This article presents the modeling, simulation, and sizing results of battery energy storage systems for residential electricity peak shaving. Realistic 5 min time-step electricity profiles were input to an energy storage model with the objective of reducing the peak electricity demand seen by the electricity grid. The model simulates and provides performance results of a range of battery and inverter sizes specific to a variety of residential houses. The results suggest typical system sizes range from 5 kWh/2.6 kW for low electricity intensity homes to 22 kWh/5.2 kW for electricity intense homes with electric space heating. Based on the resulting storage system cycling profile and data provided by other researchers, the battery life is estimated to be in the range of 10-20 years for this application. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.