The grid goes down and does not come back. What you have is a battery with a number
on it, a roof that only makes power when the sun is out, and a house full of circuits
that all want to be on at once.
The clock never stops. Every switch you leave closed is kilowatt-hours you will not
have tonight.
1
Watts are a rate. Kilowatt-hours are the tank. A 1500 W heater on a 13.5 kWh battery runs for nine hours and nothing else runs at all.
2
Motors surge on startup. A well pump draws 1000 W running and 3200 W for the first half second. Start two motors together and the inverter trips out on peak, not on average.
3
A full battery throws sunshine away. Midday surplus you do not spend is gone. Pre-cool the house, heat the water, charge the car.
4
Deep discharge costs battery life. Running a lithium pack to empty over and over wears it far faster than shallow cycles. The score counts what you spent.
1–0 switch circuits E car G generator X reset inverter SPACE pause F clock speed DRAG orbit the house R restart