Desk
Backup power
Write down what you missed in the last outage (fridge, heat, sump, internet), size that list first, then pick a battery, a generator, or both.
- Battery plus solar vs a generator for multi-day outages
When a battery that recharges from the roof covers a multi-day outage, when a standby generator still wins, and what EnergySage's 2026 dollars look like after the federal 25D credit ended.
- Medical devices and outage planning, house side
How to put a CPAP, oxygen concentrator, or medication fridge on the house plan for an outage: watts on the sticker, which circuit, what a backup quote has to name, and when you leave. Not medical advice.
- Portable power station vs inverter generator
A suitcase battery versus a quiet gas inverter: what each actually runs, how many hours you get, Ready.gov placement, and when you still want a standby or a wall pack.
- Automatic vs manual transfer switch: what the quote is actually selling
How a transfer switch keeps the generator off the utility lines, what automatic vs manual actually does in an outage, and what those jobs cost to install.
- Generator cord: 30-amp vs 50-amp
L14-30 vs 14-50 vs a locking 50-amp inlet, why 25 feet of 10-gauge is the usual 30-amp cart, and why a fan-out to household outlets is not how you feed the panel.
- Generator fuel: natural gas vs propane vs diesel
How to pick standby fuel from the pipe in the yard, what propane tanks and diesel units actually add to the bid, and what HomeGuide's 2026 run-cost table implies for a multi-day outage.
- Interlock kit vs transfer switch: what is actually legal
When a listed interlock on your panel is a legal transfer method, when the inspector wants a transfer switch, and why a $15 universal plate is the wrong bet.
- Portable generator inlet box, done right
Why the outdoor inlet is the legal way to feed a portable generator into the panel, what 30-amp vs 50-amp actually matches, and what that hookup costs with an interlock or transfer switch.
- Sizing a standby generator without the sales chart
Why square footage is a weak way to pick a generator, how running watts and starting watts actually add up, and what a 14 kW vs 22 kW quote is really offering.
- Well pump on backup power
Why a well pump is often the load that sizes the generator, how to read locked-rotor amps on the nameplate, and how to keep that circuit on the backup without backfeeding.
- Whole-home battery: usable kWh vs the sticker
Why 13.5 kWh on the brochure is not 13.5 kWh at the fridge, how to separate energy from power on a 2026 battery quote, and when one pack is a critical-load box instead of whole-home backup.
- Home battery vs standby generator
How to pick between a quiet battery and a gas generator based on how long your lights actually stay out, what you refuse to lose, and what the quotes usually look like.
- What belongs on a critical-load panel
How to pick the circuits you keep alive in an outage, how to add up the watts, and what to ask for on the electrician's quote.