Winter storms, wind events, and planned utility shutoffs during wildfire conditions can leave mountain and rural homes without power for hours or days. A power station won't run a whole house. It can keep the essentials going quietly, indoors, with no fuel.
Decide what "essential" means for you
- Refrigerator / freezer: the biggest daily energy user on most lists (often 1–2 kWh/day for a full-size fridge; check the label).
- Heat: a gas furnace still needs 120 V for its blower and controls. Some homes can be wired so the furnace plugs into a cord; that's an electrician's job. Electric space heaters drain batteries fast: 750 W for 2 hours is 1,500 Wh.
- Communications: router + modem (~20 W), phones, a laptop.
- Medical: CPAP or oxygen concentrators. Confirm with the device maker and your provider. Have a backup plan that doesn't rely on one battery.
- Water: a well pump is usually 240 V with a high surge, beyond the portable units in our table. Plan for stored water instead.
How big? Three tiers
- Comms + lights + CPAP for a night (~500–800 Wh): BLUETTI AC70.
- Add the fridge for part of a day (~1,000–1,200 Wh): BLUETTI AC180, Jackery Explorer 1000 v2, or EcoFlow DELTA 3 Plus. The DELTA 3 Plus can add extra batteries later.
- Fridge + Wi-Fi + lights through a full day (~2,000 Wh+): Jackery Explorer 2000 v2. Jackery markets it for exactly this.
Tip: a fridge kept closed stays cold for hours. Running it on a schedule (for example, 1 hour on, 1 hour off) can stretch a smaller battery. Check food safety guidance from FoodSafety.gov.
Connecting safely
- Simplest: run extension cords from the unit to each appliance.
- UPS mode: several units switch over fast (Jackery 2000 v2 <20 ms; DELTA 3 Plus <10 ms per makers). They can sit between the wall and your router or computer.
- Whole-circuit backup: needs a proper transfer switch or interlock installed by a licensed electrician. Never back-feed your panel through an outlet with a "suicide cord". It can energize utility lines and injure line workers.
Keep it ready
Store the unit partly charged and top it up before storm season. BLUETTI suggests recharging to 40–60% every 3–6 months in storage. Jackery says the 2000 v2 keeps ~95% charge after 12 months in storage. Do a test run once a season so you know your real runtimes.
Not sure what size you need? List your devices in the sizing calculator. It shows watt-hours, output, and surge, and which models in our comparison fit.