Backup Power 101: Avoid These Costly Mistakes
When the lights go out, the wind howls, or the grid fails, one thing becomes painfully clear: most people have no idea how much backup power they need. They grab a generator off the shelf or a battery pack from an online sale, thinking, “This’ll do.”
Then, three hours into an outage, they’re shivering in the dark with a dead phone and warm food, wondering where everything went wrong.
Here’s the brutal truth: most people buy the wrong backup power setup because they don’t calculate their needs. They overestimate or underestimate, and either way, it’s a costly mistake—whether it’s cash wasted on overkill or the sinking realization that their system can’t handle the essentials when disaster strikes.
Take your fridge, for example. That humming box in your kitchen can suck a small generator dry in hours if you don’t plan for it. Add in a few lights, a phone charger, and maybe a medical device, and you’re looking at a power demand that could surprise you. But don’t worry—I’m here to walk you through it.
By the end of this post, you’ll know exactly how to size your backup power system so you’re never left powerless when it matters most.
Let’s break it down step-by-step: list your essentials, know your wattage, and choose the right backup system. Get this right, and you’ll avoid the traps that leave others scrambling.
Step 1: List Your Essentials – What Actually Matters?
The first mistake people make is thinking they need to power everything. You don’t. Your 65-inch TV streaming survival shows isn’t a priority when the power’s out—your fridge keeping insulin cold or your phone charging for emergency calls is. The key is to prioritize ruthlessly.
Start by asking yourself: what do I need to get through an outage? Here’s a practical starting point:
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Lights: You don’t need every bulb blazing. A few LED lights or a rechargeable lantern (5-20 watts total) can keep you from stumbling around in the dark.
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Communication: Your phone charger (5-10 watts) and, if you’ve got one, a two-way radio (5-20 watts) are lifelines to the outside world.
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Refrigeration: A fridge (600-800 watts when running) or a small freezer (similar range) keeps food and meds safe. Note: they don’t run constantly, but their startup surge can spike higher—more on that later.
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Medical Devices: If you rely on a CPAP machine (30-60 watts), oxygen concentrator (100-600 watts), or anything else, this jumps to the top of the list.
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Heat (Maybe): In winter, a small electric heater (500-1500 watts) might be critical, but it’s a power hog—consider alternatives like propane if possible.
Non-essentials? The coffee maker, the microwave, the gaming console—those can wait. Be brutal. Every extra device you plug in is a straw sucking your backup power dry.
Grab a notebook or your phone and make your list. Write down what you can’t live without for 24-72 hours. That’s your baseline. Once you’ve got it, we’ll figure out how much juice it all needs.
Step 2: Know Your Wattage – The Numbers Don’t Lie
Here’s where the rubber meets the road. Every device pulls a different amount of power, measured in watts. If you don’t know your wattage, you’re flying blind—and you’ll either overspend on a system you don’t need or undersize it and crash when the storm hits.
Let’s get practical. Check your devices—most have a label or manual listing watts (W) or amps (A) and volts (V). If it’s amps and volts, multiply them (W = A × V) to get watts. No label? Google the model or use these rough averages:
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Phone Charger: 5-10 watts
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LED Light Bulb: 5-15 watts
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Laptop: 50-100 watts
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Fridge: 600-800 watts (running), 1200-2000 watts (startup surge)
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Freezer: 600-800 watts (running), 1200-2000 watts (startup)
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CPAP Machine: 30-60 watts
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Small Space Heater: 500-1500 watts
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Microwave: 1000-1500 watts (but skip it—too greedy)
Here’s the kicker: some appliances, like fridges and freezers, have a startup surge—a brief spike in power when the compressor kicks on. That surge can be 2-3 times the running wattage. A 700-watt fridge might demand 2000 watts for a split second. If your backup can’t handle that, it’ll shut down or fry. Always check for “peak” or “surge” ratings on your system.
Now, add it up. Say you’ve got:
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2 LED lights (20 watts total)
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Phone charger (10 watts)
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Fridge (700 watts running, 2000 watts surge)
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CPAP machine (50 watts)
Running total: 780 watts. Surge total: 2080 watts. That’s your target. But there’s more to it—how long do these run? A fridge cycles on for 10-20 minutes per hour (about 25-50% duty cycle), while your phone charger might sip power all day. Multiply watts by hours of use to get watt-hours (Wh)—your daily energy need. For simplicity, assume 24 hours:
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Lights: 20W × 24h = 480Wh
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Charger: 10W × 24h = 240Wh
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Fridge: 700W × 6h (25% duty) = 4200Wh
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CPAP: 50W × 8h (night use) = 400Wh
Total: 5320Wh, or about 5.3 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per day. That’s your magic number. Now let’s match it to a system.
Step 3: Choose the Right Backup System – Size It Right
You’ve got your wattage and watt hours. Now it’s decision time: what kind of backup power fits your life? There’s no one-size-fits-all—battery banks, generators, and solar each have their place. Here’s how to pick:
Battery Banks
Perfect for small, low-power needs. A 1000Wh (1kWh) battery pack can charge your phone and lights for days but won’t touch a fridge. Look for:
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Capacity: Measured in Wh or kWh. Our 5.3kWh example needs a big bank—or multiple smaller ones.
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Output: Must handle 780W running and 2080W surge. Check the specs.
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Pros: Silent, portable, no fuel needed.
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Cons: Expensive per kWh, limited capacity.
For our example, a 6kWh battery bank (with 2000W+ surge rating) could work for a day, but recharging it without grid power is tricky.
Generators
The go-to for bigger loads and longer outages. Gas, propane, or diesel-powered, they’re measured in watts:
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Sizing: Pick one with 10-20% more running watts than your total (900-1000W for us) and surge watts above your peak (2080W+).
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Fuel: A 2000W gas generator with a 1-gallon tank might run 8-10 hours. For 5.3kWh daily, you’d burn through 2-3 gallons—stockpile accordingly.
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Pros: High power, long runtime with fuel.
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Cons: Noise, fumes, maintenance.
A 3000W generator (running 2400W, surge 3000W) would cover our needs with room to spare, sipping fuel for days if you’ve got a stash.
Solar Systems
The long-game champion. Pair panels with a battery bank:
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Panels: 300W of solar panels in good sun (5 hours) generates 1500Wh daily. You’d need 1200W+ of panels for 5.3kWh.
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Battery: Same as above—6kWh capacity, 2000W+ surge.
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Pros: Free power after setup, sustainable.
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Cons: High upfront cost, weather-dependent.
For our 5.3kWh, a 1500W solar array plus a 6kWh battery bank could keep you going indefinitely—assuming the sun cooperates.
The Costly Mistakes to Avoid
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Undersizing: A 500W generator won’t cut it for a 2000W surge. You’ll trip breakers or burn it out.
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Oversizing: A 10kW generator for a 1kW need wastes fuel and money.
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Ignoring Surge: Skip this, and your system fails at startup.
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No Fuel Plan: Generators die without gas. Stockpile safely.
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Forgetting Runtime: A battery that lasts 4 hours isn’t enough for a 3-day outage.
Your Next Move
Sizing your backup power isn’t rocket science—it’s just math and priorities. List your must-haves, tally the watts and watt-hours, and match it to a system that fits your budget and outage scenario. A family with a fridge and medical gear needs more than a solo camper charging a phone.
Want a shortcut? I’ve got a Power Needs Calculator that crunches the numbers for you—watts, surge, runtime, the works. Hit reply, and I’ll send it your way. Don’t guess your way through the next blackout. Get it right, and you’ll be the one with cold food and a charged phone while the neighbors fumble in the dark.
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