Residential customers of BT’s (inc. EE) home broadband ISP and phone services may like to know that the UK telecoms provider is preparing to launch an “advanced” version of their existing Battery Backup Unit (BBU) “later this year“, which is said to be capable of “[lasting] for the full duration of most power outages.”
At present BT and EE already provide a free BBU to “vulnerable customers” who have their new Digital Voice service, so their Smart Hub (broadband router) can still receive power when there’s a power cut and this means they’re able to make an emergency call via either their Digital Voice phone or an existing corded handset. Regular customers can also get one of these, but it will cost you £85.
BT’s existing BBU is designed to exceed Ofcom’s current minimum requirement, which means that it can only provide power to the above kit for “at least an hour” if there’s a power cut. Suffice to say that longer outages, which are more likely to occur in rural areas, can be problematic.
Despite the challenges, Ofcom are currently in the process of exploring (here and here) whether to require fixed broadband providers to ensure their active street cabinets can support a 4-hour power backup (many already can). In addition, they’re also exploring the potential for requiring at least 1 hour’s worth of battery backup at mobile sites (masts etc.), but this would be a massive technical and cost challenge; the regulator does not currently plan to mandate this.
However, such changes indirectly suggest that retail ISPs may in the future be expected to deliver a similarly capable BBU for homes, which is perhaps one of the reasons for BT’s change. The good news today is that a spokesperson for BT and EE has confirmed they’re preparing to launch an Advanced Battery Backup Unit (ABBU) “later this year“, which they claim will be able to “last for the full duration of most power outages“. The details are currently only wafer thin, but we’re trying to get more info.
In the meantime, it’s worth remembering that the practical and economic realities mean that no ISP can currently provide homes with enough battery backup to cover major, protracted outages, such as those that last beyond a few hours and impact a very wide area (days, weeks etc.). But if you have deeper pockets then there are plenty of third-party solutions (here) that can work longer, such as portable power stations (e.g. we recommend those with a LiFePO4 battery, like the VTOMAN Jump 600X or ALLPOWERS R600 – much larger units also exist).
However, there’s always the option of a full home system battery, such as one of those from GivEnergy or Tesla (Power Wall). Such systems often cost anything from c.£3k to £20k to install and can provide power for your whole home (charged cheap rate at night or free from solar). But just remember that you’ll need to have one installed with an EPS (Emergency Power Supply) in order to provide backup during a power outage, which may not cover all your circuits.