Start Here: Make Your Home Outage-Ready, Step by Step

Most homes lose power a few times a year, and a long outage can mean a flooded basement, a freezer of spoiled food, a cold house or a medical device with no power. The good news: you do not need to buy the biggest generator on the market. You need a plan sized to your home. This page is the map. Work through the steps in order and you will finish with a kit, a list of essential loads, the right backup power and a safe way to connect it.

Step 1: Get the basics ready for any outage

Before you spend anything on backup power, cover the essentials that help in every outage: water, food that needs no cooking, flashlights and batteries, a battery or hand-crank weather radio, a first-aid kit, charged phones and power banks, and working carbon monoxide alarms. Ready.gov’s power outage guidance is the best single checklist, and our printable Power Outage Checklist turns it into tick boxes you can print.

Put appliance thermometers in your fridge and freezer now. During an outage they tell you, at a glance, whether food is still safe. The Power Outage Food Safety Timer explains USDA’s timelines.

Step 2: List what you must keep running

Backup power is sized from loads, not from marketing. Write down what you truly need during an outage: the refrigerator and freezer, a sump pump or well pump, the furnace blower, internet, lights, phone charging and any medical equipment. Then check each appliance label or manual for its running watts and, for anything with a motor, its starting watts.

Enter that list in the Home Generator Size Calculator or the Home Power Station Selector. Both show their math, so you can see exactly which appliance drives the size.

Step 3: Choose generator, battery or both

A portable generator is the lowest-cost way to run several big loads for days, as long as you have fuel and a safe place outdoors to run it. A home battery or large power station is silent, fume-free and can recharge from solar, but it stores a limited amount of energy. A whole-home standby generator starts on its own and runs as long as its fuel supply lasts, at a much higher installed cost. Many homes combine a battery for quiet essentials with a generator for long outages.

Compare the options in our Backup Generators and Home Batteries and Power Stations hubs, and check runtime with the Home Battery Backup Calculator.

Step 4: Connect backup power safely

Never plug a generator into a wall outlet or dryer outlet. That “backfeeding” can energize the utility lines outside your home and injure or kill line workers, and it can start a fire inside. The safe options are a transfer switch or a generator interlock kit installed by a licensed electrician, usually with a permit. The Transfer Switch Selector explains which option usually fits your setup and budget.

Run portable generators outdoors only, well away from doors, windows and vents. The CDC advises keeping them at least 20 feet from the home.

Step 5: Cut the load and lower your bills

Every kilowatt-hour you do not need is one you do not have to generate or store. Efficient appliances, LED lighting, a heat pump water heater and sealing air leaks shrink both your monthly bill and the backup system you need. If you are curious about solar, run your own numbers in the Solar Panel Calculator and the Solar Payback Calculator before you talk to installers. Driving electric? The EV Charging hub covers home charger circuits and costs.

Keep it working

Backup power only helps if it starts. Run your generator monthly under load, rotate stored fuel, keep batteries charged and re-test your plan before storm season. Our Outage Prep hub has seasonal checklists for hurricanes, winter storms and heat waves.

Get the free planner

Prefer paper? Get the free printable Home Outage Readiness Planner: an essential-loads worksheet, sizing pages, a fuel and maintenance log, a food safety timeline and a family outage plan.

Frequently asked questions

What is the first thing I should buy for power outages?

Start with the basics that help in every outage: flashlights, batteries, a battery or hand-crank radio, water, shelf-stable food, power banks and working carbon monoxide alarms. Size backup power only after you know what you need to run.

How big a generator does a typical home need?

It depends on what you run at the same time. Many homes can run essentials such as a refrigerator, sump pump, furnace blower, lights and internet on roughly 5,000 to 7,500 running watts, while whole-house coverage with central air often needs a standby unit. Use the generator size calculator with your own appliance labels.

Is a home battery better than a generator?

Neither is better for everyone. Batteries are silent, need no fuel and can recharge from solar but store limited energy. Generators run large loads for days as long as fuel lasts but need outdoor placement, maintenance and fuel storage. Many homes use both.

Do I need an electrician to connect backup power?

Yes for anything connected to your home wiring. A transfer switch or interlock kit must be installed by a licensed electrician, usually with a permit. Plugging appliances directly into a portable generator with heavy-duty outdoor cords does not require wiring work.