Pila's new plug-in battery is a great investment for renters

If you’re someone who lives in an apartment or a rental building, not owning your own place can sometimes be a barrier to going solar. You might need to get your landlord’s approval or you may not want to invest thousands of dollars in a clean energy system that you can’t take with you when you move a few years down the line. 

That’s why plug-in battery storage is a great option if you don’t own a home or a condo. Plug-in batteries offer you flexibility at a lower price point while still providing you resilience. All you have to do is plug your battery into the wall – and you’re ready to go.

Plug-in home batteries are worth considering right now: as an aging electric grid and more frequent natural disasters make for less reliable electricity, households are increasingly installing batteries to provide backup power. Interest in and sales of residential battery storage solutions spiked in 2024, with homeowners and contractors alike citing concerns about resilience as a key factor, according to EnergySage survey data.

But the high costs and installation timelines can sometimes feel discouraging for renters. That's why San Francisco-based Pila Energy decided to create a new plug-in battery with mesh network technology.

Cole Ashman, founder of Pila Energy, wanted to build a product that would allow renters to protect themselves from increasing electric rates and extreme weather events the same way homeowners can.

Ashman, a veteran of solar company SPAN and Tesla’s Powerwall team, told EnergySage that while his company’s product is designed for homeowners and renters alike, he is especially attuned to the backup power needs of renters because of his own experience renting in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. 

Battery storage that isn’t physically attached to your house for two decades is just more practical and cheaper overall, he said. 

“About half the cost of getting a battery today is the install cost,” said Ashman.

Plus, plug-in batteries meet renters’ needs because they do not require a landlord’s participation and they’re easier to move, he said.

“For a renter what's most important? You can take it with you when you move,” he said.

Pila is entering a growing market that includes competitors like BioLite Backup and Blip Energy. Like traditional battery storage setups, plug-in battery systems with at least 3 kWh of storage capacity are currently eligible for a 30% federal tax credit, the company says.

But Pila’s product is differentiated, Ashman said, by its “mesh” network capabilities. Like mesh WiFi systems, this feature allows multiple batteries across a household or building to connect and communicate with one another.

In addition to making it easier to expand storage, the mesh technology allows batteries to automatically optimize energy usage and to prioritize and time their recharging. For example, if a household has decided its top priority is to keep its refrigerator running on stored power, the battery connected to the fridge will be first in line to recharge when electricity rates are at their lowest.

These batteries typically plug directly into a standard outlet, where they can draw power from either the grid or – if the home has them – solar panels. Appliances and electronic devices then plug into the battery to use the energy when needed. It’s a significantly more affordable solution than a traditional hard-wired battery system, because it eliminates installation costs.

Pila batteries can store 1.6 kWh of power, enough to power anything as large as a fridge, or charge phone, and laptops for up to two to three days, the company said. If you buy an expansion pack, that can expand to 3.2 kWh, so consumers will need to either buy two batteries or the expansion pack to qualify for the federal tax credit.

Pila is also emphasizing a thin design that does not need to be mounted to a wall, with promotional photos showing the batteries sitting atop a refrigerator or beside a workstation.

If you pre-order one of Pila’s home batteries, you’ll save $300. The batteries are available to order starting Friday March 7 at $999 per unit and require a $99 deposit. The price will rise by $300 when the batteries begin to ship in the second half of 2025, according to a spokeswoman.