How to Build a Whole Home System With Jackery 5000 Plus

Whether you are planning to live off the grid or want to keep yourself prepared for unexpected power outages, you'll need to look for a battery backup system that can keep essential appliances running. Jackery is a leading global brand that manufactures solar generators, portable power stations, and solar panels. The expandable Jackery Solar Generator 5000 Plus comes with a large capacity and modular design to keep essential appliances running during outages. 

You can even add the battery packs to the Jackery Explorer 5000 Plus Portable Power Station to extend the capacity and build a whole-home backup kit. In this guide, you’ll learn how to use Jackery Solar Generator 5000 Plus to build a dependable backup or off-grid system. We’ll cover how it fits different household scenarios, how to size it properly, and the two types of transfer switches to safely connect the solar generator to your home’s electrical panel.

In this article, you'll learn:

• Whole-home solar power systems can power critical household appliances, especially when the grid is down or you want to reduce the electricity bills.
• The Jackery Solar Generator 5000 Plus is one of the most powerful and essential home backup solutions, capable of running your household appliances for hours or even days.
• The Jackery Whole-Home Backup Kit 5000 Plus is a whole-home system that can power most household appliances, reducing reliance on the grid or during prolonged outages.
• How to size the Jackery Solar Generator based on daily and emergency needs.
• The differences between Jackery Manual Transfer Switch and Smart Transfer Switch.

What is a Whole Home Solar Power System?

A whole-home solar power system is designed to power most or all of your home’s essential appliances and circuits. It is typically used during full-time or off-grid living or during power outages. Unlike essential home battery backup solutions that focus on powering basic appliances during short or long outages, DIY whole-house battery backups are designed to power almost all appliances, including larger appliances, such as refrigerators, air conditioners, sump pumps, and lighting systems.

Jackery Solar Generator 5000 Plus Whole Home Use

If you’ve ever lost power for more than a few hours, you already know how fast things can get uncomfortable or even unsafe. For example, food in the refrigerator starts to spoil, phones die, the house goes dark, and if you rely on medical devices or work from home, the situation gets more stressful. That's where the essential home backup solutions, such as Jackery Solar Generator 5000 Plus come in. Let's explain how it can help you:

Jackery Solar Generator 5000 Plus

The Jackery Solar Generator 5000 Plus is an essential home backup solution that provides a clean and quiet way to keep your household appliances running during prolonged blackouts without the fumes or noise of gas generators. With the massive battery capacity, it can also support bigger appliances, such as refrigerators, lights, WiFi, fans, and even appliances like washing machines or window AC units. 

You can run several appliances at once with the 12 output ports, so you’re not stuck choosing between charging your phone or keeping the fridge on. It is also expandable, which means you can start with the base unit and eventually add another unit or battery packs to expand the capacity over time and increase runtime. The best part is that the solar generator supports appliances working at 120V and 240V to power any household appliances.

If you want to power appliances for longer hours during prolonged power outages, you can consider investing in the Jackery Whole-Home Backup Kit 5000 Plus. It combines two Jackery Explorer 5000 Plus Portable Power Station and two Jackery Battery Pack 5000 Plus to reach a capacity of up to 20kWh. It can run almost all household appliances for hours or even days, so you can have complete peace of mind during unexpected and long-term power outages. For example, the whole-home backup kit can power your fridge for almost 49 hours.

Appliances Running Time

• Refrigerator (300W) = 12.2H
• Light (10W) = 71.4H
• TV (150W) = 21.4H
• Heater (1000W) = 4.1H
• WiFi (10W) = 71.4H

Note: You can increase the running time by adding the battery packs to the Jackery Solar Generator 5000 Plus.

Who Should Buy This

The Jackery 5000 Plus system is ideal for homeowners who experience frequent or prolonged power outages or for individuals living in rural or off-grid areas without reliable grid access.

Customer Review

“This is my second unit from Jackery. Love them. I bought the 5000 Plus for backup for the coming storm season here in Houston. Mainly to run the refrigerator. The great sale and stackable coupon sealed the deal.” — David Tanaka.

How to Size Your Jackery System for Daily and Emergency Use

Before choosing what size generator do you need, it’s important to estimate how much power you’ll actually need to power the appliances. Overestimating the solar power system can lead to unnecessary costs while underestimating it can leave you without enough energy during a blackout. Here's a step-by-step guide to size your Jackery system for daily and emergency use:

Step 1: List the Essential Household Appliances

Start by listing the essential household appliances you need during off-grid living or power outages. For example, you can list refrigerators, WiFi, fans, CPAP machines, and lights. If you also need power for heavy-duty appliances, such as ACs, water heaters, space heaters, electric burners, and microwaves, make sure to list them as well.

Step 2: Note Down their Wattages

Determine the starting watts and running watts of the appliances you need to power at the same time. You can typically find the wattage on the appliance's wattage chart, label, or in the user manual.

Suppose you are powering a refrigerator, WiFi router, and a few lights during an outage. Next, multiply the wattage of each appliance by the number of hours you would like to run it.

Example: Fridge (150W × 8H) + Wi-Fi (10W × 24H) + Lights (60W × 5H) = 1740Wh per day.

Step 3: Choose the Solar Generator

Depending on the amount of power your appliances require, you can choose a solar generator. For example, a 2000-watt generator would be enough to handle the basic appliances for a day. However, if you need to run other appliances, such as air conditioners, televisions, and cooking equipment, you will require a larger 5000-watt generator. 

Jackery Solar Generator 5000 Plus is an essential home backup solution that can power most household appliances, such as refrigerators, lights, TVs, ACs, and more. It is also expandable, allowing you to add battery packs to increase the capacity. For example, the Jackery Whole-Home Backup Kit 5000 Plus (20kWh) combines two Jackery Explorer 5000 Plus units with two Jackery Battery Pack 5000 Plus units to build a whole-home backup that can run appliances for longer.

Two Types of Transfer Switches for Jackery 5000 Plus & Differences

A transfer switch acts as a mediator between the solar generator and the home’s electricity panel. Whenever a power outage happens, the transfer switch automatically switches from on-grid power to battery backup. Here are the two transfer switches compatible with Jackery Solar Generator 5000 Plus:

Jackery Manual Transfer Switch

The Jackery Manual Transfer Switch for the whole-home backup kit enables you to connect the Jackery Explorer 5000 Plus to your home's electrical panel. You can choose up to six critical household circuits, such as refrigerators, lights, garage doors, etc., that will receive electricity from the battery backup as soon as the grid goes down. You'll need a NEMA L14-30P to NEMA TT-30R adapter (not provided by Jackery) to use the manual transfer switch with the Jackery Explorer 5000 Plus.

Jackery Smart Transfer Switch

The Jackery Smart Transfer Switch (also known as an Automatic Transfer Switch) enables seamless switching between the main electricity system and the battery backup solution. Whenever the utility grid fails to supply adequate electricity to the appliances, the Smart Transfer Switch immediately switches to Jackery Explorer 5000 Plus. This ensures critical appliances, such as refrigerators, lights, and CPAP machines, remain powered. For more information, refer to the detailed guide: How to Install and Uninstall Smart Transfer Switch.

FAQs

How do I connect a Jackery to my home electricity system?

You can connect your Jackery Solar Generator 5000 Plus to your home panel using a compatible manual or smart transfer switch. These transfer switches integrate safely, allowing you to power selected household circuits directly from the solar generator.

Is a transfer switch necessary to connect Jackery to the home panel?

Yes, if you want to connect Jackery Explorer 5000 Plus to your home's electrical panel, you'll need either a Manual Transfer Switch or a Smart Transfer Switch. These switches ensure safe switching between grid and battery backup power whenever the grid goes down.

How long will a fully charged Jackery 5000 Plus power essential appliances?

The Jackery Solar Generator 5000 Plus can power critical home appliances, such as refrigerators and lights, for hours or even days. For example, it can power a refrigerator (300W) for 12.2 hours and lights (10W) for 71.4 hours. You can run the appliances for longer if you connect the power station with solar panels.

Can you charge a Jackery system during a power outage using solar?

Yes, you can easily charge the Jackery Portable Power Stations with the compatible Jackery SolarSaga Solar Panels. For example, the Jackery Explorer 5000 Plus Portable Power Station can be fully recharged with 2*Jackery SolarSaga 500X Solar Panels in 6.5 hours.

How do you monitor home energy usage with a Jackery 5000 Plus?

The Jackery mobile app allows you to monitor the device's status, battery level, and more for the Jackery Solar Generator 5000 Plus. It allows you to easily manage energy use and identify which appliances require power.

Conclusion

A reliable home battery backup can keep your emergency household appliances for hours. With the Jackery Solar Generator 5000 Plus, you can prepare for long outages and lower the reliance on the grid. It provides the flexibility to run everyday essentials like refrigerators, lights, internet, or medical equipment, with the option to expand the capacity as your needs grow. You can even pair the solar generator with the transfer switch to keep your essential home circuits powered when the grid goes down.