Backup Power & Generators You Can Monitor
Last verified: August 2026
When the power goes out, life gets complicated fast. The fridge warms, the furnace stops, and the phones stop charging. A little backup power, set up safely, keeps you comfortable and connected.
The Three Main Kinds
Backup power comes in three flavors. Each suits a different need and budget.
There is no single best choice. It depends on how often your power goes out, what you want to keep running, and what you want to spend.
Portable Generators
A portable generator is an engine that burns fuel to make electricity. It is the classic storm backup.
- Runs on gasoline, propane, or both, depending on the model
- You start it and run it outside, then plug things in
- Good for a fridge, some lights, and charging phones
- Lower cost, but you handle fuel and starting yourself
Standby (Whole-Home) Generators
A standby generator is installed permanently outside your home, like an air conditioner unit. Brands like Generac are common.
For folks who lose power often, or who rely on medical equipment or a well pump, a standby unit brings real peace of mind.
- Starts itself automatically when the power fails
- Usually runs on natural gas or propane, no fueling by hand
- Can power your whole home or the parts that matter most
- Higher cost and needs professional installation
Battery Power Stations
A battery power station is a large rechargeable battery in a box. Brands like EcoFlow are popular. No fuel, no fumes.
- Quiet and safe to use indoors, since there is no exhaust
- You charge it from a wall outlet or solar panels ahead of time
- Great for phones, lights, medical devices, and small appliances
- Limited by battery size; it runs out and must recharge
Carbon Monoxide: The Deadly Danger
This is the most important page in the guide. Please read it carefully and share it with your family.
- Keep the generator well away from the house and downwind
- Never in the garage, even with the door up
- Install carbon monoxide detectors and check the batteries
- Dizzy, headache, or nausea means get to fresh air now
Hooking It to Your House, Safely
Getting generator power into your home wiring must be done the right way. This is not a corner to cut.
A licensed electrician installs a transfer switch that safely and legally connects your generator to the circuits you choose. It keeps your home and the power crews safe.
What a Transfer Switch Does
A transfer switch is the safe bridge between your generator and your home's wiring.
It lets you power chosen circuits, like the furnace, fridge, and some lights, without any risk of backfeeding the utility line. When utility power returns, it switches back safely.
- Manual transfer switch: you flip it yourself when needed
- Automatic transfer switch: it switches on its own, common with standby units
- Either way, a licensed electrician installs it
What Monitor From Your Phone Means
Many newer units connect to an app so you can check on them without going outside in the storm.
Monitoring means the generator or battery talks to an app on your phone over Wi-Fi or cell. You can see if it is running, how much fuel or battery is left, and whether anything needs attention.
- See at a glance if your backup is running
- Check fuel level or battery charge remaining
- Get an alert if something goes wrong
- Handy when you are away and the power goes out
The Monitoring Apps
Each maker has its own free app. Here is the general idea across the popular ones.
Setting up the app means connecting the unit to your Wi-Fi and making an account, much like any other smart device.
Sizing It in Plain Terms
Size is really about how much you want to run at once. Bigger runs more but costs more.
Do not overthink the exact numbers. Make a list of what you truly need during an outage, and we can match a size to that list.
Understanding What It Can Run
Some things sip power and some things gulp it. Knowing the difference helps you plan.
Things that make heat or start big motors draw the most. If you plan to run those, you need a larger unit.
- Low draw: LED lights, phones, a radio, a modem
- Medium draw: refrigerator, furnace blower, a television
- High draw: electric heaters, well pumps, central air, ovens
Fuel and How Long It Lasts
Runtime is how long your backup keeps going before it needs more fuel or a recharge.
Keeping It Ready
A generator you never touch may fail the day you need it. A little upkeep keeps it dependable.
- Run a portable generator now and then so it starts easily
- Change the oil and filters as the manual says
- Keep fresh fuel or a treated supply on hand
- Standby units usually run a short self-test each week
Caring for a Battery Station
Battery power stations need almost no maintenance, but a couple of habits keep them healthy.
- Keep it charged so it is ready when a storm hits
- Store it in a cool, dry place, not a freezing garage
- Top it off every few months even if unused
- Recharge it soon after an outage so it is ready for the next
Cold Weather and Storm Readiness
Our Ohio winters are exactly when outages hit. A little prep beforehand makes all the difference.
- Test your backup power before winter sets in
- Keep fuel or charge topped up when storms are forecast
- Know where your flashlights and warm layers are
- Keep the generator's exhaust clear of snow drifts, outside
What to Do When the Power Goes Out
A calm, simple routine keeps an outage from becoming a crisis.
- Keep the fridge and freezer doors shut to hold the cold
- Start your backup power the safe way you practiced
- Run a fuel generator outside, far from the house, always
- Check on neighbors, especially those who live alone
When Someone Relies on Power
If a household member depends on electric medical equipment, backup power is not a luxury. It is safety.
- A battery station can safely power devices indoors
- Tell your utility if you have medical power needs on file
- Keep the equipment's own backup battery charged too
- Have a plan to reach help if power is out for a long time
Common Questions, Answered
The questions folks ask me most about backup power.
What's in the 27-page PDF
- The three main kinds of backup power
- What monitoring from your phone actually means
- Sizing in plain terms, and transfer switches
- Staying safe, especially from carbon monoxide
Why I wrote this
I write these as printable handouts because a guide you can keep in a drawer beats a web page you have to find again. No jargon, no judgment, no rushing. If you'd rather have someone sit beside you and go through it together, that's a flat $99 first visit with the 30-day follow-up included — serving Portage County from Atwater, Ohio. — Bill
Want someone to set it up with you?
I'll sit beside you, we'll go through it together, and you set the pace. $99 flat for the first visit, 30-day follow-up included. Serving Portage County — Atwater, Ravenna, Kent, Streetsboro and the townships.
Would you rather I just do this for you?
No shame in it — plenty of folks would rather hand it off, and that's what I'm here for. I'll come to your home, set it up right, and make sure it's working before I leave. Flat $99 per visit — no jargon, no upsell, and every visit is 30-day come-back-free.
Not a hardware job? I can often fix it remotely for $49 — a secure screen-share, up to 2 hours, that you watch the whole time and can end whenever (included free for $39/mo Support Plan members, and it counts toward the $99 if it turns out I need to come out).