u/Intelligent_Gas653

Hey everyone,

Like most of you, I’m sick of my monthly Eversource bills. Now that the state passed the bill legalizing plug-in/portable solar up to 1,200W without utility approval, I’m really interested in setting up a small system.

Since the rules don't officially kick in until October, I want to use this time to do my homework. As a complete beginner, I have a few quick questions:

What’s the actual setup? Do I just buy panels, connect them to a portable power station (like a Bluetti/EcoFlow/Anker), and run my fridge/WFH setup off that? Or how does the "plug into the wall" part work safely?
UL Certification: The bill mentions things need to be UL-certified. Are there systems on the market right now that meet these CT specs, or are we waiting for manufacturers to catch up?
Battery Storage: Is it worth pairing this with a decent-sized battery backup for outages, or should I stick to just panels for now?

Would love some advice from anyone. Thanks!

After weeks of downsizing and rebuilding our setup. Honestly still feels weird seeing the van actually finished and ready to go. My girlfriend and I are doing a lap around Australia, and one thing I stressed over way too much during the build was power. Didn’t want to be constantly babysitting battery levels or relying on caravan parks every other night.

Ended up committing to a fully electric kitchen for our WA trip and I’m really glad we did. Way cleaner than dealing with propane, and with all the fire bans lately it just felt like the safer option too.

Running everything off a Bluetti Apex 300 right now. It’s handling the microwave surprisingly well, even with the air conditioner running at the same time. I was expecting the inverter to complain the first time we cooked/heated something, but so far it’s been rock solid.

Really looking forward to our first full anniversary road trip around Australia together in this thing. Feels pretty special finally getting to live the vanlife we’d been planning for so long.

With the new Plug-in Solar bill passed in CT, how do I actually prep for backup power？

Finally hitting the road for our first anniversary road trip across Australia!