Backup power for apartments and renters

Start with communications

Your phone is your weather radio, your flashlight in a pinch, and your link to family and to your utility’s restoration updates. A modem and router keep home internet running if your provider’s equipment upstream still has power, which is not guaranteed.

These are the cheapest loads to protect. Phones and small electronics draw only a few watts while charging, so even a small battery bank can recharge a phone several times. Keep phones charged ahead of storms, and turn on low-power mode early in an outage.

Plan lighting room by room

Think about where people will actually be after dark: the bathroom, the kitchen, a bedroom, the hallway. Battery lanterns and LED flashlights are inexpensive, need no outlet, and are safer than open flames. A headlamp leaves both hands free for cooking or caring for someone.

If you plan to run LED lamps from a battery station, each bulb typically uses a small number of watts. Enter your actual bulbs in the calculator to see the total.

Refrigeration: plan around the clock, not just the plug

Federal food-safety guidance says a refrigerator keeps food cold for about 4 hours if the door stays closed, a full freezer holds its temperature for about 48 hours, and a half-full freezer for about 24 hours.

That timeline is the core of a renter’s food plan. Often the most practical approach is to keep the door shut, use refrigerated food first, and keep a cooler and ice packs ready, rather than trying to run the refrigerator continuously.

If you do want to run a refrigerator from a battery, two numbers matter. The first is energy: compressors cycle on and off, so a refrigerator uses far less energy over a day than its label wattage suggests. The second is output: the battery’s inverter must handle the brief surge when the compressor starts. A battery with plenty of stored energy may still fail to start a refrigerator if its output rating is too low. Check the refrigerator’s label and the battery’s surge rating.

Modest battery backup: sizing it honestly

A sensible renter setup usually aims to cover communications, a few lights, and perhaps a CPAP or small appliance overnight. Use the calculator to add those loads, pick a 12 or 24 hour window, and see where the total lands. If it is several thousand watt-hours, consider narrowing the plan to the loads that truly matter.

Plan how you would recharge, too. Without grid power, recharging depends on solar panels with enough sun, a vehicle charger, or a location that still has power.

Short checklist

• Keep phones and battery banks charged before storms.
• Place a flashlight or lantern in each room you use at night.
• Write down your utility’s outage number and app.
• Know your food timeline: about 4 hours for the refrigerator, about 48 for a full freezer.
• Keep a cooler and ice packs available.
• If you use a powered medical device, build a plan with its manufacturer and your provider.
• Check that your carbon monoxide alarms work.
• Run your own loads through the calculator.

Sources and safety references

• Three Ways to Keep Food Safe When You Lose Power (external, FoodSafety.gov)
• Avoiding Carbon Monoxide Poisoning (external, CDC)
• CPSC safety tips to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning and fires (external, CPSC)
• Home Use Devices: How to Prepare for and Handle Power Outages for Medical Devices that Require Electricity (external, FDA, PDF)
• Your appliance and battery station manuals, for actual wattage, surge, and indoor-use instructions.