Two outages, zero disruption: Ernie's story
By Team Haven | Apr 6, 2026
"As time goes on, we have seen more and more outages – devastating fires. Then we got the Powerwall, and there were two outages and we didn't even know! The power stayed on. It was just... seamless." — Ernie K., Berkeley, CA
Meet Ernie.
Ernie's home sits in the East Bay, where PG&E's ongoing Public Safety Power Shutoffs have become a fixture of life – planned outages designed to reduce wildfire risk during high-wind events, but disruptive all the same. For Berkeley residents, the threat isn't abstract: the hills above the city carry vivid memories of the 1991 firestorm, and each dry October serves as a reminder of how quickly conditions can turn. As the years passed, Ernie watched the outage pattern grow worse, and the question of what to do about it became harder to ignore.
Solar was only half the story.
Ernie and his wife Ann got solar panels installed years ago and enjoyed the immediate bill savings that showed up on their energy bills. Over time, however, it became clear where their solar system was falling short. Their 22-panel system did nothing to protect them during scheduled shutoffs or outages, and they were still paying PG&E in the evening and at night, when their panels didn't generate any energy.
Ernie began researching battery backup systems. Like most homeowners, he found the landscape confusing – too many options, unclear pricing, and a lot of companies that seemed more interested in closing a sale than finding the right fit. He ultimately found out about Haven from a family member who referred us to him. After assessing Ernie's home electrical setup and energy usage, we paired his existing solar panels with two Tesla Powerwalls, giving the home meaningful backup capacity and extended his bill savings into the evening hours.
Life with a backup.
Since the Powerwalls went in, the grid has gone down twice – and Ernie's household didn't feel either one. No scramble for flashlights, no food spoiling in the fridge, no disruption to whatever was happening in the house. The existing solar panels now have somewhere to store what they generate, and when PG&E cuts power to the neighborhood, the transition is invisible. For a home in a region where outages have gone from occasional inconveniences to a recurring seasonal reality, that kind of seamlessness is exactly what Ernie was after.
"As time goes on, we have seen more and more outages. The fires have been devastating. Then we got the Powerwall, and there were two outages and we didn't even know! The power stayed on. It was just... seamless." - Ernie K., Berkeley, CA
