# POM Systems’ New Hybrid Inverters: Smart Solar Upgrade or Expensive Extra?
**Your solar panels can be working beautifully while your electricity bill still makes you wince.** That usually happens when you’re exporting cheap power to the grid during the day, then buying it back at a much higher price after dinner.
That’s the problem POM Systems is targeting with its new line of hybrid inverters, recently covered by *Machine Maker*. Instead of treating solar panels, batteries, and the grid as separate pieces, a hybrid inverter manages the handoff between them. Sounds simple? Not quite. The real question is whether the system will save enough money to justify the extra hardware, installation work, and eventual battery replacement.
**What a hybrid inverter actually does**
A standard solar inverter converts your panels’ DC electricity into the AC power your home uses. Any surplus normally goes to the grid. A hybrid inverter adds battery control to the mix, allowing excess solar to charge a home battery first, then drawing from that battery later when the panels aren’t producing enough.
That can be useful during expensive evening tariff periods, especially in parts of the US, the UK, and Australia where electricity prices change depending on the time of day. It can also provide backup power during an outage, but don’t assume every hybrid inverter will keep your whole home running. Backup capacity depends on the inverter, battery size, wiring, and whether the installer creates a separate backup circuit.
Here’s the part many buyers discover too late: a battery doesn’t magically give you unlimited emergency power. A refrigerator, router, lights, and a few outlets are one thing. Electric heating, air conditioning, an oven, or an EV charger can drain a battery surprisingly fast.
**Who should actually consider POM Systems’ new range?**
The new POM Systems inverters may make sense for homeowners installing solar and storage together, rather than people with an older solar setup that’s still working perfectly. If your home regularly sends a lot of electricity to the grid during the day and then pulls power back at night, a hybrid system has a clearer job to do.
It may also appeal to households dealing with unreliable grid service. In Australia, that could mean regional outages or harsh weather. In the US, it might be storm-related interruptions. In the UK, backup power is less commonly the main reason to buy, but battery storage can still help reduce exposure to high evening rates.
Still, the inverter alone isn’t the whole purchase. You’ll need compatible batteries, monitoring equipment, protection devices, labour, and possibly electrical panel upgrades. If POM Systems’ models support different battery capacities or operating modes, ask the installer to show exactly how the system behaves when the grid fails. “Backup ready” can mean very different things from one installation to another.
**The money question is harder than the brochure suggests**
A hybrid inverter can improve the value of your solar electricity, but the savings depend heavily on local rates. A home with cheap electricity and low export payments may benefit greatly from storing solar energy. A home with generous feed-in rates might save less by using a battery, particularly after accounting for installation and battery degradation.
Battery life matters too. Every charge and discharge cycle adds wear, and the battery will eventually hold less energy than it did when new. That doesn’t make storage a bad idea, but it does mean you should calculate payback using realistic figures rather than assuming the battery will perform like new for 15 years.
Ask for a proper estimate based on your actual hourly usage, not a generic annual bill. You want to know how much energy you currently export, how much you use after sunset, and what the system will cost if electricity prices change. If the installer can’t explain those numbers in plain English, get another quote.
Before buying, check the fine print on efficiency, warranty length, battery compatibility, app quality, replacement parts, and local servicing. Also confirm that the inverter is approved for your country and utility network. A product available in one market may need different certifications or settings in another, and a bargain system becomes less attractive if support is difficult to find.
The smartest move is to have POM’s exact model number, battery options, and backup rating written into the quote, then compare that complete installed price with at least two alternatives. Don’t buy a hybrid inverter because the word “hybrid” sounds clever; buy it only if the numbers show it will reduce your bills or keep essential circuits running when the grid doesn’t.
KEYWORDS: hybrid inverter, home solar battery