Residential battery system manufacturer Pila Energy has announced a new plug-in pilot for home battery storage in New York City, in a bid to expand backup power and help homeowners and renters manage energy usage.

The announcement comes as part of New York Climate Week, and includes a pilot program with Brooklyn SolarWorks. The pilot will pair rooftop solar with plug-in battery storage, according to officials, something that most residents in the Big Apple have been unable to access until now.

“New York is one of the hardest places in America to electrify a home, and we’ve spent a decade proving it can be done,” says T.R. Ludwig, CEO and co-founder of Brooklyn SolarWorks. “We’ve put solar on rooftops other companies wouldn’t touch, but storage has always been the missing piece. This pilot shows New Yorkers can finally have both.”

The company says code restrictions and “complex” permitting structures have made traditional whole-home batteries out of reach for most New Yorkers. Pila’s new battery pilot works with or without solar attached, charging while electricity costs less to supply it during peak hours. The company’s partnership with Brooklyn SolarWorks relies on the latter’s decade of solar engineering prowess, and officials say the duo will help New York households actually use more of the power they generate.

U.S. electrical utility bills hit an all-time high across the country this July, according to research by Heatmap and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Electricity Price Hub. The Department of Energy also declared an energy emergency across 17 different states to prevent rolling blackouts.

With federal projections stating that the risk of a power outage could grow by 100 times by 2030, home storage is likely to become essential for many Americans. As part of its announcement for New York City, Pila Energy has also kicked off Pila Neighborhoods, a community program the company says will allow neighbors to unlock group savings for battery technology.

“Resilience compounds. One Pila protects a family; a building full of them starts to protect the neighborhood,” says Cole Ashman, founder and CEO of Pila. “New York has always looked out for its own, across stoops and shared walls. Pila Neighborhoods turns that instinct into a practical path to backup power — neighbors organizing together, lowering costs together, and building resilience together.”

Pila’s batteries plug into a standard 120-volt outlet, according to representatives, and work to protect vital home appliances during an outlet. The company says households around both Brooklyn and Queens have already begun pairing Brooklyn SolarWorks panels with Pila batteries to store power for peak hours.

The San Franciscan firm stresses that its battery technology is also useful outside of electrical emergencies.

“Pila’s mesh network coordinates those batteries across the home to balance energy among appliances, increase backup capacity, and lower bills,” the company says in a news release. “At scale, Pila turns homes, apartments, and multifamily buildings into grid resources, helping store local solar, shift demand away from peak hours, and support the local power grid during the moments it is under the most stress.”

Pila’s combined pilot with Brooklyn SolarWorks comes at a key time for the New York City energy grid, as the state’s SUNNY Act would allow residents to participate in balcony solar and plug-in solar programs that have begun taking the country by storm. As of Sept. 22, the potential law has already passed both chambers and now sits on Gov. Kathy Hochul’s desk.

Tags: batteries, BESS, ESS, home storage, Pila Energy, products, Residential Solar, storage