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NuWatt designs, installs, and manages solar, battery, heat pump, and EV charger systems across 9 states. One company, one warranty, one point of contact.
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LG Energy Solution's RESU Prime 16H is a 16 kWh NMC home battery that addresses issues from the 2021 LG RESU fire recall. It's a competent product and LG Energy Solution itself is a different company from LG Electronics (which exited the solar panel business in 2022). But NMC chemistry carries higher thermal-runaway risk than LFP, the 10-year warranty is shorter than the industry standard for premium batteries, and field perception in the installer community remains cautious after the 2021 incidents. NuWatt installs Franklin WH aPower 2 as the premium whole-home backup pick: LFP chemistry, 15-year warranty, 15 kWh capacity, and inverter-agnostic installation.
NuWatt doesn't install LG RESU Prime. For the same whole-home backup capacity, Franklin WH aPower 2 delivers safer LFP chemistry, a longer warranty, and inverter-agnostic installation — without the brand history of the 2021 RESU recall.
The 2021 LG RESU fire recall. In 2021-22, LG Energy Solution issued a recall for specific LG RESU 10H Prime model-year units due to elevated fire risk. The recall affected tens of thousands of installed batteries across the US. The current RESU Prime 16H is a new product that addresses the issues, but installer field perception remains cautious and homeowners with strong risk preferences should know the history.
LG Energy Solution ≠ LG Electronics. An important distinction: LG Energy Solution (KOSDAQ: 373220) spun off from LG Chem in 2020 and is a separate company from LG Electronics, which exited the solar panel business in June 2022. LG Energy Solution continues to operate in the residential battery market. The two LG companies have different financial positions and different product commitments — but consumer brand confusion is common.
Chemistry: NMC vs LFP. RESU Prime uses NMC (Nickel Manganese Cobalt) chemistry. Franklin WH aPower 2, Tesla Powerwall 3, and Enphase IQ 5P/10C all use LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate). LFP has higher safety margins (no thermal runaway), longer cycle life, and better performance in temperature extremes — exactly the attributes you want for a battery living in a residential environment for 15+ years. NMC's energy-density advantage matters more in mobile applications (EVs) than stationary residential storage.
Capacity and warranty comparison. RESU Prime 16H: 16 kWh nameplate, 14.4 kWh usable, 10-year warranty, 7 kW continuous power, 11 kW peak. Franklin aPower 2: 15 kWh capacity, 15 kWh usable, 15-year warranty, 10 kW continuous, 15 kW peak. Franklin wins on warranty duration, continuous power, peak power, and usable-vs-nameplate capacity ratio. RESU Prime wins on raw capacity by 1 kWh.
Warranty service infrastructure. Franklin WH and LG Energy Solution both operate US warranty-service networks, but Franklin's is concentrated on residential batteries exclusively while LG Energy Solution's spans EV batteries, grid-scale storage, and residential. The 2021 RESU recall response was, by public accounts, slower than what Tesla and Enphase deliver on their own product issues. For a 15-year warranty, the speed and reliability of warranty service matters.
Run the numbers yourself
Pick the appliances you need during an outage and see exact runtime in hours or days. The simulator accounts for duty cycles, peak-surge headroom, and optional solar recharge.
Pick what stays on during an outage
Critical loads
4 selected
Simulated runtime
Battery can handle thisRuntime
2.4
days
Avg load
0.2
kW (of 7 kW max)
Peak surge
3.5
kW (of 11 kW peak)
Runtime calculated from 14.4 kWh usable × 95% round-trip efficiency = 13.7 kWh effective storage, divided by average load. Duty cycles assume intermittent operation (fridges cycle ~40% of the time, AC ~50%).
NuWatt's pick
Our highest-capacity single-unit pick. Best for true whole-home backup, high-draw appliances, and homes where generator integration matters.
Capacity
15 kWh
Power
10 kW
Chemistry
LFP
Warranty
15-yr
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Frequently asked
No. LG Energy Solution (KOSDAQ: 373220) spun off from LG Chem in 2020 as a dedicated battery company. It's a different corporate entity from LG Electronics Inc., which was the company that exited the solar panel business in June 2022. LG Energy Solution continues to operate and produces EV batteries, grid-scale storage, and residential storage products including the RESU Prime line. However, the consumer brand "LG" can be confusing — people often assume all LG-branded products come from a single company.
In 2021-22, LG Energy Solution issued a recall affecting specific model-year LG RESU 10H Prime residential batteries due to elevated risk of fire incidents in the field. The recall involved replacing affected units and issuing firmware updates. LG's response time drew criticism from some installers and homeowners who reported long delays between identification of affected units and replacement delivery. The current RESU Prime 16H is a newer product that incorporates design changes meant to address the issues identified in the recall — but the reputation impact in the installer community lingered.
"Dangerous" is the wrong framing — NMC batteries are used safely in millions of electric vehicles and in many home battery installations. But relative to LFP chemistry, NMC has higher energy density (good for weight-constrained mobile applications) and correspondingly higher thermal-runaway risk in rare failure scenarios. For a battery that lives inside or attached to your home for 15+ years, LFP's safer failure profile is the conservative choice. Tesla switched most Powerwall production to LFP specifically for residential safety reasons. Enphase, Franklin WH, and sonnen all use LFP. Generac PWRcell and LG RESU Prime still use NMC.
Franklin WH aPower 2 is NuWatt's recommended alternative for the whole-home backup use case. It has 15 kWh usable capacity (vs RESU Prime's 14.4), 10 kW continuous power (vs 7 kW), 15-year warranty (vs 10), LFP chemistry (vs NMC), and is inverter-agnostic (works with any existing solar setup). Tesla Powerwall 3 is the other premium LFP alternative with slightly lower capacity (13.5 kWh) but higher peak power (22 kW) and an integrated solar inverter. Both beat RESU Prime on the dimensions NuWatt prioritizes.
Yes — LG Energy Solution still sells the RESU Prime line through their dealer network. The product is certified and available. NuWatt's position is that it's not the best choice for our customers given the chemistry, warranty duration, and field history considerations outlined above. Other installers may quote it, and if you have specific reasons to want LG's product (e.g., existing LG ecosystem equipment, price), it's a legitimate product from a legitimate company. We just don't think it's the right answer for our customers relative to Franklin WH aPower 2 or Tesla Powerwall 3.
Yes — LG RESU Prime is eligible for the 30% federal Investment Tax Credit when paired with solar, and under IRA Section 48E for standalone battery installations as well. South Korea is not classified as a Foreign Entity of Concern, so there's no FEOC exposure for commercial projects. However, because the battery is not US-manufactured, it does NOT qualify for the 10% domestic content adder that Silfab solar panels or Q CELLS panels (when paired with US-assembled battery components) can earn.