EcoFlow PowerOcean Battery Review: Cut my bill in half

You may also need to upgrade your wiring and electrical panel and obtain permission from your local authority. In my case, here in Scotland, that meant asking my distribution network operator. The American equivalent is the Electricity Distribution Corporation or local distribution company. They may have to upgrade your connection. I needed a new slot with a larger fuse to handle the EV charging, battery, and air source heat pump, but the upgrade was free. Your mileage may vary, and it may take some time to hear back. Your installer will likely handle this process for you.

You also need to choose an installer. I recommend shopping around, reading reviews, and getting multiple quotes. Greener Energy Group installed my battery, and it was excellent. A site visit was made to discuss the work, and the installation was completed in one day. Installers need a convenient location for the battery (the battery is installed in the garage, but it’s weatherproof, so it can also be installed outside), and they must connect the cable to the main fuse panel.

The EcoFlow PowerOcean system stood out thanks to its 15-year warranty, modularity (expandable to 45 kWh), sleek design, and accessible smartphone app. I went with a 6 kW hybrid inverter (thinking we might get solar panels in the future) and two 5 kWh batteries. In hindsight, I should have gone for three or four, but I’ll talk about that later.

EcoFlow PowerOcean features a sleek gray metal design, and is just 188mm (about 7.5 inches) deep. It’s fairly unobtrusive, but it’s best if you can tuck it away in the garage or basement as that will also help with operating temperatures, although the PowerOcean also has a built-in heating system to avoid performance drops when it’s very cold.

Turn on the power

EcoFlow via Simon Hill

EcoFlow via Simon Hill

Setting up my EcoFlow PowerOcean was a breeze. The current electric car tariff (Intelligent Octopus Go) provides cheap electricity between 11:30pm and 5:30am, so the battery fills up during those hours, and starts discharging each morning at 5:31am. We are a family of four, and I work from home.