Get Backup for Power Outages!

Nothing puts our reliance on the grid into perspective quite like losing power. A novel luxury only a century ago, power is a critical necessity in order to provide for and to protect our families. And most of us depend on an aging power grid to deliver it to us.

From bone chilling freezes to historic wildfires in the Western United States and endless parades of devastating hurricanes in the Atlantic, the threats to our infrastructure continue to pile up. And as we continue to experience more frequent and severe weather events, we need a plan.

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That’s what we’re here for! Thanks for visiting Evergreen Off-Grid! We’re here to help you secure what’s important to you, so you can take power back into your own hands. Let’s get started!

Level of Protection

This is yet another scenario where we can’t give you a magic recipe which is perfect for everyone’s pallet. The level of protection that is right for you comes down to several factors. We’ll help you understand how to think through each of them.

For the purposes of this article, we’re going to assume you don’t have unlimited resources and that money is a consideration. If money is not a consideration, then contact a professional and get as many Tesla Powerwalls as it takes to power your entire home, along with solar panels, indefinitely. Read our battery sizing article to learn more about estimating your battery bank requirements.

But for most of us, the factors we’ll need to consider are – How much am I willing to spend to backup my home? Do I want to power my entire home when the power goes out, or just a few important items? How long do I need my system to protect me for?

Assess the Threat

As obvious as it seems, determining the actual threat is is a consideration that is often overlooked. In today’s world we are constantly bombarded with stories and images of suffering around the globe. We naturally feel the need to take every safety precaution to the max. Belt and suspenders every time! Well, if you can afford to do that, more power to you. Most of us, however, will need to strategize to ensure our investment makes sense for us.

Low Risk Areas

Let me begin by pointing out that “low risk” is all relative. There are plenty of ways to look at risk level. For the most part, the entire United States power grid is low risk. It is easy to forget how truly fortunate we are to flip on our light switch and expect a 100% success rate. This isn’t the case for most people. Folks all around the world are forced into an on-again, off-again relationship with their electricity.

That said, rolling blackouts in Zambia are probably not what you came here to read about. If you live in America, you are probably here to learn about how to power your home during and after a natural disaster. As we all know, some areas of our country are less prone to grid destroying disasters than others.

I live in Seattle. These days, wind and snow are the main culprits when my lights won’t turn on. However, last summer we experienced 110+ degrees here for the first time in my life time. So just like many other places, both the nature and the frequency of our power outages are changing.

All that said, my power is extremely reliable. I probably average an hour or two without power per YEAR. The longest I’ve had to go without power in my current home is no longer than 48 hours and that was one time in the last ten years. My point here is to get you to think about how worth-while a battery backup is in my situation.

Belt and Suspenders

I have a 10 kW solar array on my roof. When the grid goes down, it honestly drives me crazy that all those electrons on my roof remain stranded. You see, anyone with grid-tied solar will tell you, your PV system is shut down when an outage is detected on the power grid. This is for the safety of the line workers out piecing our grid back together. The only way for you to keep using your solar panels during an outage is if you have battery backup.

The problem with a robust battery backup system is it simply doesn’t make economic sense in many cases. A battery bank large enough to power my household would easily cost me tens of thousands of dollars. If the purpose of this battery banks is to protect me from blackouts, then it sure wouldn’t have much time to shine. In most cases it would bail me out from an hour or two of darkness per year. Is that worth tens of thousands of dollars? Only you can answer that. For me it is not.

Time of Use Charges

Utilities in some parts of the country apply time of use charge factors to your energy bill. These factors scale the cost of electricity depending on what time of day power is being consumed. In places where this is the case, this policy could improve the economics of your battery bank. Under a time of use charge scenario, you can store energy when its cheap or when you are generating more than you are using, and you can sell the power back to the grid when power is most lucrative. This benefits you and the power grid. Win-win.

High Risk Areas

What if you’re living in a place with more formidable challenges than wind and a little bit of snow? In some cases, a robust power backup system may be a beneficial investment.  

From the Caribbean to the Gulf Coast and all along the East Coast of the United States, an expanding hurricane season is producing more frequent and powerful storms. So much so that consideration is being given to a new 6^th Category of Hurricane to help better define the gluttony of Level 5s we continue to experience.

If you live in the Western United States, the combination of a deepening mega-drought and record heat levels have created conditions for record breaking fire seasons that continue to stack-up. In an effort to minimize the combustibility of the Golden State, power providers are planning outages when conditions are threatening.

Record heat is putting record strain on the aging power grid. Increased ambient temperatures combine with overloaded powerlines that work overtime to keep the city’s air conditioners blasting out record volumes of air.

If you live in Texas, you get an inadequately protected, isolated power grid getting constantly tested by hurricanes and unusual hot and cold events. The tests aren’t going well… You should probably prepare.

If you live in these areas you may need to prepare for weeks without power. It will be expensive, but depending on your situation it could be justified. If you live in a high risk area, it’s also important to have a backup plan for your water. If you have a way to treat water collected from your roof, or stored away for emergency, you’ll be in great shape.

Backup Power Options

For the most part, backup power means some type of gas generator, solar panels with batteries, or batteries alone. Each of these choices then need to be sized based on your requirements. Perhaps you’ve decided the cost of backing up all of your energy needs is just too much. Well, power isn’t an all or nothing proposition. You can size your system to backup only the equipment you decide is important.

Emergency Circuits

There are a variety of ways to isolate only the equipment you can “afford” to operate in an emergency on a single circuit. Some typical choices for this emergency circuit would be certain lighting circuits, your refrigerator, low power items like your television and wifi router and a few extra outlets for charging your devices. Another popular circuit to backup is heating and cooling, but beware, these thermal loads demand a lot of power. Power is always at a premium in an emergency.

Gas Generators

Just like batteries, gas generators come in a range of sizes and outputs. You can backup your entire home with a large, permanently installed backup generator. Or, you can be more selective in what you chose to backup with a small portable generator.

Large permanently installed generators can be a great option in some situations. They are a mature technology and they can be connected to your system in a way that makes transitioning to backup power painless. If you have a gas supply to your home you can even have your backup generator connected directly. However, if the disaster that takes out your power grid also disrupts your gas supply then you have a useless backup…

Small and medium sized generators can also be great emergency backup power options. They take up less space. Some have receptacles on them so you can plug equipment in just like you would any other outlet… except, DO NOT run your gas generator inside your home! You will need to find a way to route your cords outside to your generator unit.

Some units are designed to connect directly to your power panel. If so, you will probably need a professional to modify the panels to accept your new generator. Portable generators are also…portable. That means you don’t need an emergency to make use of your expensive generator. Tailgate anyone??  

Gas generators are convenient. But they are loud, they put out toxic emissions and they require a supply of fuel that may become hard to secure in the very emergency you bought the generator to prepare for.

Batteries

As we’ve discussed you can power your entire home on batteries these days. There are several companies that offer lithium-ion battery packs in any size you need. Most large battery backup systems will need to be installed by an electrician. Even a small battery pack for charging your phone and some USB charged emergency lights are great to have during an emergency.

Some battery-based emergency power products stay plugged in until an outage occurs. Once needed you have a small amount of energy for powering devices like refrigerators, televisions, and other electronics. They output 120 VAC, so no inverter is needed. The higher the demand you put on the batteries the less time they’ll last. These products are great for people with important medical devices they absolutely need to keep powered. They can also make a huge difference during a blackout if you’re connected to an undependable grid.

Powering the Essentials

If you need to power some essentials, consider a portable battery pack from Ecoflow. These units will run most of your small appliances and favorite electronics during an outage. Depending on which unit you select, a microwave may not be the greatest idea as they draw a considerable amount of power. But refrigerators and televisions are fair game! The larger the battery pack, the longer you can run these items during an outage. Be sure to save power for your CPAP!

If you add a small solar array you can refill the battery pack when the sun is out. Depending on the weather and which size panel you purchase it can take a while to charge the battery pack using solar. For faster charging, you can charge the battery using your car’s cigarette lighter. Or for the absolute fastest recharge time, take it to a friend’s house if they happen to have power. I chose to list Ecoflow because of their fast charge rate. Filling up in a hurry may be critical in an emergency.

I’ve also included a DuroMax Duel Fuel portable generator. This is a quality unit at an affordable price and is capable of powering everything from refrigerators and air conditioners to high current power tools. The ability of this unit to run off propane in addition to gasoline provides a flexibility that makes this unit excellent for emergencies. Propane is much easier than gasoline to store long term. But, once you run out of propane it may be hard to find, in which case the corner gas station may be your best option for refueling.

Get Creative

In the 21^st century it’s easy to forget electricity doesn’t have a monopoly on energy. As I said at the beginning, the biggest threats to the grid where I live is wind and cold. I have a fire place in my home. Firewood is probably the cheapest source of heat energy for me during an emergency. Similarly, the only lengthy outages I’ve experienced where I live was after a blizzard. I don’t need to power a refrigerator when the whole outside is an icebox.

Secure a Water Supply

If you live in a disaster prone area you need to be prepared for the possibility of the water/wastewater treatment facilities going down. If you have any warning, or just after an event try to fill your bath tub in case the supply is shut off.

Have a radio like the one that comes in the disaster kit below, and pay attention to the news. You need to know if there are any boil notices in your area.

In any case, its a good idea to have a way to purify water if need be. I always take purification tablets with me when I deploy after a disaster. Having them on deck in preparation for a disaster seems equally prudent. And while you’re securing your water supply, you may as well make sure you have food too. You’ll never need to get ready if you stay ready…

Summary

In today’s world we have become dependent on electricity. We depend on electricity for our heat, for our AC, we depend on it to keep our food cold and to cook. Electricity powers the electronics we rely on to connect with loved ones and to do our jobs. Electricity powers the devices we use to orchestrate our lives. When it goes out, we need a plan.

Your plan will be unique to your situation. If you live in an area where power outages are frequent, a backup plan is even more critical. You may need to size an entire solar PV system with a battery backup to serve your needs indefinitely.

Your back up plan can consist of everything from a small battery pack to a permanently installed gas generator, and everything in between. Consider how fuel source availability may affect you during the type of emergency you’re preparing for.

Think outside the box. Or, perhaps more fittingly, remember to think inside the box again. It may be necessary in an emergency to find old school ways to take care of our needs. Don’t get too spun up about powering a refrigerator to get you through power outages if they primarily occur during snow storms.

Are You Ready For Solar?

If you’re ready to start generating power on your rooftop, we’re here to help you find the best deals. Evergreen Off-Grid has found the easiest way for you to get the best deals in your area, and we’ve partnered with EnergySage to bring them to you. 

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EnergySage’s competitive marketplace is free to use and helps deliver up to 20% savings compared to the broader market. Additionally, their team of unbiased expert Solar Advisors can help you review your proposals and answer any questions you have along the way. So head over to the Solar Marketplace now and find the best solar solution for you!

Let’s Connect!

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