Methodology

Charged Reviews is a community effort. Every specification, price and certificate on this site is transcribed from a public source and linked back to it, and the people and automation that do that work can make mistakes. Sources also disagree with each other, and a manufacturer can revise a datasheet without changing its model name.

Figures are published under each manufacturer’s own test conditions, so similar numbers from two products do not establish that they are comparable or compatible. For any purchase, installation or compatibility decision the manufacturer’s current documentation is authoritative, not this site. Confirm voltage, wiring, connectors, temperature limits, mounting and grid requirements with the manufacturer and a qualified installer before you buy or install.

Found something wrong? Reports are reviewed against sources before a published record changes.

kWh measures energy; kW measures power. Nominal and usable capacity stay separate. Price per kWh is the comparison price divided by the manufacturer's rated (nominal) capacity everywhere on the site; it divides by usable capacity only where a view lets you select that basis, and the label then says so.

DC modules require separate power conversion. AC units can still require controls and other equipment. Prices exclude tax, shipping and installation.

Up to three sort rules apply in order. Unknown values sort last. Missing or disputed inputs do not produce calculated values.

Prices cover the product or package named in the seller listing. Check its included equipment. Tax, shipping and installation are excluded unless stated.

Cards, charts, filters and sorts use the same latest sourced new single-battery price. Only new products appear in seller listings. Multipacks and bundles are identified separately. When a current price is unavailable, we use its dated history or documented manufacturer MSRP. Where no seller price is on file, a per-kWh, per-watt, or per-kW figure and the Price sort may use the maker’s own price, marked on the figure. That price is not a seller price and it has no buy link. Price per kWh divides that comparison price by rated capacity, or by usable capacity only where you select it; “$ / score” divides it by the evidence score. Stock does not change that price. Price is not an evidence score input.

Supported seller listings are checked nightly at 2:00 a.m. Pacific in the background. Check times are shown beside each listing; failed checks retain the last successful result.

Trending counts the votes a deal received from members in the last 7 days: each up-vote adds 1 and each down-vote takes 1 away. Only votes from accounts that were at least 7 days old when they voted count.

A deal with a count of at least 2 is trending; trending deals come first, the highest count first, and deals with the same count are ordered newest posted first. Every other deal follows, newest posted first.

Both kinds of vote are shown on each deal. Nothing else enters the order: no affiliate click, commission, partner status, price, store or score.

The window, the minimum number of votes and the weight of a down-vote are set in one place and may be tuned as more members vote; this page always states the numbers in use. Other sorts on the page, such as percent off or Newest, are a figure of the deal itself.

The tabs are a Charged Reviews classification, not a claim by the seller. Voltage is the battery's documented nominal voltage, or the inverter's documented battery voltage when the battery has none: 12V is 12 to under 15 V, 24V is 24 to under 30 V, 48V is 48 to 60 V and High voltage is above 60 V. Commercial and industrial is a documented three-phase output or 30 kW or more of inverter power. A bundle can be in two tabs; one with no documented voltage appears only under All.

We compile public manufacturer documents, issuer records and seller listings. Published specifications are claims from those sources unless independent testing is explicitly identified.

We aim to keep records accurate, but do not guarantee their accuracy, completeness or currency. This site provides research information, not engineering or installation advice, a product warranty, or approval for a particular installation. Confirm the exact model, current documents, seller terms and installation requirements with the manufacturer and qualified installer.

Readers and companies can report errors. Reports are reviewed before published records change; source differences and correction history remain available.

Manufacturer claims, issuer records and physical tests are distinct. Each fact retains its sources, dates, conditions and revisions.

Missing evidence is unknown. It does not prove a feature or certificate is absent. Country of origin is not a safety score.

Installation instructions take priority for installation and operating limits. Datasheets supply rated specifications; warranties define coverage; issuer records establish certificate scope. Use the latest reviewed revision applicable to the exact model and region. A newer date alone does not establish that a different document applies.

Evidence score combines sourced facts using the priorities you choose. It is a comparison aid, not a test result or product endorsement.

The Evidence score uses the priorities you choose. It counts published documents, such as certificates and warranty terms, and it compares a documented figure with the best documented figure of the same kind. It does not count owner reviews, and it is not a verdict on product quality or on how many people have reviewed it. A low score can mean little is documented, or that a documented figure is below the best of its kind. Undisclosed data scores 0.

Each input earns a fraction of its selected weight. Those points add to a rounded score out of 100. Researched products receive a score; a product whose review is not finished shows the number its recorded evidence earns, tagged “Missing details”. Undocumented inputs earn zero points. Printed bounds are scored at the printed figure. A product whose source review is not finished shows the number its recorded evidence earns, tagged “Missing details”; one whose recorded evidence earns nothing shows “Research pending.” Evidence coverage shows how much of your selected criteria can be scored; it does not hide the result. Turning a criterion off redistributes its weight among your other choices. Setting every slider to zero gives all five criteria equal weight. Price is not an input: the “$ / score” sort divides the recorded price by this score, so a cheaper product with the same evidence sorts first there without changing the score itself.

Only owners can submit product reviews. Every new review and edit is moderated. Approval controls publication; verification is a separate evidence check.

Verified means an admin approved two private files and matched both to this product: a purchase receipt and a photo of the serial number label or plate. Reviews verified before September 26, 2026 were checked with a receipt alone and keep their badge. The serial number is never published. System photos are optional. Verification does not certify installation safety or establish that every statement in the review is correct. Verification pending means the owner asked for this check and it is not complete. Unverified means the review was approved without it.

A named review by a co-owner of Charged Reviews, and any review by an administrator, moderator or manufacturer representative, states that connection on the review.

Private: receipts, serial number photos, installation details, account email and exported system data. System photos also stay private unless the owner chooses to share them. Public photos are reviewed and their image metadata is removed.

Public: review text, ratings, delivery timing, disclosed incentives, verification status and any photos the owner chooses to share. A named review can show its profile and points. Anonymous reviews show neither a name, profile nor points; the account stays linked privately for moderation.

Verified reviews appear first and count 19 times an approved unverified review, so a rating from an owner whose purchase was checked counts for more in the average: one verified and one unverified review contribute 95% and 5% of their combined rating. Use Verified only to filter them. Points reward accepted contributions and do not affect review weight. Previously published text remains below approved edits. An approved edit is treated as a new experience report: the review counts as recent from the date its latest approved revision was published, and its card shows both that date and the date it was first published. An edit awaiting moderation changes neither date. Rejected revisions do not replace an approved review. Only an admin can remove a published review, and its history remains archived.

Helpful votes from eligible community accounts add one point to the reviewer. Each account has one vote per review. Unhelpful votes do not subtract points; withdrawing a helpful vote removes its point. Self-voting and manufacturer voting are blocked. Votes do not change star ratings.

The reviewer and the assigned manufacturer may continue a moderated conversation. Responses keep the review’s public name or anonymity. Each side may submit up to five responses a day; there is no lifetime thread limit.

Seller links currently show affiliate partners and any distributors enabled by an administrator. Scores do not read prices or seller data.

Some seller links may include an affiliate code that pays Charged Reviews a commission when you buy. A commission never affects a product’s score, whether it is in the catalog, or how reviews are moderated. We link only to distributors we work with, and you may buy from any store. Lists open on every product. Turn on “With listed sellers” to see only products that have a listed seller. A list opens on the choice you last made. A search shows every product, closest match first. A product whose model, SKU, or whole name is exactly what was typed, or whose brand and model together are exactly what was typed, or whose name without the brand is exactly what was typed, or a common name of that one product, comes first. Spaces, capitals, and marks such as a hyphen do not change that match. Among products that match equally well, those sold for the US come first, then products with no region, then other regions, and within a region a product may rank ahead when more public DIY Solar Forum threads tag it or when its Amazon best-seller rank is stronger. Neither number is shown. Amazon’s best-seller rank used in that search is a reading no older than 24 hours. It is not shown, it does not change the Evidence score, and the Best sellers list stays in Evidence score order. We show dated prices we observed; a commission never changes a listed price. Every such link is marked “Paid link.” where it appears. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

Prices are dated observations. A crossed-out price on a deal is the same store’s own earlier price for the same item, which our readings show it charged for at least 28 of the 90 days before the current price began, shown for up to 30 days after the change; “Save” is the difference between the two prices, rounded down to whole dollars, before shipping and tax. We never cross out a manufacturer’s list price, another store’s price, a typical price or a seller’s own list price, and member deals and eBay listings show no savings. On an Amazon listing, a crossed-out price and its savings are Amazon’s own figures, with Amazon’s own label, as Amazon’s data returned them at the time shown.

Products for U.S. residential buyers. Product records include dated observations and documents. The catalog does not yet include every product on the market.

We do not run independent hardware tests. Full recall checks, some warranty and issuer checks and configuration reconciliation are incomplete, and the certificate guide has not yet been checked by a qualified installation-code reviewer.

Product images come from manufacturers and sellers. They are not owner submissions. Source attribution is available beside each gallery.