are three things about Utah in particular that affect this decision:
1. The Wattsmart Battery Program
Rocky Mountain Power pays $2,000 for every qualifying battery installed. In exchange, RMP can discharge part of your battery during peak demand events — it still leaves plenty of stored energy for your own use. No generator program is comparable. This rebate alone moves the needle on battery economics by roughly 10–15%.
2. Natural gas is cheap and nearly universal along the Wasatch Front
If your house has a gas meter, a natural-gas standby generator is dramatically easier to justify than a propane unit. No tank, no refill schedule, no monitoring. You get indefinite runtime for the fuel cost of your stove. In rural areas without gas lines, you need propane, which means a 500-gallon tank you must plan around.
3. Outage character varies enormously by neighborhood
Downtown Salt Lake City sees different outages than Eagle Mountain or Spanish Fork. Before recommending a system, I want to know: How often do you lose power? For how long? Does the outage pattern look like wind events, ice storms, or RMP maintenance windows? A system sized for 2 outages a year of 3 hours each is different from one sized for 1 outage a year lasting 48 hours.
My recommendation by home profile
Urban/suburban home on the Wasatch Front, natural gas available, 2–4 outages a year under 8 hours each: single battery. Quieter, cleaner, earns rebate, earns daily bill reduction.
Same home, but with existing solar: add-a-battery retrofit. This is the most cost-effective upgrade available, and it finally makes your panels useful during outages.
Rural home with well, propane heat, occasional multi-day outages: 22kW standby generator. The battery math does not carry a well through day three.
Rural home with well, natural gas available, wants resilience without engine noise most days: hybrid (single battery + 14kW generator). Quiet for short outages, bulletproof for long ones.
Custom home, high budget, wants the best possible resilience: dual battery + 22kW generator. Solar optional. This is a grid-optional home.
What I will not do
I will not sell you a battery when a generator is clearly the right answer. I will not sell you a generator when a battery retrofit would do the same job for less. I will not quote you “from the back of a truck” pricing that balloons on install day. And I will not finance you into a 25-year lease on equipment you should own.
You get a single honest number from the person who will install it. You own the equipment outright. The warranty goes to you. If something breaks, you call me — not a dealer network.
Need help deciding?
I do free site visits across Utah County, Salt Lake County, and the surrounding area. I walk your property, look at your panel, ask about your outages, and give you a system recommendation with real numbers — no sales pitch, no pressure. If the right answer is “you don’t need this yet,” I will tell you that too.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a battery or a generator cheaper in Utah?
A standby generator is usually cheaper to install upfront. A 20–22kW Generac or Kohler runs $10,000–$16,000 installed in Utah. A whole-home battery (Tesla Powerwall, EG4, or equivalent) runs $14,000–$28,000 installed. But a battery earns money back every day by shifting your energy usage — the generator only saves money during outages.
How long does a home battery last during a power outage?
A single 13.5kWh battery typically runs a critical-loads panel (fridge, internet, a few lights, well pump) for 18–36 hours. If you have solar and the outage is daytime, the battery recharges and can run indefinitely. For whole-home backup including AC and heavy loads, expect 6–12 hours on a single battery — and most Utah customers who want that add two batteries or pair with a generator.
Which is better for long Utah power outages?
Generators win on duration. A natural-gas standby generator will run as long as the gas line holds pressure — effectively forever. A propane generator runs as long as the tank lasts (typically 3–7 days on a 500-gallon tank at normal load). Batteries are best for the first 12–24 hours of an outage. For multi-day outages (ice storms, major equipment failures), a generator is the right tool.
Do I need both a battery and a generator?
Not most of the time, but it’s the best setup if you can afford it. The battery handles the first 12–24 hours silently and is the “everyday” savings device. The generator is the “worst-case” insurance for multi-day outages. BYOP designs hybrid systems where the battery carries short outages and the generator only starts after the battery is depleted — that’s the quietest, most efficient design available.
Does Rocky Mountain Power give a rebate for battery backup in Utah?
Yes. Rocky Mountain Power’s Wattsmart Battery Program pays $2,000 per qualifying battery installed. In exchange, RMP can discharge a portion of your battery during peak demand events. It still leaves more than enough stored energy for your backup needs. There is no equivalent rebate for standby generators — that’s one reason batteries have become the more economically attractive option for many Utah homeowners.
About the Author
Batsaikhan(Bat) Ariun-Erdene is the owner of BYOP Electric, a licensed Master Electrician, and holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering. He has personally designed and installed 35+ solar, battery, generator, and electrical projects across Utah’s Wasatch Front. Learn more about Bat and BYOP Electric.