FranklinWH battery installation in Santa Cruz County

FranklinWH home battery storage, installed by our certified team. We check your solar equipment and any planned generator connection before recommending a setup.

4.9 stars, 161 reviews on Google — See the reviews behind this rating (opens in a new tab)BBB Accredited · A+ (opens in a new tab)CSLB #C10-1097237Certified FranklinWH installer20-year workmanship guaranteePermit + inspection handled

What this is

FranklinWH splits the job into two parts: the battery itself, and a separate controller — the aGate — that manages the whole house. That separation is the reason to care about it. The controller handles the switching, the load management, and the coordination between everything that can supply power, rather than that intelligence living inside the battery.

FranklinWH can add storage to an existing solar installation. We check the inverter and electrical layout before recommending the connection. With compatible equipment and the optional aGate generator connection, it can also coordinate battery and generator backup.

For a home facing extended outages, we size backup around the loads you want to keep running. Runtime depends on battery capacity, charge level, energy use, solar production and available generator fuel. Generator start and stop behavior depends on the installed controls and settings; we explain those choices during commissioning.

New to batteries? Start at home battery backup for the fundamentals. This page assumes them.

When you need this

  • You already have solar and want a battery that works with it rather than around it
  • You have — or plan to have — a standby generator and want the two to work as one system
  • You're in a PSPS zone where outages can run days, not hours
  • You want whole-home load management rather than backup bolted onto a panel
  • You'd rather not be locked to a single manufacturer for both solar and storage
04What's included

Exactly what we handle — and the two things you handle.

Sunrise provides

  • FranklinWH aPower battery unit or units, plus the aGate controller
  • Integration with your existing solar — any inverter brand — or with new solar if we're doing both
  • Generator compatibility assessment and, when included in your quote, integration using the appropriate aGate connection and controls
  • All interconnection between the battery, the controller, your main panel, and the utility service
  • Critical-loads subpanel where that's the better answer, including moving the circuits that matter
  • Any panel or service work the interconnection turns up, quoted before we start
  • Building permit, inspection, PG&E interconnection application and permission-to-operate
  • Commissioning with an outage test, including generator operation where integration is included, plus app setup and warranty registration
Warranty: 20-year workmanship, transferable. The manufacturer's own equipment warranty runs separately and we register it for you. · Permits: pulled + inspection coordinated by us, built into the quote · Cleanup: packaging and offcuts hauled away, penetrations sealed, conduit runs made tidy rather than merely functional. Drywall and paint repair where equipment was mounted is out of scope — we say so at quote rather than after.

You provide

  • Access to the panel, the meter, and the intended equipment location on the work day
  • A clear list of what has to keep running — this is what sizing is built from
  • Wi-Fi at the equipment location, so monitoring works from day one
  • HOA or architectural approval where applicable
05How it works

Start to finish, with real times.

11–2 hrs on-site

Free home inspection and sizing

A tech looks at your panel, your service, and where the equipment could physically go, then works through what you actually want running when the power is out. That list is the whole design — it decides how many units you need and whether you're backing up the whole house or a critical-loads subpanel. You get a written report and a real number.

22–6 weeks, mostly waiting on others

Permit and utility interconnection

We pull the building permit and file the interconnection application with PG&E. The paperwork is usually the long pole, not the labour — timelines vary across the county, and we tell you the realistic date rather than the optimistic one.

31–2 days on-site

Install day

aPower and aGate mounted and interconnected, solar connected as designed, and any quoted generator integration and subpanel work completed. Your power is off for part of the work at the service — we explain the planned interruption in advance.

4Half a day, plus inspector and utility scheduling

Inspection, commissioning, and handover

Building-department inspection, then permission to operate from PG&E, then commissioning. We run a real outage test — cut the feed, watch it transfer, confirm it carries what you asked for — set up your monitoring app, register the equipment warranty, and walk you through what happens automatically and what doesn't.

06Pricing transparency

Every quote is free. The range depends too much on your home to fake it.

We give you a real number at the free inspection rather than a range on a web page. Battery projects vary more than most electrical work — what you want backed up, where the equipment can physically go, how far it is from your panel, and whether your service can take it as-is are each large enough to move the total on their own. One thing to get straight before you budget: there is no federal tax credit on home battery storage for 2026 installs. Section 25D — the 30% residential credit that covered owned solar and standalone storage — terminated on 31 December 2025. If a quote or an article you're reading still assumes it, that assumption is out of date, and we'd rather you hear it from us than at tax time.

Financing · GoGreen Home

Financing is available on battery projects when they qualify — GoGreen Home is tied to qualifying energy-efficiency work, and battery storage paired with solar or electrification generally fits. We walk through your specific pathway at quote rather than putting an invented monthly figure on a web page.
See what qualifies and estimate a payment

What it costs

Quotes are free. The variance on this work is too wide for an honest range — book a free inspection and we’ll give you a real number for your specific home, in writing.

What moves the number

How much of the house you want backed up — a critical-loads subpanel and whole-home backup are different jobs · How many battery units, which is a function of what you run and for how long · Distance and route from the equipment location to your main panel · Whether your existing panel and service can take the interconnection as-is, or need work first · Whether you have existing solar, and what inverter it uses · Mounting location — garage wall, exterior wall, or a location needing weather and temperature consideration · Permit and utility interconnection timelines, which vary by jurisdiction across the county · Whether a generator is being integrated, and whether it's already installed or going in at the same time
No hidden fees. Every quote is free and detailed.

What customers say · solar-battery

4.9 on Google
161 reviews on Google
Read all reviews

K. N.

“We were having serious problems with our Tesla, solar system, and Carlos came out to evaluate the problems. He was right on target with what the problems were, and he called his boss just to confirm which I appreciated the second opinion. They will be installing the solar system correctly and I’m so relieved. Carlos was wonderful. He is so personable and so intelligent, and I admire him. Can’t wait to get this whole system fixed”
K. N.
Solar system diagnosis

Diana R.

“We've had an exceptional experience with Sunrise Electrical Contracting. In the middle of winter with a 5 week old baby - we found ourselves without power once again in the Santa cruz Mountains. We had already purchased a solar system but hadn't set it up. My husband called Sunrise Electrical Contracting and connected with Branden who came on an emergency call on short notice. He was able to set up our solar system in a few hours and took a lot of time to explain things to my husband who asks a lot of questions and give him advice on the system. Branden was professional and friendly, as well as extremely knowledgeable and friendly while he met at our home. He got us out of a bind and now we can keep our house warm. The rate was great and out of the companies we called, they were the most responsive. We definitely trust this company with our electrical needs moving forward and recommend them to anyone who needs work.”
Diana R.
Emergency solar system commissioning
09Frequently asked questions

6 questions. Real answers.

Pulled from what we actually hear on quotes and on-site. If yours isn't here, ask us — we'll answer in plain English.

Will it work with the solar I already have?
FranklinWH can work with existing solar. We check your inverter, electrical layout and backup goals before recommending how to connect it, rather than assuming every existing installation needs the same setup.
Can it work with a generator?
Yes, with compatible equipment and the optional aGate generator connection. We check the generator and control setup before including integration in the quote. Runtime depends on the loads, battery capacity, solar production and available fuel. See standby generators for the generator side of the plan.
What is the aGate, in plain terms?
The aGate manages how the home uses the available power sources and disconnects it from the grid during an outage. A generator connection is optional and depends on the installed equipment and configuration.
How many units do I need?
It comes from what you want running and for how long, not from your house's size. aPower units can be added for more capacity. We build the number from your actual load list at the inspection — and if the honest answer is a critical-loads subpanel and fewer units, we'll say that.
Is there a federal tax credit?
Not for 2026 installs. Section 25D terminated on 31 December 2025, which ended the 30% residential credit on owned solar and battery storage. A lot of material online hasn't caught up.
How does it compare to the others you install?
We compare FranklinWH, Powerwall and Generac PWRcell against your existing solar, backup loads and expansion plans. If you want generator integration, we check the specific equipment and controls before recommending a combination. There isn't one system that's best for every home.
10Even if Sunrise isn't the answer

Here’s the honest path — wherever it leads.

We'd rather you get the right outcome than the Sunrise outcome. Some of this points away from us on purpose.

Outside Santa Cruz County?

Look for a CSLB-licensed C-10 contractor who is a certified installer for the system you're considering. Verify the licence at cslb.ca.gov, and check the quote includes the permit, the utility interconnection, and any panel work rather than adding them later.

Browse our field guides

Thinking about a generator too?

We install standby generators too. If you want one alongside your FranklinWH battery, we check compatibility and explain the required connection and controls before quoting the combined setup.

Our standby generator installations

Not sure a battery is the answer?

A free whole-home inspection tells you what your service can actually support and what backing up your house would really involve. You keep the written report either way, and about a third of these end with no work scheduled.

Schedule a free inspection
12Service areas

We do this work everywhere in Santa Cruz County.

From Davenport to Pajaro Dunes, San Lorenzo Valley to Pleasure Point. Same crew, same warranty, same pricing.

13One more thing

Want a real number on a FranklinWH system?

Free on-site inspection and a written quote, including a compatibility check if you want generator integration.