2026 equipment update. “Ensemble” is a retired brand name. Enphase’s storage and backup platform is now the Enphase Energy System, built around IQ8 microinverters, the IQ Battery 5P or 10C and an IQ System Controller. The current hardware and what it does in a Clark County winter are covered at the end of this article.
What is the New Enphase Ensemble?
Enphase Energy has a vision of a completely solar-powered planet, and they are working to realize this vision with their solar energy products. Their three guiding commitments are innovation, quality, and responsibility, which certainly show through in their Ensemble line.
Unlike other hybrid battery backup systems that are always reliant on the local power grid, the Ensemble components all work together to create a truly independent individual microgrid for your home so you can still generate energy even during grid outages.
In this article, we’ll take an in-depth look at the latest Enphase Ensemble technology, including how it works, the various components, the benefits of the system, and how much it costs.
With Ensemble™ technology, when the grid is down, you have power. And when the grid is up, you can save money. Photo courteous of Enphase Energy.
How Does The Enphase Ensemble Work?
The Enphase Ensemble is a family of technology that is designed for either whole-home or partial-home solar energy storage and backup in the case of a grid failure.
The system includes the Encharge 10 or Encharge 3 storage systems (or a combination of both), the Empower smart switch, the Enlighten cloud monitoring platform, and the Envoy combiner. The system is designed to be used with any of the Enphase IQ series of microinverters.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zm0NMKW7k4All of these components work together to provide you with instant seamless backup electricity from your grid-tied solar energy system when the grid experiences a grid failure. As we mentioned above, this system is unlike other traditional grid-tied solar energy battery backup systems in that it will still produce energy to power your home even when the grid is down. If there is excess energy being produced beyond what your system is using, the excess will go to the storage system for later use.
Whole Home Backup
Partial Home Backup
What Makes The Enphase Ensemble Different?
The Enphase Ensemble is an amazing option for those who are planning to install a completely new solar energy system as well as for those who already own a solar energy system that uses any of Enphase’s IQ series of microinverters since they can easily handle the addition of the entire Ensemble system.
Unlike the LG Chem, you are not required to get any kind of certification to purchase or install the Ensemble system. The system requires little to no maintenance, is simple to install, and easy to monitor, and it works out to be less expensive over the lifetime of your solar energy system than many other hybrid and off-grid battery backup systems.
Is The Enphase Ensemble Reliable?
The Enphase Ensemble is very reliable since it is the first truly grid-independent solar energy battery backup system. It is the result of over 10 years of research and development and more than 300 patents. The monitoring system allows you to see exactly how much energy you are harvesting from your solar energy system and you can even control the system using existing home technologies like Alexa.
By its very nature, the Ensemble is more reliable than other backup battery systems on the market today. Other available systems are hybrids, which means they are partially grid-reliant. With those, when the grid goes down, your ability to produce more power via your solar panels is cut off to prevent your home from becoming an “island” of energy in the grid, which could potentially injure a technician who attempts to fix the grid outage.
So in that case, you are limited to only the energy that was stored in your battery at the time the outage began, which is a best-case scenario that may offer you 10-12 hours worth of energy. Grid outages may last several days, so your expensive investment in a grid-reliant battery backup system may leave you in the same powerless boat as your neighbors within less than a day, which can be very frustrating and even potentially dangerous.
With the Ensemble system in place, your solar panels will generate energy whether the grid is working normally or experiencing an outage. While the grid is working, the IQ series microinverters work the same as a typical grid-tied solar energy system.
When the grid goes down, the Enpower smart switch will detect it immediately and instantly form its own grid instead with the other Ensemble components. You won’t even be able to detect a flicker in your lights as the Ensemble takes over. When the grid comes back on, the smart switch will detect it and switch back over to grid-tied operation.
The amount of electricity generated will depend on the size of your solar array and the weather, and the isolated grid may not be able to keep up with absolutely all of your power needs – for instance, you probably won’t be able to run a vacuum cleaner. However, if your solar array and battery storage capacity is sized correctly, you will be able to run your household basics for the duration of the grid outage.
Encharge 10 vs Encharge 3 Storage System
The Encharge battery storage system is a reliable, simple, and safe way to back up your home with electricity even during a grid outage. The Encharge 10 is actually just three Encharge 3 units put together in a larger water-tight cover, and it obviously provides three times the amount of capacity as the Encharge 3.
Both come with a 10-year limited warranty. They utilize passive cooling techniques, which means there are no fans or moving parts to break. Encharge units are simple to install since they are essentially plug-and-play and they can interconnect effortlessly with standard household AC wiring. You can combine multiple Encharge units to maximize your energy storage and provide backup for your entire home.
Encharge 10
The Encharge 10 has 10.5 kWh of total capacity and 10.08 kWh of usable capacity. It measures about 42 by 26 by 12.5 inches and weighs 346 pounds.
Encharge 3
The Encharge 3 has 3.5 kWh of total capacity and 3.36 kWh of usable capacity. It measures about 14.5 by 26 by 12.5 inches and weighs 114.6 pounds.
What Does The Enpower Smart Switch Do?
The Enpower smart switch is the component that is responsible for making the change between functioning as a grid-tied system and isolating your home microgrid by detecting a lack of grid power. It works automatically and instantly to keep continuous power flowing to your home without causing any potentially dangerous situations on the grid.
Is It Compatible With IQ6 And IQ7?
The Ensemble is indeed compatible with the full line of IQ6 and IQ7 series microinverters, and it will be compatible with IQ8 which is set to be released later this year. This makes it easy to retrofit existing systems with the whole Ensemble upgrade.
How Much Does The Enphase Ensemble Cost?The total cost of the installation will vary based on how much battery capacity you need as well as whether you already have solar panels installed. As far as the individual components go, the Enpower smart switch sells for about $3,600, the Encharge 3 is about $7,000, the Encharge 10 is about $11,000, and the Envoy combiner box is about $1,800.
However, if you do not already have solar panels, you may be looking at another $10,000-$15,000. On top of that, if you hire a professional to install your system, you will need to pay labor and installation costs, which can vary greatly depending on your system size and the installation site.
The best way to find out how much the entire installation will cost is to sign-up for a free consultation with an experienced consultant.
Why Is The Cost So Much Less When I Search Online?When you search online, you are most likely only seeing the prices for the components on their own, which does not account for solar panels or installation costs as we mentioned above.
The overall price will also be higher if you need a professional to analyze your site, size your system, and acquire all the necessary plans and permits. While DIY systems are possible, it takes a lot of work, multiple people, and working around dangerous electricity to complete the job. We do not recommend DIY solar installs.
Enlighten Mobile App Review
The Enlighten mobile app makes managing your solar energy system simple and intuitive. Since the main function of the Ensemble (namely, switching to a grid-independent microgrid function during outages) is automated, you can have peace of mind knowing that you don’t need to constantly monitor and attend to your solar energy system. You can control the system with Alexa for even easier handling, although the app is intuitive and user-friendly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2iUUwnmuuYAn explainer video for the latest MyEnlighten App. With MyEnlighten, you can track your solar production, monitor their system’s health, and share their data with friends.
Enphase Ensemble Warranty
Various components of the Ensemble have different warranties. The Encharge battery storage system and the Enpower smart switch come with a 10-year limited warranty and all IQ microinverters come with a 25-year limited warranty.
All batteries eventually suffer from diminishing capacity over time and need to be replaced, but the Encharge batteries are guaranteed to retain at least 70% of their original capacity after 10 years or 4,000 charge cycles, whichever comes first.
Considering The Enphase Ensemble?
Are you ready for reliable, safe, easy backup power for your whole home for the duration of any grid outages? Contact our team of experts at Sunbridge Solar today for your free solar quote or call us at (360) 313-7190.
Ensemble is now the Enphase Energy System
If you have been searching for “Enphase Ensemble” and finding conflicting information, this is why. Ensemble was Enphase’s name for its storage and grid-forming technology around 2019 to 2021. By the third-generation launch in 2023 the branding had moved to Enphase Energy System, and Ensemble had quietly disappeared from the product literature.
The technology did not go away. It got renamed and then improved twice.
What the system is made of in 2026
- IQ8 microinverters under each panel, grid-forming, which is what makes battery-free daytime backup possible at all.
- IQ Battery 5P, 5.0 kWh usable, 3.84 kW continuous, lithium iron phosphate, 15-year warranty and a 6,000-cycle guarantee.
- IQ Battery 10C, the newer fourth-generation unit launched in 2025. 10 kWh usable, 7.08 kW continuous, also LFP, also a 15-year and 6,000-cycle warranty, and considerably more compact per kilowatt-hour than the 5P.
- IQ System Controller, which does the actual islanding, disconnecting you from the grid safely and running your backed-up circuits.
Lithium iron phosphate matters more than the spec sheet suggests. LFP runs cooler, tolerates being cycled hard, and does not use cobalt. For a battery living in an unheated Washougal garage and cycling most days, that is the right chemistry.
What this actually does in a Pacific Northwest winter
Here is the scenario that sells storage in our service area, and it is not a utility-rate calculation. It is a wind event coming through the Columbia River Gorge, or wet snow bringing limbs down across east Clark County, and the power being out for somewhere between four hours and three days.
Sizing is about duration, not peak power
A December outage here is measured in hours or days. That makes usable capacity and circuit selection the things that matter, far more than a headline power rating. A furnace fan, a refrigerator, a well pump, internet and a few outlets will carry a household through a storm comfortably. Backing up an electric range and resistance heat will empty any battery in an evening.
The winter recharge problem nobody mentions
Your battery refills from your panels. December is the weakest production month of the year in this region by a wide margin. So in a multi-day winter outage a battery is a buffer that refills slowly, not an unlimited generator, and anyone who tells you otherwise has not spent a winter here. Sizing for two nights rather than one is a more useful conversation than sizing for peak load.
Where the battery goes
Garage walls are the usual answer around here, and an unheated garage in Vancouver or Camas sits comfortably within operating range almost all year. At elevation east of the metro, or in an exposed outbuilding in the Gorge, siting deserves more thought. It is also worth thinking about what sits below an array’s shedding edge in a snow event, which is a roof question the battery conversation usually skips.
Does it pay for itself?
Honestly: usually not on arbitrage alone in this region. We do not have residential rate structures that reward moving energy around the clock the way California does, and net metering already handles the seasonal swing for you, summer surplus banked against winter draw, whether you are with Clark PUD, Cowlitz PUD, PGE or Pacific Power.
A battery here is bought for resilience: a house with a well, a home office that cannot lose a day, medical equipment, or a road that is simply low on the utility’s restoration list. Those are good reasons. “It will pay for itself” usually is not, and we would rather say that up front.
A note on Enphase as a company
Enphase had a difficult 2025 and 2026. US residential demand fell sharply after the federal residential tax credit expired at the end of 2025, revenue declined, and the company cut roughly 6% of its workforce in early 2026. It remains cash-rich and profitable on a non-GAAP basis, with a large cash position, and we have seen nothing to suggest warranty support is at risk. But you asked what we install and why, and pretending the sector is booming would be dishonest.
What happened to Enphase Ensemble?
Ensemble was the name Enphase used for its storage and grid-forming technology around 2019 to 2021. The platform is now called the Enphase Energy System, built around IQ8 microinverters, an IQ Battery and an IQ System Controller.
What is the difference between the IQ Battery 5P and 10C?
The 5P offers 5.0 kWh usable and 3.84 kW continuous output. The 10C, launched in 2025, offers 10 kWh usable and 7.08 kW continuous in a more compact footprint. Both use lithium iron phosphate and carry a 15-year, 6,000-cycle warranty.
How long will an Enphase battery run my house in an outage?
It depends far more on which circuits you back up than on the battery size. Essentials such as a furnace fan, refrigerator, well pump and internet can stretch across a multi-day storm; electric heat or a whole-panel backup drains it in an evening.
Will my battery recharge during a winter power outage?
Slowly. December is the weakest solar production month in this region, so recharging is at its slowest exactly when outages are most likely. Size for the length of outage you actually expect rather than for a single night.
Does a home battery pay for itself in Washington or Oregon?
Rarely on rate arbitrage alone, because residential rates here do not reward it and net metering already handles the seasonal swing. Batteries here are bought for outage resilience, which is a legitimate reason on its own.
Can I add a battery to an existing solar system?
Often yes, but it depends on your existing inverter architecture. A system already built on Enphase microinverters is the most straightforward case; other setups may need additional equipment.
Thinking about backup before the winter storm season? Call us at 360-313-7190 or request a free quote.
