Choosing critical loads for your backup circuits

What is truly critical during an outage?

A home battery is not a miniature power plant. In a blackout, you must make tough choices about which devices are essential and which can be switched off.

Typical critical loads

• Fridge and freezer: prevent food spoilage.
• Internet connection: modem, router, maybe an access point.
• Basic lighting: a few lamps in key rooms.
• Medical equipment: if present, always top priority.

Borderline cases

• TV and entertainment: nice to have, rarely critical.
• Washer/dryer: highly energy intensive; better switched off.
• Electric heating: only small, targeted solutions.

Marking loads in Leafy Energy

In Leafy Energy you can label loads as critical, comfort, or optional. During an outage, optional loads are shed first, then comfort loads, while preserving battery capacity for critical devices as long as possible.