How To Prepare Your Home For Power Grid Brownouts, Blackouts

In Partnership with APG

When severe weather or some other cause cuts off the electricity in your home, having your own backup power station makes life a whole lot easier.
With a portable power station (PPS), you can store enough electricity to run your appliances and devices when the grid goes down.
Today, getting up and running with clean, quiet backup power for your home has never been easier or more affordable, thanks to major advances in solar and battery technologies. 
Here’s a quick guide to preparing your home for brownouts and blackouts with a PPS, so you can keep your most critical devices and appliances running and ride out the storm in relative comfort.

Step 1: Embrace the Power of Solar and Batteries
In the old days, having backup power in your home meant relying on generators that burned gasoline or propane. They were loud, produced noxious fumes, and could only be operated safely outdoors.
All that’s changed with the advent of solar generators and portable battery power stations that are clean, quiet, and safe to operate indoors.
Portable power stations don’t generate energy by themselves, but store electricity from numerous sources such as AC wall outlets or solar panels. A PPS is like a very smart, very powerful rechargeable battery.
EcoFlow’s Whole-home Backup Power Solution, which is built around the DELTA Pro power station, offers the most powerful solution of its kind in terms of how much power it can continuously output. 

Step 2: Choose the Right Battery Capacity

Battery capacity, lifespan, portability, and other features are essential to consider when looking for the right PPS to buy.
First, consider how much electricity you need during a power outage for your appliances and devices, usually measured in watts. A single Delta Pro power station provides 3.6kWh capacity and one full day of essential power. The plug-and-play device fully recharges in 2.7 hours -- ideal for fast charging between outages.
With 4 house-style outlets to run appliances like fridges, freezers, microwaves and toasters, the Advanced Kit of EcoFlow Whole-home Backup Power Solution’s inverter peaks at 7,200 watts and a whopping 21.6kWh capacity, making it capable of running heavier equipment such as compressors and pumps that have very high starting wattages.

Step 3: Charge Your Power Station

You’ll need to charge the battery before use. In most cases, portable power stations will arrive in the box partially charged to approximately 30%.
Before using the PPS, you should charge the battery fully. EcoFlow’s portable power stations offer multiple charging options, including solar, household AC power, car charging, and even Level 2 AC EV charging stations.
A great feature of the Whole-home Backup Power Solution allows you to set times for charging and discharging. That means in areas with tiered power rates you can charge batteries during non-peak hours, then use the stored energy during peak hours to save money on your utility bill.

Step 4: Picking the Right Solar Panels

If you want to purchase a portable power supply that generates clean, renewable energy during extended utility outages, finding the best solar panels is important. Look for monocrystalline panels, like the EcoFlow Portable Solar Panels. Monocrystalline panels maximize the efficiency of your PPS.
You can connect solar panels in a series of up to 4 to recharge a Delta Pro power station. The product supports 11-150V DC input, 15A max current, and 1600W max charging power. When using an EcoFlow solar panel(s) to charge the product, follow the instructions that come with the panel.

Step 5: Consider Other Recharging Sources

There are multiple ways to charge a PPS, depending on the model. Typically, the fastest way to charge a PPS is by plugging it into a regular AC wall outlet.
EcoFlow’s Smart Generator, which supports both propane and gas as fuel sources and includes advanced features such as a touchscreen display and remote-control capabilities. It’s compatible with EcoFlow’s Delta series of portable power stations as well as its Power Kits, creating fuel savings of up to 40% compared to other generators and power storage products. It can fully recharge a DELTA Pro battery power station in just 2.7 hours.

Step 6: Connecting to Your Home’s Breaker Panel

Forget expensive and complicated systems when it comes to integrating the Backup Solution directly with your home’s wiring system. Simply connect two EcoFlow DELTA Pros with the EcoFlow Double Voltage Hub to your breaker panel with a power inlet box or transfer switch.
For even more customization and energy management, integrate the DELTA Pro and Smart Home Panel with your home circuits. Expand your ecosystem and get unlimited power with solar panels and dual-fuel generators.

Now, Rest Easy!

The ideal portable power supply serves as an emergency home backup when you need it most. Solar-powered options are great for use indoors since they don’t emit toxic chemicals and are virtually silent.
Remember that the larger the battery capacity you purchase, the more power-hungry devices you can run. Your energy consumption is critical in figuring out the proper battery capacity for your needs.
If you follow the basic steps outlined here, next time the electric utility grid goes down you’ll shrug it off and power through your day(s) in flying colors!