A winter power outage creates an even more dangerous situation. Certain appliances can not be run simultaneously. The goal is to prioritize health- and safety-critical loads, then allocate the remaining backup energy to communication, refrigeration, lighting, and other essential needs.
Once the essential appliances have been identified, a rough estimate of the energy use can be made. A power budget can then be created to determine how long a particular device can be powered.
Priorities During a Winter Power Outage
A house's electrical loads can be broken into three categories. Loads in the first category can be categorized into the other two categories based on the situations described below.
1. Essential loads
Loads of the first category can include:
- Medical devices
- Communication devices
- Lighting
- Refrigerators/freezers
- Devices that monitor the well-being of family members
- Security devices
Any load that can impact the health and safety of household members takes priority over all other loads. The CDC states that extended power outages can be life-threatening to individuals who depend on electrically powered medical devices.
For electrically powered medical equipment, follow the device manufacturer's backup-power requirements and have an emergency plan rather than relying on a general household power budget alone.
2. Secondary loads
Loads of the second category can include:
- Laptop computers
- Televisions
- Fans
- Electrically powered comfort aids
- Kitchen appliances
Loads of the second category can be powered after loads of the first category have been powered.
3. Optional Loads
Televisions, video game consoles and other high-powered kitchen appliances can be significant sources of energy use in a household. Keep in mind that energy devices such as routers and LED lights can also be powered by energy sources other than the wall outlet.
Your goal should be to prioritize the energy use of the most important devices in your home, especially your power outage essentials.
Why Heating Loads Are Different
Heating loads are different during the winter. Heating devices can consume a lot of energy and use a lot of power. Other devices in the home such as phones or LED lights can use very little energy. An electric heating device can use hundreds or thousands of watts while a phone charger can use just a few watts.
Since a small battery pack may not be able to support a high-watt heater for long, a plan to use a heater should consider other heating strategies first. For instance, make the home as energy efficient as possible.
If indoor temperatures become dangerously cold and you cannot heat the home safely, consider relocating to friends, family, or a community warming shelter. You should also prepare for this ahead of time. Never use a gas range or oven to heat your home because of carbon monoxide and fire risks.
Figure Out How Much Backup Power You Need
You can figure this out by determining the devices, and then the wattage and use hours for each.
For example,
★ 10 Watt LED light used for good 5 hours = 50 Watt-hours
★ A 50-watt router used for 8 hours = 400 watt-hours
This means that you should take into account the devices you actually need, rather than guessing or making assumptions for all the devices you have in your house.
When considering what to power during an outage, consider the minimum amount required to meet your needs, not every single device in your house.
Example Winter Power Budget
| Device | Approx. Power | Planned Use | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|
| LED light | 10W | 6 hours | 60Wh |
| Wi-Fi router | 48W | 8 hours | 384Wh |
| Laptop | 60W | 4 hours | 240Wh |
| Phone charging | 10W | 2 hours | 20Wh |
| Refrigerator | 120W | Intermittent | Variable |
| Example total | 704Wh + refrigerator use |
The energy totals above represent device consumption estimates, not guaranteed battery runtime. Actual backup time will vary with conversion losses, device cycling, startup loads, temperature, and other operating conditions.
Certain devices may be designed to use a significant amount of power, but may not always draw that amount of power. A refrigerator's power draw varies by model and operating cycle, and compressor startup demand may be higher than its normal running wattage.
In order to make your limited winter backup power go further, use load rotation.
Use Load Rotation to Make Limited Power Last Longer
This means not powering up everything in your system at once. You will have to decide which power loads to use.
To determine the power loads to use first, consider which loads are most critical. During the normal course of a workday, you may power up loads associated with work and communication, and powered refrigeration. During the night you may prioritize powering medical loads, and lighting.
This creates a power schedule that significantly increases the running time of a limited battery.
Compact Power Station or 1kWh-Class Backup?
Certain situations may require use of alternative energy sources to provide power to devices over extended periods of time. Portable power stations can provide power to devices in the absence of a reliable electricity supply.
The GEYOTO N300 provides 300W of rated AC output, up to 500W peak output, and 256Wh of battery capacity. Therefore, the power station can provide energy to low-wattage devices for a limited period of time. It may not offer extended power backup for high-wattage devices.
The GEYOTO N1000 has 1,024Wh of battery capacity, 1,800W of rated AC output, and up to 3,000W peak output. It can support compatible higher-wattage devices within its output limits, while its larger battery provides more backup energy than the N300. Actual runtime depends on the connected load and operating conditions.
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When grid power is temporarily restored, the N1000 can recharge from 0% to 80% in approximately 43 minutes under the specified AC charging conditions.
Neither of the two power stations can be used to provide backup power for the entire home. The proper approach is to evaluate the circuits with the highest and most important power needs.
To understand the power needs of the GEYOTO N300 and N1000 power stations in detail, check out our wattage guide.
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The Winter Outages Also Present a Dangerous Situation
During outages, the sense of security and safety caused by the availability of power may result in the use of a fuel powered generator. However, there are dangers associated with the use of fuel powered generators.
Fuel-powered generators should be operated outdoors, at least 20 feet away from windows, doors, and vents, and never inside a home, garage, basement, or other enclosed or partially enclosed space.
Operation of fuel-powered generators can result in accumulation of carbon monoxide in and around the home. CO detectors should be installed and used in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations.
Build Your Winter Power Plan Before the Outage
Battery-powered portable power stations do not produce carbon monoxide during normal operation because they do not burn fuel. However, they must still be used within their rated output, temperature, charging, ventilation, and environmental limits.
Before an outage, develop a plan to identify which loads should be powered during the outage and the energy demand of those loads. With this information, develop a strategy on how best to use the backup power to maximize use during the outage.
A smaller, shorter duration plan may benefit from use of a smaller capacity power station such as the GEYOTO N300. Larger demands and longer duration plans may require the larger capacity GEYOTO N1000.
Final Thought
A plan for a winter backup power source can allow for peace of mind that critical systems will be operational during an outage. Understanding power needs and determining essential power loads will assist in the backup power source determination.