By David Muir

We don’t really need a hurricane to lose power. That can happen for plenty of reasons, and usually at the wrong time, right?

The good news? There are several options that will keep your lights on, your medical devices operating, your food refrigerated, and your electronic stuff powered.

Gas Powered Generators

Not long ago the only practical choice for backup power was a fuel-powered standby generator. Generac is a popular model that connects to your home’s electrical panel and kicks in when the lights go out. A few weeks ago, when we lost power for 12 hours in the Villas, generator motors growled throughout the neighborhood. Usually powered by liquid propane, these engines emit exhaust or fumes and require annual maintenance. But if you have enough stored fuel, they can run for weeks if necessary. Units cost $5,000-$15,000 along with professional installation fees.

As an alternative, there are much less expensive ($500-$2,000) portable gas-powered generators. These can produce enough power to run essential household devises during an outage. They have to be operated outdoors because of fumes and can sound like a lawnmower outside your window. But, with a long enough extension cord, a portable gas generator can keep a handful of devises and a refrigerator running until your neighbors complain.

Battery Powered Backups

The fossil-fuel powered generator now has new competition from quiet, fume-free battery backups. Home battery systems grab and store power when FP&L and/or your solar panels are powering your home, and then when the lights go out, the batteries take over. Environmentally, they are a big improvement over fuel-powered generators. But not for as long. A popular Tesla Powerwall has 13.5 kilowatt-hours of storage capacity, which can provide an entire household power for a few hours or selected low demand circuits for much longer. You can get extra power out of them if they’re connected to solar panels or if you stack multiple batteries on a single system. Upfront costs for a single battery system start between $10,000-15,000.

Virtual Power Plants

Virtual power plants, where you give up a bit of control over your battery’s charge to your utility company, are increasingly available. By giving up some access to the energy stored in your battery, you can earn a bit of money. A combined Powerwall and solar panel system may be the wave of the future, providing environmental-friendly power indefinitely. But for now, many may find it expensive and unwarranted.

Portable Battery Power Station

Whether you are looking for emergency backup power at home or an avid camper looking to keep portable electronics charged, a portable battery power station will come in handy. These inexpensive devices provide electricity stored on high-capacity lithium-ion batteries. Depending on storage size, they’re fairly easy to transport, so you can move them around the house or take them with you on off-the-grid excursions. Power stations come with a slew of benefits. They are eco-friendly, quiet, and safe for indoor use. You can get a small, light-weight unit to power a few devises (lights, modem, TV, chargers).

For a battery station to be as powerful as a gas generator, though, you will have to spend big bucks – often well over $1,000. The number of appliances and devises that can be powered, and for how long, depends on the battery capacity (and accordingly, the price). A mid-range 1,000-Watt, portable (22 lb.) power station costing $500-1,000 can run a full-size refrigerator for over 10 hours. And, in an emergency backup power situation, opening the fridge only when necessary, and cycling it on/off in 2-hour intervals, that can be extended to days. Power stations are charged by plugging into household current and in the event of a prolonged outage can be recharged from a car cigarette lighter outlet or even portable solar panels. These low-maintenance, portable and sufficiently powerful battery packs relieve much of the worry and inconvenience when the lights go out. So, why not have two?

Interested in a Power Station? Here is an informative review of various units:

Uninterruptible Power Supply

Lastly, if all you need is a battery backup to run a low-power devise like a router (10W) or your laptop for a few hours during a short power interruption, an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) will do the trick. When power is interrupted, or fluctuates outside safe levels, an affordable UPS will kick in instantly to provide clean battery backup power and surge protection for plugged-in, sensitive equipment. But, remember, not for as long as the ones above.