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The IRS will pay you to install a home battery with this clean energy credit
Goal Zero
The Internal Revenue Service is offering rebates up to a 30% on the price of new, qualified clean energy products if you take advantage of the Residential Clean Energy Credit. Home batteries, which often qualify for this rebate, can provide clean energy in the event of a power failure. You can even recharge some home battery systems using solar panels (sold separately). Like all batteries, these are designed to store power for use later, such as during a power outage or emergency.
The Residential Clean Energy Credit applies to battery storage techn, solar electric panels, solar water heaters, wind turbines, geothermal heat pumps and fuel cells. This can include a home battery system or generator — if it’s used for backup power during disasters and outages, or as an emergency power source for medical equipment.
Before investing in a home battery power backup system, consult with your accountant or a tax preparation expert to ensure your purchase qualifies for the energy credit, as there are exclusions and specific eligibility requirements.
If you qualify, fill out and submit Form 5695, Residential Energy Credits with your federal tax return. You’ll need to claim the credit for the tax year when the equipment is actually installed, not just purchased.
Beyond what’s offered by the IRS, you may also get a state rebate. Then, contact your home insurance provider. You may also be eligible for a discount on your homeowner’s policy premiums.
While there are many to choose from, here are a few home battery systems worth looking into. Which option you choose should be based on the size of your home, the power needs within your home, the frequency you may be needing to use the home battery system for an emergency power and your budget.
Bluetti Power Station AC500 & B300S expansion battery
Amazon
The best thing about this Bluetti Power Station is that it’s expandable, so you can add optional batteries to power your home during a power failure. This system includes the AC500 power station and one B300S expansion battery. You get access to seven 5,000 watt AC outlets. This system provides 3,072 watt-hours of power.
If you need even more juice, no worries; up to five additional expansion batteries can be added to the system. This can give you up to 18,432 watt-hours of power, which is enough to keep major appliances running during a power failure.
You also can tie the AC500 and B300S system to the grid to power your entire home during a blackout. That said, this installation should be handled by a licensed electrician.
The batteries can be recharged in as little as one hour. Or you can also use optional Bluetti PV200 or PV350 solar panels to keep the batteries ready whenever they’re needed.
Anker Solix F3800, expansion batter and smart home power kit
Anker
This home battery system, which can also rely on optional solar panels to keep it charged, seamlessly integrates into your home’s power grid. It’s designed to provide emergency power to essential home appliances during outages. We like this system because it’s easy to monitor using the Anker smartphone app.
The home battery system is also expandable using optional Anker expansion batteries. So you could get up to 53,800 kilowatt-hours of power from this all-in-one home power solution. Three benefits to this Anker Solix home battery system: It operates quietly, provides pollution-free power and requires ongoing maintenance costs.
The system has three energy modes. Its self-consumption mode allows the batteries to recharge using solar panels. The time-of-use mode uses electricity to recharge the batteries, but only does this during non-peak times when energy prices are lower. When in automatic backup mode, the system automatically switches over to provide backup power for up to 12 in-home circuits.
EcoFlow Delta Pro Ultra with smart home panel
Amazon
The EcoFlow Delta Pro UItra with smart home panel can provide up to 7,200 watt-hours of power, but can be expanded to provide up to 90 kilowatt-hours of power using optional batteries.
This is a whole-house generator option that includes an inverter and a battery. One inverter supports 120 volts and 240 volts, and has an 7,200 watt output. So you can run almost any heavy household appliance, including a central air conditioner. For more power, pair three inverters with the EcoFlow Smart Home Panel 2. This will unlock up to 21.6 kilo-watt AC output. Its X-Fusion feature ensures a constant 7,200 watt output.
The EcoFlow Smart Home Panel 2 is the centerpiece for this whole-home backup system. It’s compatible with the EcoFlow DELTA Pro Ultra, batteries, generators and solar panels. It offers an auto-switchover for instant backup. Circuit control allows for more extended backup and prepares your system for outages with an hourly weather assessment.
You can use the EcoFlow smartphone app to prioritize specific circuits, extending your backup even longer. For more than just blackouts, it intelligently analyses your home power usage to offset peak rates while utilizing solar to lower energy bills. The core system includes one inverter and one battery. Solar panels and additional batteries are sold separately.
Goal Zero Yeti Pro 4000 portable power station
Amazon
This home battery system includes the Goal Zero Yeti Pro 4000 portable power station, along with 10 Haven Tank Pro 4,000 watt-hour batteries, so you get a 20,000 watt-hour system. This is a portable power station with a high-capacity battery system designed to provide reliable power for various electronic devices and appliances. It’s suitable for indoor and outdoor use.
The Tank PRO 4,000 watt-hour batteries provides a comprehensive backup power solution that combines energy generation, storage and distribution. It offers peace of mind during power outages, natural disasters, or off-grid living situations. You get continuous access to electricity for essential devices and appliances.
To keep the batteries charged, the system works with optional Nomad 400 solar panels. This latest generation system offers a higher power output, longer lifespan and more ports than previous models.
CBS Essentials covers all things homes and outdoor living — including the best propane grills in 2024, the best wood pellet grills in 2024, the best charcoal grills in 2024, the best smart grills in 2024 and the best ideas for a spring patio makeover.
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Yellowstone hiker burned when she falls into scalding water near Old Faithful, park officials say
Yellowstone National Park, Wyo. — A New Hampshire woman suffered severe burns on her leg after hiking off-trail in Yellowstone National Park and falling into scalding water in a thermal area near the Old Faithful geyser, park officials said.
The 60-year-old woman from Windsor, New Hampshire, along with her husband and their leashed dog were walking off a designated trail near the Mallard Lake Trailhead on Monday afternoon when she broke through a thin crust over the water and suffered second- and third-degree burns to her lower leg, park officials said. Her husband and the dog weren’t injured.
The woman was flown to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls, Idaho for treatment.
National Park Service / Jacob W. Frank
Park visitors are reminded to stay on boardwalks and trails in hydrothermal areas and exercise extreme caution. The ground in those areas is fragile and thin and there’s scalding water just below the surface, park officials said.
Pets are allowed in limited, developed areas of Yellowstone park but are prohibited on boardwalks, hiking trails, in the backcountry and in thermal areas.
The incident is under investigation. The woman’s name wasn’t made public.
This is the first known thermal injury in Yellowstone in 2024, park officials said in a statement. The park had recorded 3.5 million visitors through August this year.
Hot springs have injured and killed more people in Yellowstone National Park than any other natural feature, the National Park Service said. At least 22 people have died from hot spring-related injuries in and around the 3,471-square-mile national park since 1890, park officials have said.
TRENTON, N.J. — Democratic Newark City Council President LaMonica McIver has defeated Republican small businessman Carmen Bucco in a contest in New Jersey’s 10th Congressional District that opened up because of the death of Rep. Donald Payne Jr. in April.
McIver will serve out the remainder of Payne’s term, which ends in January. She and Bucco will face a rematch on the November ballot for the full term.
McIver said in a statement Wednesday that she stands on the “shoulders of giants,” naming Payne as chief among them.
She cast ahead to the November election, saying the right to make reproductive health choices was on the ballot as well as whether the economy should benefit the wealthy or “hard working Americans.”
“I will fight because the purpose of politics and the purpose of our vote is to give the people of our communities and our nation a bold voice,” she said.
Bucco congratulated McIver on the victory in a statement but said he’s looking forward to the rematch in November.
“I am not going anywhere,” he said in an email. “We still have a second chance to make district 10 great again!”
Who are LaMonica McIver and Carmen Bucco?
McIver emerged as the Democratic candidate in a crowded field in the July special election. A member of the city council of New Jersey’s biggest city since 2018, she also worked for Montclair Public Schools as a personnel director and plans to focus on affordability, infrastructure, abortion rights and “protecting our democracy,” she told The Associated Press earlier this summer.
Bucco describes himself on his campaign website as a small-business owner influenced by his upbringing in the foster system. He lists support for law enforcement and ending corruption as top issues.
The 10th District lies in a heavily Democratic and majority-Black region of northern New Jersey. Republicans are outnumbered by more than 6 to 1.
It’s been a volatile year for Democrats in New Jersey, where the party dominates state government and the congressional delegation.
Among the developments were the conviction on federal bribery charges of U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, who has denied the charges, and the demise of the so-called county party line — a system in which local political leaders give their preferred candidates favorable position on the primary ballot.
Democratic Rep. Andy Kim, who’s running for Menendez’s seat, and other Democrats brought a federal lawsuit challenging the practice as part of his campaign to oust Menendez, who has resigned since his conviction.
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Yellowstone hiker burned when she falls into scalding water near Old Faithful, park officials say
Wagon rolls over at Wisconsin apple orchard injuring about 25 children and adults