Choosing backup power for outages

Match the tool to what you need to keep running

Start from the load, not the product. Keeping a phone, a few lights, and a CPAP going is a very different job from running a refrigerator, a well pump, or a whole home. Add up the watts of what you truly need during an outage — that number, and how many hours you need it, drives every choice below.

Portable power stations (battery)

A portable power station is a large rechargeable battery with normal outlets and USB ports. It's silent, emits no exhaust, and is safe to use indoors — the big advantage over fuel generators. It runs phones, laptops, CPAPs, lights, and small appliances; larger units with add-on batteries can carry a fridge for a while. It recharges from a wall outlet before a storm, from a car, or from solar panels. Limits: finite battery capacity (you can't refuel it like gasoline) and higher upfront cost per watt.

Portable generators (fuel)

A fuel portable generator delivers a lot of power and runs as long as you have fuel — good for refrigerators, sump pumps, and multiple circuits. The tradeoff is safety: they emit carbon monoxide and must run outdoors only, ≥20 ft from the house, never in a garage, and must never be back-fed into a wall outlet. Read our generator-safety guide before using one — CO from generators kills dozens of Americans a year, per the CPSC.

Standby generators & home batteries (permanent)

A standby generator is permanently installed, runs on natural gas or propane, and starts automatically through a transfer switch — the hands-off option for whole-home backup, at a professional-installation cost. A home battery (often paired with solar) does the same job silently and cleanly, with runtime bounded by its stored energy. Both require licensed installation and a transfer switch so power can never back-feed the grid and endanger line crews.

The safety rules are non-negotiable

Whatever you choose: no fuel-burning generator indoors, ever; a transfer switch (not a suicide cord) for anything wired into the house; CO alarms with battery backup on every level; and fuel or batteries stored per the maker's instructions. The Ready.gov outage guidance and the manufacturer's manual are the authorities here.

We don't sell power equipment — we tell you how long you'll need it

This guide is independent information, not a purchase recommendation. What we do is the outage side: search your address for the live restoration outlook, so you can size backup power to the outages your area actually gets — and see how long they really last on our public accuracy record.