What You Really Need to Survive a Power Outage
When you’re a kid, blackouts are great: they instantly turn your boring old house into a dark world of endless adventure. As an adult, power outages become a nightmare, leaving you wondering how long your food will stay fresh and wondering why you let your phone battery drop to 23 percent before the lights went out.
Chances are pretty high that you’ll have to deal with at least one long power outage a year , the government says. While the average power outage lasts only a few hours, natural disasters have resulted in power outages that last up to a week, sometimes much longer, in some areas. Our national electrical grid is quite vulnerable in many ways, so you should prepare for an extended power outage.
Everyone knows the basics – have flashlights, fresh batteries and candles handy. Many of us go above and beyond and invest in a power bank for our phones , a portable generator, and a few other things that can help. But to be really prepared to live without electricity for an extended period of time, there are other things that most people don’t think about that can make a huge difference. Having just a few of these items in your home can turn your next power outage from a nightmare into a mere inconvenience.
Whole house battery or generator
Many people have a gas generator in their garage or basement, and it can be incredibly useful in the event of a natural disaster. But generators have many disadvantages. First, you need to keep fuel on hand, and gasoline degrades and propane tanks leak, so ensuring you have a supply ready to go is a challenge. Traditional generators can also be bulky and difficult to start—nothing makes you feel like a failed adult more than pulling the starter cord and being rewarded with a quiet wheeze. Plus, generators can only be safely run outdoors, which means you can haul them out in the rain or snow and run a ton of extension cords into the house.
A whole house solution is expensive, but well worth it. Emergency generators , powered by natural gas or propane, can be installed outside the home and turn on automatically when there is a power outage in the grid – often without problems. Similarly, a whole-home battery system such as the Tesla Powerwall kicks in when there is a power outage, and can be charged from the grid or with solar panels. If you feel like pushing your neighbors around and pacing your warm, well-lit home while they bathe in cold darkness, this is your chance.
Water driven pump
Power outages can happen at any time, but most often they occur during weather events. This means that as soon as your basement or basement starts to fill with flood water, the power goes out and your sump pump turns into a big sculpture called Futility . You can, of course, have general purpose pumps and a backup power supply on hand, but a water pump would be the best option.
These pumps are connected to the city water supply and use water pressure as a source of energy. Typically, for every gallon of water they use to launch, they pump out two gallons. As long as there is water pressure, your pump will work to remove water from your home. Your water bill may be high, but it’s better than calling flood relief and a general contractor to pay for water damage.
car alternator
If an emergency backup generator or whole house battery is out of your budget, you can still upgrade an old gas generator with a car generator . These devices turn your car—gasoline, diesel, or electric—into a backup generator for your home. They last for a long time (50-70 hours on a full tank of gas) and they produce a lot of energy – they are able to run your stove and large household appliances for several days.
Hefty power bank
Generators can be expensive, bulky, dirty and difficult to use. And if you have one, you can reserve it for larger devices or other important home infrastructure. This makes the external battery an indispensable assistant in case of a power outage. These portable batteries can be charged via a solar panel or wall outlet and are ready to provide enough power to charge phones and devices, as well as power lamps and small appliances, often for days. Best of all, they can be operated indoors without worrying about smoke or fire.
Portable solar panels
Solar energy is becoming more popular and useful, and a portable home solar panel is an inexpensive power outage protection. The portable panel can be removed (many of them fold) out of sight until needed. As soon as the sun rises, you can deploy your panel to charge devices, power banks, or directly power small appliances (depending on how much power your panel can provide). The longer the power outage lasts and the lower the charge level of your batteries and power banks, the more useful this thing will be.
Emergency lighting
There’s a reason we call power outages “blackouts” – it’s getting dark . A power outage is a stark reminder of how dependent we are on electricity in our modern lives, as a power outage instantly turns your home into a maze. You will be amazed to discover all the walls and sharp corners that magically appear as you fiddle around, desperately trying to remember where you hid your flashlights.
Luckily, science has given you some easy solutions. First, install some bulbs with a built-in backup battery . When the electricity goes out, the light will stay on for a few hours, enough time to clean up. And if you’ve been sleeping on this extremely simple blackout device, you might have solar lights in your backyard – bring them inside and set them in the windows (put them in jars to stand up). They will at least provide some illumination and charge throughout the day.
Self-heating dishes
Food in your refrigerator will stay fresh for hours if you don’t open the door, and frozen food can keep for a day or two. And if you have natural gas in your kitchen, you can still cook on blackout. But if the power outage lasts more than a day or two, food will become a problem. Sure, you might have an oil barrel filled with cheese layers in your garage (and who doesn’t?), but a hot meal is always better. A few self-heating meals, like those offered by Omeal , are an easy way to keep yourself safe and more comfortable during a power outage. They come in a variety of flavors and are easy to prepare – you simply activate the heating element with a little liquid (water is best, but any liquid will do) and the pre-cooked dish heats up in a few minutes.
Portable propane heater
When power goes out during winter blizzards, you not only end up in darkness, but you also have to deal with a rapidly cooling home. With a few portable propane heaters and one-pound propane tanks on hand, you can keep your house warm until your stove fires up again. Propane heaters can be safely used indoors (just follow the ventilation instructions, which usually means opening a window in the top casement) and can heat small spaces very efficiently.
UPS and clockwork radio
The Internet has become an integral part of everyday life and critical in emergencies. But your modem and router are powered by electricity, so when the power goes out, you’re left with your phone’s data, and in emergencies, those networks often get overloaded. Using an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) – basically a power strip with a built-in battery – will keep your modem and router running for hours when the power goes out, and longer if you unplug it when you’re not using the Internet.
But you should also have a hand-operated radio handy . The internet is fine, but if the outage continues for several days, chances are your UPS will run out of power and eventually your ISP’s local equipment may go down as well. Getting information over the radio may seem like a primitive move, but when the telephone networks are congested and the Internet is down, you’ll be happy to do so.
hot water bottle
Very cheap and so old school that many people don’t even know they exist, the classic heating pad is perfect for a power outage. You may have your heating turned off, but your water heater may still be running and the water in it will remain hot for a long time even if it is not running. And if you have a gas stove or other way to heat water, you are golden. A couple of hot water bottles will warm up a bed or sleeping bag well and can be the difference between a good night’s sleep and a shiver of misery. If the basics seem a little…basic to you, go for the fleece-lined model for added comfort at night.
Blackouts are devastating, but you have some control over how devastating they are. Several of these tools will make a difference.