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Winter storms can be just as devastating as hurricanes when it comes to disrupting the power grid. Blizzards, ice storms and extreme cold can cause widespread outages, leaving homes and businesses without power for days or even weeks.
In such situations, having a reliable backup power source can make all the difference. Portable power plants are becoming increasingly popular as a way to keep essential devices and appliances running during blackouts.
With the upcoming winter storms caused by the polar vortex, it will be a good idea to keep an eye on the power situation in your home and make sure you have everything you need in case. In fact, no matter what time is outside, a portable power station it can at least help you cope a little, even if it can’t make it as hot as you want it to be at home.
We’ve tested scores of power stations here at CNET, including examining how some can handle it requirements of the appliances of our homesso we have an idea of the best ones that you can use. Here’s what a power plant can do for you when the electricity is out.
What is a portable power station
These are not AA batteries. A portable power station is a large battery pack, usually 20 pounds and up, that allows you to power regular appliances with a 120 volt AC outlet (the three-prong thing that runs most of your appliances) . These batteries tend to pack 200 watt-hours and more of electricity – some with 5,000 watt-hours or more. What does that mean? A 700 watt-hour power plant once I kept my cold for 14.5 hours in a simulated blackout (when nothing else was running).
These batteries come in a variety of sizes and power. The smaller ones may be able to hold your own phone o laptop running for days, so you can still make emergency calls or texts during an outage. A bigger one it could potentially power your whole house for a bit. Of course, the prices and sizes of these batteries increase as they become more powerful and have more capacity.
Our test examined, among other factors, how much usable capacity a power plant actually has, because you probably won’t be able to use the full capacity of a battery. Here is a look at how they are held:
How a power plant can help during a blackout
Blackouts are more common in some parts of the country. Depending on your time, you may be able to anticipate when the power will go out and prepare better. Let’s take a look at data from the Energy Information Administration to see which states had the most power outages and the longest total time without power by year from 2018 to 2022.
Some power stations are large enough and equipped with adequate outlets to power your home (if you have the right equipment plugged into your electrical panel) but most will not be able to maintain AC during a power outage. . Here are some things that they can to do.
Keep your phone alive
Blackouts can be dangerous situations, especially if you or a family member health problems or are sensitive to heat. Keeping a working cell phone is vital to safety, allowing you to get help in an emergency. Having a working cell phone can also allow you to follow the efforts of your electric company to restore power or to book a hotel in a place where the power is.
Is your fridge working?
Refrigerators Don’t use as much power as you might think. An energy efficient refrigerator, just like that Energy Star-rated, use somewhere in the ballpark of a kilowatt-hour of electricity per day if this. So if you have a power plant with a capacity of 2,000 watt-hours (like CNET’s preferred portable power stationthe Jackery Explorer 2000 Plus), which could keep your fridge going for a couple of days.
CNET’s pick for the best overall portable powerhouse, this battery packs a wide range of features and is modular, meaning you can stack the batteries together for more power and capacity. It’s heavy, at 61.5 pounds, but that’s because it’s powerful.
In addition to saving money from having to buy mayonnaise and milk again when the blackout is over, keeping the refrigerator cool can be essential if you have medications that need to be kept cold, such as insulin. Plus: Cool drinks can help you try to stay cool during a heat wave.
Run a fan, or a portable air conditioner
Just because you probably can’t run central air off a portable battery doesn’t mean you can’t keep one window unit oh portable air conditioner operating to keep some parts of your home cool. You can also run a fansthat will help a little when the temperature is high.
Stay out of the dark
A portable power station can hold some of your larger lights, as well as giving you a way to keep rechargeable lights longer. A way to test the usable capacity of energy stations at the CNET Test Labfor example, it is connected with 110 watt work lights – and these things are bright. A power plant with just one powerful light can prevent you from living in the dark during a blackout. You can also connect a power station to your living room lamp.
CNET’s pick for best extra-large portable power station, the Anker Solix F3800 is a great rolling cart of backup power. It can be stacked with up to six expansion batteries for a total capacity of 26.9 kWh.
Stretch your power with solar panels
You are not necessarily stuck with whatever power was in the power plant battery when the grid went down. Most power stations can charge from your car, just like you plug in a phone. You can still get it portable solar panels that go with your power plant and use those to extend the life of the power plant. Keeping the power plant connected to solar panels during the day can ensure that your fridge and phone stay on, even if the air conditioner doesn’t.
Our favorite portable solar panel is the Jackery SolarSaga 200, which comes in at 200 watts of charging power. It leads in efficiency among portable solar panels and packs a high watt-per-pound score, which means it’s more powerful but still portable.
