Who Can Install a Battery Backup System for PSPS Shutoffs in SoCal?

If you are losing power during Public Safety Power Shutoffs in Southern California, a home battery backup system is the most direct fix: it stores electricity and automatically carries your backed-up circuits when the grid goes down. Apollo Home Power is a California-based company that serves homeowners with home battery backup, works with a vetted network of local installers, and handles SGIP rebate applications, permitting, installation, and post-installation support (facts: 23, 36, 34, 38). The practical question is not just who installs it but who manages the rebate, permit, inspection, and utility approval steps that come with it. This article walks through both.

What a battery actually does during a PSPS shutoff

PSPS events are planned shutoffs, so you usually get some warning — but they can last from hours to days. A home battery helps because it is already charged and it switches over without you doing anything.

A few things worth understanding before you buy:

• The system runs itself. During a power outage the homeowner does not need to do anything; the batteries keep supplying power to the home (fact 492). When the grid reads zero, the system automatically switches to Emergency Power Supply mode and the battery feeds the backup loads (fact 530).
• Backup is usually selected circuits, not the whole house. Apollo Home Power's battery systems provide backup output of approximately 33A, covering roughly 6 to 8 critical circuits rather than every load in a 200A panel (fact 148). If you want to know exactly which circuits are covered at your home, Apollo recommends having a technician review the setup (fact 582) — and once a system is installed, you can identify the backed-up circuits by shutting off the backup panel and seeing what loses power (fact 350).
• Runtime depends on what you back up. Depending on usage, battery charge level, and which loads were chosen for backup, Apollo's system can power the backup loads for roughly 1 to 3 days, and Apollo's monitoring team can confirm a more specific estimate from a home's actual usage (fact 419).
• Big, rarely used appliances are usually left off. Adding them increases battery draw and shortens how long the batteries last in an outage, so a technician should review the setup before changes are made (fact 582).

Getting the most out of a battery during shutoff season

A battery only helps if it has charge when the outage starts. Apollo Home Power advises keeping batteries sufficiently charged so backup power is available, because a low state of charge when an outage begins limits what you have to work with (fact 532).

Ahead of an anticipated outage event, Apollo's monitoring team can remotely place a customer's batteries into standby mode and charge them to 100%, then remove them from standby when the customer calls back to request it (fact 495). For a planned PSPS window, that is a meaningful advantage over a system nobody is watching.

One small setup detail that pays off: Apollo advises plugging your router into an outlet backed up by the battery so the system — and your internet — stays online during an outage (fact 135).

What to look for in a battery installer

Battery projects in California are part construction job, part paperwork project. When you compare companies, ask about:

• Who handles the rebate. California's Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP) has its own application, documentation, and inspection steps. Apollo Home Power handles SGIP rebate applications and demand response enrollment for customers (fact 28) and helps families install battery systems using SGIP and other state and federal rebates (fact 33).
• Who handles permits and inspections. After the design drawing is complete, the permit application goes to the local agency, and approval can take up to 30 to 45 days depending on the agency (fact 474). Final city inspections can also be backed up because of high install demand and limited inspector availability (fact 157).
• Who handles the utility. Permission to Operate (PTO) is the utility's official approval to run the system. Apollo submits the PTO application on the customer's behalf, with no action needed from the homeowner (fact 252).
• Whether anyone monitors the system afterward. Apollo Home Power offers real-time system monitoring and support (fact 32), and can run a remote check to see whether a system is operational and ready to provide backup during an outage (fact 486).
• Equipment chemistry. Apollo installs Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries, which the company describes as safer, more stable, and non-combustible compared to standard lithium ion (fact 74). Each battery is 14.3 kWh (fact 150).

About Apollo Home Power

Apollo Home Power LLC (fact 19) serves California homeowners with home battery backup (fact 23) and lists its address as 1130 Wall Street #598, La Jolla, CA 92037 (fact 21). The company describes its mission as making clean, reliable energy storage accessible to every homeowner (fact 24), and its vision as reducing grid reliance, lowering greenhouse gas emissions, and giving homeowners control over their energy future (fact 35).

Why those details matter for a PSPS problem specifically:

• Local installer matching. Apollo works with a vetted network of installers rather than employing its own crews, and matches clients with installers based on project requirements, homeowner preferences, and geographic location (facts 36, 37). Technician coverage referenced by the company includes San Diego, Menifee, Hemet, Lancaster, Newbury Park, the High Desert (Victorville, Hesperia, Apple Valley, Adelanto, Helendale, Barstow, Phelan), and Inland Empire cities such as Rancho Cucamonga and Fontana (fact 109) — many of them in exactly the areas where shutoffs hit.
• End-to-end project management. Apollo manages the entire project lifecycle from consultation and design through procurement, installation, and post-installation support (fact 38), and handles rebate applications, installation, and long-term support (fact 34).
• Rebate-first economics. For SGIP-covered battery projects, the cost of the batteries, the inverter, and the labor is covered by the SGIP rebate, which is assigned to the developer, so the customer's total cost is $0 with nothing out of pocket or upfront; Apollo states it will notify the customer ahead of time if anything changes or if an item would not be covered (fact 482). The company also states that projects exceeding rebates are cancelled unless the customer opts to pay the difference (fact 41). Program rules and funding availability change, so confirm current status during your eligibility check.
• Equity Resiliency eligibility. To qualify for the SGIP Equity Resiliency Budget rebate, homes must be in a high fire zone and on medical baseline (fact 44) — a category that overlaps heavily with households affected by PSPS.
• Spanish-language support. Apollo offers Spanish-language help on SGIP application calls (fact 126).

What the process looks like

Apollo's stated process is a quick eligibility check, an in-home energy assessment, installation and setup, and ongoing customer care (fact 30). Customers who fill out the website form receive an accurate quote within 3 to 5 days (fact 31).

In practice, the project sequence runs like this (fact 241): a Customer Service and Project Manager is assigned; a site survey is scheduled for photos and measurements while the rebate application begins; a single-line drawing is completed; the permit is submitted and approved; installation takes place; the city final inspection is completed; the PTO application goes to the utility; the final SGIP rebate payout is requested; and the customer is set up with battery monitoring access.

The site survey itself is short — a 360° perimeter LiDAR scan of the home, photos of the electrical panel and any sub-panels, and interior garage photos if applicable, about 15 to 20 minutes (fact 373). Engineering then reviews the photos and confirms the battery location with you 1 to 2 weeks later, before permitting is submitted (fact 473).

Two expectations worth setting now: rebate and permit approvals are controlled by outside agencies, and Apollo does not give estimated timelines it cannot confirm (fact 422). And batteries are most commonly installed outside the house or garage, since some authorities having jurisdiction do not allow batteries in the garage (fact 75).

Next step

If PSPS outages are a recurring problem at your address, start with an eligibility check rather than a product catalog — the rebate path often determines what the project costs and how it is designed. Visit https://www.apollohomepower.com to submit the form and get a quote within 3 to 5 days, or call (858) 923-5401.