Outage Ready: a week-long outage
A week without power: what portable gear can and can't do, and when a home battery or generator with a transfer switch makes sense.
Published · Updated
A week of our example essentials is about 16,300 Wh. That's beyond portable power stations on battery alone. Plan on a generator (with a transfer switch or interlock installed by a licensed electrician), solar recharge, or a permanently installed home battery.
- About 16,300 Wh usable over a week.
- Portable stations become the overnight buffer, not the whole plan.
- Home wiring connections need a licensed electrician.
What a typical home keeps running
Our example essentials list. Swap in your own devices in the Power Planner.
| Device | Example draw | Wh/day |
|---|---|---|
| Refrigerator (EnergyGuide 550 kWh/yr example) | ≈63 W average | 1,507 |
| Wi-Fi router + modem | 15 W | 360 |
| LED lights, 4 × 10 W for 5 h | 40 W | 200 |
| Phones (2), charging | 10 W for 2 h | 20 |
| Laptop | 60 W for 4 h | 240 |
| Total | 2,327 |
Battery size for a week
Energy needed: 2,327 Wh/day × 168 h ÷ 24 ≈ 16,289 Wh usable. Divide by 0.736 (our estimate: 80% usable depth from Victron LiFePO4 data × 92% inverter efficiency from the NREL PVWatts manual; an estimate for power stations) to get about 22,132 Wh of rated capacity with no recharging.
No portable station in our reference set comes close alone. Use one as the quiet overnight supply and refill it daily.
| Option | Rated Wh | Covers the plan? |
|---|---|---|
| Portable station + solar + generator | 1,000–5,000 | Yes, with daily recharge |
| Home battery system | Varies by system | See home backup battery basics |
Solar or a generator?
As an example, 500W of panels in a place with 4 peak sun hours, with the PVWatts V1 total derate of 0.77 (NREL PVWatts manual), makes about 1,540 Wh a day. That's an estimate; check your location with NREL PVWatts. See peak sun hours and generator vs battery backup.
For a week, a generator is usually the backbone. See home backup battery basics.
Food and safety checklist
- FoodSafety.gov: an unopened fridge keeps food safe for about 4 hours; a full freezer about 48 hours (24 if half full).
- Keep a flashlight and a battery radio that don't depend on the power station.
- Run any generator outdoors, far from doors and windows. The CDC warns that generator exhaust can kill.
- Never connect anything to home wiring without a transfer switch or interlock fitted by a licensed electrician.
Picks for this plan
EcoFlow DELTA 3 (1,024Wh)
Expandable portable buffer that accepts generator and solar charging.
Check price on Amazon (opens in a new tab)
Renogy 200W solar panel
A rigid 200W panel for a ground-mounted recharge array.
Check price on Amazon (opens in a new tab)FAQ
Should I buy a home battery for week-long outages?
If long outages are common, a home battery or a generator with a transfer switch is the usual answer. Both involve home wiring, permits and a licensed electrician.
Where do I go next?
Try the power planner to put numbers to your own situation, or see the product picks on the deals page.
Terms used here
- Watt (W)
- Rate of power use or production.
- Watt-hour (Wh)
- Energy: one watt for one hour.
- Kilowatt-hour (kWh)
- 1,000 watt-hours.
- Depth of discharge (DoD)
- Share of a battery's capacity that is used.
- LiFePO4 (LFP)
- Lithium iron phosphate battery chemistry.
- Inverter
- Converts DC battery power to AC household power.
- Peak sun hours
- Hours of equivalent 1,000 W/m² sunlight per day.
- Derate
- Factor for real-world losses in solar output.
- Transfer switch
- Device that isolates home circuits from the grid during backup.
Sources
This guide is informational and based on published specifications and general references, not hands-on testing. Check the manufacturer's current specs before you buy.