Enphase IQ Battery review: A reliable choice with decent performance

Image credit: Enphase Energy 

If you’ve perused your solar options, chances are you’ve heard of Enphase Energy. As the most frequently quoted inverter and battery brand on the EnergySage Marketplace, Enphase is known for its reliability and strong reputation. 

The IQ battery series – including the IQ Battery 3/3T, IQ Battery 10/10T, and the latest IQ Battery 5P – offers a mix-and-match, modular flexibility, allowing you to build a storage system that most closely meets your needs. These moderately priced batteries offer solid specs and warranties, however, you can find a more powerful battery elsewhere. 

Bottom line: An Enphase IQ battery system is a great choice if you value company reputation or if you’re adding storage as a retrofit. 

Enphase offers three lines of solar batteries: the IQ Battery 3/3T, IQ Battery 10/10T (the “T” stands for thin – these versions share the same technical specs but are just a little thinner), and most recently, the IQ Battery 5P. 

The Enphase IQ Battery series provides usable capacities of 3.36 kWh, 5.0 kWh, and 10.08 kWh, making them relatively small batteries but ideal for "stacking" multiple units together to customize your total energy storage capacity. While you can mix-and-match the IQ Battery 3/3T and 10/10T, you can only stack the newer IQ Battery 5P with other 5Ps.

Enphase IQ batteries

For batteries, the most important specs to watch are:

• Battery chemistry: How electricity is stored in a battery. Most batteries today use Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (NMC), Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP), or Lithium Titanium Oxide (LTO) – all of which are lithium-ion chemistries.  

• Battery performance: How much power it can provide at a time (peak and continuous power), how much capacity it has to store power (usable capacity), and how efficient it is at supplying that power (roundtrip efficiency). 

• Coupling: AKA system configuration. Batteries are either alternating current (AC) coupled or direct current (DC) coupled, with DC-coupled systems being more efficient. 

• Warranty: Guarantees that the company will replace your battery if it fails due to manufacturing defects or environmental issues. Warranties also guarantee a certain amount of capacity throughout the 10+ year term.

Enphase vs. other popular brands

*The median price per kWh, based on data from the EnergySage Marketplace from the first half of 2024. Cost applies to the brand, not to the individual battery model.

You’re installing storage as a retrofit

Battery storage systems can either be AC-coupled or DC-coupled. At a high level, this refers to how the system connects to your home and the type of inverter it uses: DC-coupled systems are generally more efficient but harder to integrate with an existing solar setup. Enphase batteries are AC-coupled, making them the easier and more cost-effective option when installing storage as a retrofit.

You want to customize your system size

Enphase IQ batteries are designed for stackability, allowing you to customize your energy storage capacity to meet your specific needs. 

Let’s say you’re looking to install 15 kWh of battery storage and deciding between the Enphase IQ Battery 5P and the Tesla Powerwall 3. One Powerwall 3 won’t be enough, but adding a second would give you nearly double the capacity you require. With Enphase IQ batteries, you can incrementally add storage to create a system that perfectly fits your needs, offering greater flexibility compared to fixed-capacity options like the Powerwall.

Other batteries perform better (and sometimes cost less, too)

Although Enphase is the most quoted battery brand on EnergySage, it surprisingly didn’t make our list of best batteries. While Enphase's specs are decent, they aren’t outstanding: its roundtrip efficiency is average, it’s relatively affordable but not the cheapest, and the power outputs of the IQ Battery 3/3T and IQ Battery 10/10T models lag behind some competitors.

If top-tier performance is what you’re after, you might want to consider other brands. Albeit more expensive, Villara’s VillaGrid is currently the highest-rated battery on EnergySage. The Tesla Powerwall 3 follows closely behind Villara – and it’s priced over $300 less per kWh than Enphase.

Space constraints could be an issue

Enphase batteries are designed for stackability, but that may require sufficient space to install multiple units.

For example, a typical home needs around 11.4 kilowatt-hours of storage to back up essential appliances. To meet that need, you would need three Enphase IQ Battery 5Ps and 17.5 square feet of available wall space for the batteries alone (that doesn’t include the required spacing between modules). A single Tesla Powerwall 3 could do the job using only 7.2 square feet of wall space. 

If space is limited or if you prefer the simplicity of a single battery, other options may be a better fit.

You can find a better battery, and sometimes for less money, too. That said, Enphase is a reputable brand and is the most frequently quoted battery on EnergySage for a reason. The warranty is solid, and customers seem to be pleased with their installations. Ultimately, comparing your options is the easiest way to determine which battery will work best for your home.