Population: 1,500. Median home: $3M. Power grid: same as everyone else's.
Median Home
$3M
Median Income
$293K
Home Sizes
3,000–6,000 sq ft
ZIP
78746
Rollingwood is Austin's best-kept secret that isn't really a secret anymore. Roughly 1,500 residents in a tiny incorporated city adjacent to Zilker Park, Barton Springs, and Lady Bird Lake. Eanes ISD schools. Median home values around $3 million. It's the kind of place where you walk to Barton Springs on Saturday, have dinner in downtown Austin (10 minutes away), and genuinely feel like you live in a small town that happens to be inside one of America's fastest-growing cities.
The catch is that small-town feel extends to the power infrastructure. Rollingwood's mature tree canopy—gorgeous live oaks and pecans that shade the winding streets—creates exactly the conditions that take down power lines during storms. High winds, ice accumulation on branches, falling limbs during thunderstorms. The 2021 Winter Storm Uri was devastating for Rollingwood, with the combination of frozen pipes and days-long power outages causing significant damage. The 2023 ice storms repeated the pattern on a smaller scale.
Rollingwood's dense lot structure and luxury home values make battery systems the preferred choice. Generators require setback clearance that many Rollingwood lots can't easily provide, and the noise concerns in a neighborhood where houses are close together are real. Battery systems mount silently on a garage wall, pair beautifully with solar panels on Rollingwood's south-facing roofs, and align with the eco-conscious values that define this community. When your neighbor is 30 feet away, nobody wants a generator running at 2am.
What's at stake during an outage:
Downtown Austin lifestyle with Hill Country privacy. Home offices for tech executives, luxury finishes that need climate control, security systems, EV chargers, pool equipment, and the proximity to Zilker Park and Barton Springs that makes outdoor living part of daily life. These homes are investments worth protecting—and at $3M median, the ROI on backup power isn't theoretical.
What's popular in Rollingwood: Solar + battery dominates in Rollingwood. Dense lots make generator placement challenging, the eco-conscious demographic wants clean energy, and south-facing roof exposure on many homes makes solar production excellent. Tesla Powerwall and Enphase systems are the most installed. For homeowners who need generator-level runtime, compact hybrid systems with a small, quiet generator supplement the battery setup.
Travis County • Eanes ISD
Rollingwood homes run 3,000 to 6,000 square feet. Most homes need 2–3 battery units for whole-home backup. Solar arrays of 6–10kW are common on Rollingwood's rooftops. Given the dense lot structure, generators should be quiet models (under 65 dB) if used at all—battery-only or solar + battery systems are typically preferred. For larger homes, 3–4 batteries provide comprehensive coverage.
For homes in the $3 million range, Rollingwood homeowners typically invest $20,000 to $45,000 in backup power—usually solar + battery systems that provide both daily energy offset and outage protection. The 30% federal tax credit applies to both solar and battery components. At these home values, backup power is proportional insurance that also reduces monthly energy costs.
Solar + battery in Rollingwood typically runs $15,000 to $38,000 for batteries plus $12,000 to $25,000 for a solar array. Total installed systems range from $25,000 to $55,000 before the 30% federal tax credit. Most homes need 2–3 battery units and a 6–10kW solar array. The credit applies to both components, reducing effective costs by nearly a third.
You can, but Rollingwood's dense lots and proximity to neighbors make it more challenging than in suburban areas. The City of Rollingwood has noise and setback requirements. A quiet generator model (under 65 dB) with proper screening is essential. Many Rollingwood homeowners prefer battery-only systems to avoid noise concerns entirely. If you do install a generator, your installer should verify setback compliance.
Yes. The City of Rollingwood requires permits for all electrical work including battery, solar, and generator installations. Given the small city government, permitting is typically straightforward but may require direct coordination. Solar installations need design review. Your installer should handle all permitting and be familiar with Rollingwood's specific requirements.
Rollingwood's mature tree canopy makes it more susceptible to storm-related outages than newer neighborhoods with smaller trees. High winds, ice storms, and thunderstorms regularly cause tree-on-line events. Winter Storm Uri (2021) caused multi-day outages. The 2023 ice storms damaged trees and power lines. Austin Energy serves Rollingwood and prioritizes restoration by customer density, but the small-city infrastructure means recovery can take time.
Yes, with some considerations. Many Rollingwood homes have excellent south-facing roof exposure, but the mature tree canopy can create shading issues on some properties. A solar site assessment will determine your home's specific production potential. Even partially shaded roofs often produce meaningful solar energy with modern microinverter systems that optimize panel-by-panel. The eco-conscious demographic makes Rollingwood one of Austin's top solar markets.
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