Keeping the Essentials On in a Power Outage
Last verified: September 2026
You don't need to run the whole house in an outage — just the essentials: phones, the internet, a medical device, some light, and the fridge. Here's how a power station covers them, calmly and safely. Want a hand? My number is (330) 200-8042.
Your Outage Essentials, Covered
In a power outage you don't need to run the whole house — you need the essentials: your phones, the internet, any medical device, a few lights, and the fridge in cycles. Those are small, steady loads, exactly what a power station does best. Keep the router and modem on — they sip very little but keep you online and keep medical-alert and cordless-phone bases alive. Skip the hungry heat-makers like space heaters and hair dryers. When the battery runs low, put people first. There's a printable version up top.
Common Questions
1 What are the real essentials in an outage?
Phones, the internet (your router and modem), any medical device, a couple of LED lights, and keeping the fridge cold in cycles. These are small, steady loads a power station handles well — they keep you reachable, safe, and comfortable without draining the battery.
2 What should I power first?
People first. Any medical device someone depends on, then your phones, then the router and modem. After that, a light or two, and the fridge in cycles if the outage runs long. Decide the order calmly ahead of time and keep it on a card by the station.
3 Is it worth keeping the internet on?
Absolutely — it's one of the best trades there is. A router and modem draw only a tiny trickle but keep your phones and computers online, and often keep home-phone, medical-alert, and security bases alive too. For pennies of the battery, you stay connected to help and family.
4 What shouldn't I try to run?
The heat-makers: space heaters, hair dryers, kettles, toasters, microwaves. They drain a battery fast or won't start at all on a smaller unit, and they crowd out the essentials. Plan to stay warm another way and let the station carry the steady loads.
5 How do I make the charge last longer?
Turn off the heat-makers, run the fridge in cycles, dim and simplify the lights, unplug idle chargers, and recharge from the car or a solar panel if the outage drags on. Small habits can turn an evening's charge into a whole day's.
6 Can it keep a medical device going?
It can help — a CPAP, for instance, is a small, steady draw a modest unit can carry overnight. But treat a power station as one layer of a plan, not the whole plan: keep your provider's recommended backup, and oxygen users should always keep the no-power backup tanks their supplier provides. See our CPAP and oxygen guides.
Would You Rather I Just Help?
Not sure what you'd really need running in an outage, or whether a station can cover it? That's exactly what I'm here for. I'll help you build a simple must-run list, size a station to match, and set up a calm outage routine — with nothing to sell you. $99 flat for an in-home visit, $49 for remote help, 30-day come-back-free.
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).