Amid intensifying competition in Australia’s home battery market, FranklinWH is advocating for greater attention to product engineering, reliability and long-term system performance.
Competition is intensifying in Australia’s rapidly expanding home battery market. Industry observers warn this environment may create long-term risks for homeowners and installers, including launched products that result in avoidable recalls, contributing to increased home battery waste.
Industry observers also note that the home battery market is entering a ‘race to the bottom’ on price and kilowatt-hours. This trend is partly sparked by the Federal Government’s Cheaper Home Batteries Program, as manufacturers compete to capture consumer demand ahead of the 1 May rebate change, accompanied by ‘fear-of-missing-out’ marketing that is influencing rushed purchasing decisions.
Established in 2019 and headquartered in California, United States, FranklinWH was founded by a team with extensive experience in battery energy systems engineering and power electronics. Backed by venture capital investors, the company aims to reshape the residential energy management and storage market globally and in Australia through battle-tested, premium, fully-integrated home energy solutions.
Rather than competing in the home battery market through lowered prices or reduced kilowatt-hour capacity, FranklinWH is leveraging its established distribution and installer network in Australia to position itself as a thought leader, advocating for higher-quality, longer-lasting home energy systems. In line with this strategy, the company continues to invest heavily in research and development, engineering robustness and transparent product design for its local home energy customers.
Steve Ruskin, General Manager at FranklinWH Australia, shares how current market conditions is creating pressure for manufacturers to prioritise low upfront product prices over long-term reliability.
“There’s a significant volume of products and brands entering the Australian market. That doesn’t automatically indicate poor quality, but it does increase the importance of due diligence for households and installers around home energy management and battery product design, as well as warranty coverage during operation,” Ruskin says.
Ruskin adds that the strong demand created by battery incentives can sometimes shift attention away from long-term performance considerations.
For homeowners and installers, overlooking these considerations can bring lasting implications.
“Residential battery systems should be designed to operate for many years, as they form the backbone of integrated household energy solutions encompassing rooftop solar generation and backup power reliability, which are critical during volatile weather conditions or grid disruptions,” Ruskin says.
“That’s why households see installing a home battery as a long-term investment. For installers, there’s also a long-term customer relationship with their serviced households at stake. The quality and long-term reliability of the home energy systems they install for customers affects their reputation.”
Long-term infrastructure
Residential energy management and battery storage systems are increasingly being integrated into broader household energy solutions that combine rooftop solar generation, backup power capability and greater household energy independence.
That is why the FranklinWH system combines the aPower battery with the aGate energy management gateway, enabling whole-home energy management and flexible integration with rooftop solar systems. While the aPower remains a premium battery in the Australian market through its robust all-metal casing, enhanced safety features and superior IP67 and C5 weatherproofing, the aGate is proving to be popular with households. With two solar inputs and brand agnostic architecture, homeowners do not have to throw out their old solar to upgrade. This reduces costs for the homeowner, and helps prevent waste for systems that may have many years of life left. This on top of their integrated generator and smart circuit modules gives the system comprehensive features to accommodate any home from here to the Nullarbor.
Ruskin says this approach is particularly relevant as some homeowners look to replace earlier rooftop solar system models to accommodate newer battery technologies.
“One of the issues emerging in the market is unnecessary asset turnover. There are cases where solar systems still have many productive years remaining but are being replaced to suit a particular product architecture. That raises questions about both customer value and material waste,” Ruskin says.
As an alternating-current-coupled system with an integrated gateway, the FranklinWH System is designed to work with existing solar installations while enabling future system expansion.
“The goal for household battery sizing should be to align storage capacity and system design with the energy profile and reliability needs of the home,” Ruskin says.
Battle-tested battery design
Battery pack engineering is being recognised as an important determinant of the safety and longevity of residential energy management and storage systems.
Andrew Mitchell, Senior Product Manager at FranklinWH Australia, shares that upcoming engineering challenges to overcome involves managing the natural expansion of lithium iron phosphate battery cells during lifetime operations.
“Lithium iron phosphate cells expand and contract during charge and discharge cycles. If that expansion isn’t managed properly, it can lead to internal misalignment, higher resistance, heat build-up and accelerated degradation,” Mitchell says.
Over thousands of charge-discharge cycles, lithium-ion battery cells can increase in thickness by around 10 per cent due to electrochemical processes. As these changes accrue, the mechanical forces generated inside a battery pack can become significant.
Managing these forces requires careful structural design. One method used by engineers at FranklinWH is preload, the controlled compressive force applied to battery cells during assembly to stabilise them inside the pack.
“You can think of preload like strapping down cargo in a trailer. If the cells aren’t held securely, small movements can accumulate over thousands of cycles, effecting electrical contact and reducing battery lifespan,” Mitchell says.
FranklinWH’s aPower battery incorporates what Mitchell describes as a fundamental preload system, designed to maintain consistent compression while allowing cells to expand and contract as they age.
“The engineering aim should be holding the cells securely while still allowing for natural dimensional changes. That balance between firmness and flexibility helps maintain structural integrity throughout the battery’s lifespan,” Mitchell says.
FranklinWH’s home battery design uses end plates, threaded rods and steel straps that provide controlled elasticity. This allows the battery pack to maintain stable compression while accommodating changes in cell size over time.
Testing during FranklinWH’s rigorous research and development stages indicates that the structure of the batteries can withstand mechanical forces of 100 kilonewtons. This is the equivalent to 10 tonnes of at earth’s gravity. This helps maintain pack integrity under long-term operating conditions.
“These features might not appear in simple product comparisons, but they’re critical to how a battery performs over time,” Mitchell says.
“As the home battery industry matures, so should the attention to engineering decisions that influence durability and safety,” Mitchell adds.
A higher industry standard
Both Ruskin and Mitchell believe that as households increasingly adopt batteries to support clean energy electrification, the industry should also place greater emphasis on long-term performance rather than short-term incentives to drive product sales.
“There’s a strong opportunity to build a battery market that delivers lasting value for both consumers and installers, as part of Australia’s broader energy transition,” Ruskin says.
“That means focusing on product quality, supporting installer capability, understanding of product warranties, and ensuring systems are appropriately specified for each home.”
As the home battery market grows, FranklinWH believes it is important for installers and customers to look beyond headline pricing and consider the reliability and long-term suitability of the home system they are installing.
“FranklinWH’s long-term goal in Australia isn’t simply just growth,” Mitchell says.
“It’s about helping build a home energy management sector that remains reliable, trusted and sustainable for decades, while contributing to the engineering, standards and industry dialogue required to achieve it. That’s what we mean when declaring our intention to be a thought leader in the sector.”
This article was featured in ecogeneration magazine (April 2026 edition).
