Apartment Emergency · Stay
Backup power without a generator.
Every guide for homeowners jumps to generators. You cannot run one in an apartment. Here is what actually works: power stations, power banks, runtime math, and the priority list that keeps the important things running longest.
The constraint
Generators are not an option. Here is why.
Portable generators burn fuel and produce carbon monoxide, a colorless, odorless gas that kills. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, generator-related CO poisoning kills more than 70 people per year in the United States. Generators must operate outdoors, at least 20 feet from any window or door.
That means no balcony, no hallway, no parking garage, no covered breezeway. Most leases prohibit them explicitly. Even if yours does not, the physics of carbon monoxide in an enclosed building makes them dangerous to every resident, not just you.
The good news: battery-based backup power has improved dramatically. A modern portable power station can keep a phone charged, lights on, a fan running, and a CPAP operating for 12 to 24 hours, which covers the vast majority of apartment outages.
Source: CPSC, "Generators and Engine-Driven Tools," cpsc.gov. Accessed August 2026.
What to power first
The runtime priority list. Top to bottom.
Battery capacity is finite. Every watt you spend on one device is a watt you cannot spend on another. This list puts the most important loads first and tells you roughly how much each one costs in watt-hours.
Medical devices
CPAP machines draw 30 to 60 watts. Oxygen concentrators draw 300 to 600 watts. Medication refrigeration (insulin, biologics) can run off a small thermoelectric cooler at 40 to 60 watts. If anyone in your household depends on powered medical equipment, this is your first and non-negotiable allocation.
Typical draw: 30-600W depending on device. Budget: 250-1,500 Wh per day.
Phone charging
Your phone is your emergency radio, flashlight, contact list, news source, and two-way communication device. A full charge takes about 15 to 20 Wh. A 20,000 mAh power bank ($20-$30) holds roughly 4 to 5 full phone charges and fits in a drawer. This is the single most cost-effective backup power investment.
Typical draw: 10-20W. Budget: 15-20 Wh per full charge.
Lighting
A single LED lantern draws 1 to 5 watts and lights an entire room. A headlamp draws even less. Two or three battery-powered LED lights ($10-$25 each) cover an apartment for days on a set of AA batteries. This is not where your power station's capacity should go.
Typical draw: 1-5W. Budget: 10-30 Wh per day (but batteries are better here).
Fan (summer) or heating pad (winter)
A small battery-powered fan draws 5 to 15 watts. A USB-rechargeable fan can run 8 to 20 hours on its own battery. In winter, a heated blanket draws 50 to 100 watts but only needs to run while you sleep. Neither replaces HVAC, but both make the difference between uncomfortable and miserable.
Typical draw: 5-100W. Budget: 50-200 Wh per day.
Refrigerator
A typical apartment refrigerator draws 100 to 200 watts when the compressor runs, but the compressor cycles on and off. Real-world consumption averages 1 to 1.5 kWh per day. A 500Wh power station will keep a refrigerator running for roughly 8 to 12 hours. Keep the door closed. A closed refrigerator stays safe for about 4 hours; a closed freezer for 24 to 48 hours.
Typical draw: 100-200W (cycling). Budget: 1,000-1,500 Wh per day. Source: USDA, "Food Safety During Power Outages," fsis.usda.gov.
Internet router
A Wi-Fi router draws 10 to 20 watts. If the ISP's local infrastructure is still powered (it often is, on battery backup), keeping your router running means you keep internet access. A 12V adapter or USB-C powered router makes this trivial on a power station. Worth it if you work from home or need to monitor conditions online.
Typical draw: 10-20W. Budget: 240-480 Wh per day.
What not to power: Space heaters (1,000-1,500W), hair dryers (1,200-1,800W), electric kettles (1,200-1,500W), toasters, and microwaves will drain a portable power station in minutes. They require generator-scale output that battery systems cannot deliver economically. If you need heat, see the Staying Warm guide. If you need hot water, a thermos filled before the outage or a small butane stove on the balcony (where permitted by your lease) are better approaches.
Three tiers
Match the tier to your actual risk.
Most apartment outages last 1 to 6 hours. A handful last 12 to 24. Extended outages beyond 24 hours are rare but happen during major weather events. Your investment should match your local risk, not a worst-case fantasy.
Tier 1
The basics
Covers 90% of apartment outages
$30-$60
- USB power bank, 20,000 mAh. Four to five full phone charges. Keep it charged at all times. $20-$35.
- LED headlamp. Hands-free light for any task. Runs 20+ hours on AAA batteries. $10-$20.
- LED lantern. Room-scale light. Battery or rechargeable. $10-$20.
- Spare batteries. AA and AAA, enough for two reloads of everything. $5-$10.
This tier handles the 1-to-6-hour outage with no stress. Phone stays charged, you can see, and you wait it out. Most apartment residents never need more than this.
Tier 2
The 24-hour kit
Covers extended outages with comfort
$200-$400
- Everything in Tier 1.
- Portable power station, 300-500Wh. Runs a fan, charges devices, powers a CPAP overnight, or runs a refrigerator for 8-12 hours. Weighs 8-15 pounds. $150-$300.
- USB-rechargeable fan. 8-20 hours on its own battery, or runs off the power station. $15-$30.
- 12V car-charger adapter. If you have a car, you can recharge the power station from the vehicle. $10-$20.
This is the sweet spot for most apartment residents who lose power once or twice a year. It handles a 12-to-24-hour outage without eating cold food in the dark.
Tier 3
The extended kit
For areas with frequent multi-day outages
$500-$1,200
- Everything in Tier 2.
- Larger power station, 1,000-2,000Wh. Runs a refrigerator for 1-2 days. Powers a CPAP for 3-4 nights. Weighs 20-45 pounds. $400-$900.
- Foldable solar panel, 100-200W. Recharges the power station from a sunny window or balcony in 6-10 hours. $100-$250.
- Second power bank. Redundancy for phone charging when the station is busy. $20-$35.
This tier is for hurricane zones, ice storm corridors, and areas with aging grid infrastructure. It is serious money and only justified if multi-day outages are a realistic local risk, not a theoretical one.
The math
Watt-hours are the only number that matters.
A power station rated at 500Wh can deliver 500 watts for one hour, or 50 watts for ten hours, or 5 watts for a hundred hours. The capacity is fixed. How fast you spend it is up to you.
To estimate runtime: divide the station's watt-hour capacity by the device's wattage. A 500Wh station running a 50-watt fan lasts about 10 hours (500 / 50 = 10). Running that fan and charging a phone at the same time (50W + 15W = 65W) lasts about 7.5 hours (500 / 65 = 7.7).
Real-world efficiency is about 85%, so multiply your estimate by 0.85. That 7.7 hours becomes roughly 6.5 hours of actual runtime. This is close enough for planning.
Quick reference: 500Wh power station runtime
Estimates assume 85% inverter efficiency. Actual runtime varies by device, temperature, and battery age.
Buying guidance
What to look for. What to ignore.
Look for
- LiFePO4 (lithium iron phosphate) battery chemistry. Safer, longer-lasting, and more stable than standard lithium-ion. Worth the small price premium for an apartment where the unit sits indoors near your belongings.
- Pure sine wave inverter. Needed for sensitive electronics and medical devices. Most name-brand stations include this. Cheap ones often do not.
- Multiple output types. AC outlets, USB-A, USB-C, and 12V DC. The more output types, the fewer adapters you need.
- UL or ETL listing. Third-party safety certification. Non-negotiable for a device that stores significant energy inside your apartment.
- Solar charging input. Even if you do not buy panels now, having the option later costs nothing.
Ignore
- Peak wattage claims. A "2,000W peak" station that sustains only 300W will not run a 1,500W space heater. Sustained (continuous) wattage is the number that matters.
- Built-in flashlights and radios. Marketing additions. You already have better standalone versions in your kit.
- App connectivity. Nice to have, not a purchase criterion. A screen that shows remaining watt-hours does the same job.
- "Whole house" claims. No portable power station replaces a whole-house generator. If a product claims otherwise, be skeptical of everything else it claims.
Apartment-specific
Six things apartment residents get wrong.
Waiting until the outage to charge the station.
Keep it plugged in and topped off at all times. Most modern units have a storage mode that maintains the battery at 80-100% without degrading it. The station is useless if it is sitting at 20% when the power goes out.
Running everything at once.
Charge the phone while the fan is off. Run the fan while the phone is full. Cycle the refrigerator open for 15 minutes every few hours instead of leaving it plugged in continuously. Sequential use extends runtime dramatically.
Forgetting the car.
If you have a vehicle, it is a massive battery. A 12V car charger adapter ($10-$20) can recharge your power station from the car in 2 to 4 hours. Run the car in an open-air area, never in a garage. This extends a Tier 2 setup into multi-day capability.
Buying more capacity than you need.
A 2,000Wh station weighs 45 pounds and costs $800+. If your longest outage in five years was six hours, a $25 power bank and a $15 lantern cover that event completely. Buy for your actual risk, not the internet's risk.
Storing the station somewhere inaccessible.
When the power goes out, you need it immediately. Keep it somewhere you can reach in the dark: a nightstand, a shelf by the bed, or the hall closet with the rest of your emergency kit. Not on the top shelf of a storage unit across the building.
Ignoring the power bank.
For most apartment outages, a $25 power bank is the entire solution. Phone stays charged, you have a flashlight app, and the outage is over before you need anything else. The power station is for when the outage outlasts the power bank, which is the minority of events.
Medical devices
If someone depends on powered equipment.
CPAP machines, oxygen concentrators, nebulizers, powered wheelchairs, infusion pumps, and refrigerated medications change the backup power calculation entirely. Medical needs come first, always, and they require planning before the outage.
Steps to take now
- Know your device's wattage. Check the label or manual. Multiply by the hours you need it per day. That is your minimum watt-hour requirement.
- Buy a power station that exceeds your minimum by 50%. Battery capacity degrades over time, and cold weather reduces output. The buffer protects you.
- Check whether your device runs on DC. Many CPAP machines accept 12V DC directly, bypassing the inverter and gaining 15-20% runtime. The manufacturer often sells a DC adapter.
- Register with your utility. Most utilities maintain a medical baseline or life-support customer list. Registered customers receive priority restoration and advance notice of planned outages. Call your utility's customer service number to enroll.
- Identify your fallback location. If the outage outlasts your battery, where do you go? A friend's house with power, a hospital, or a designated shelter with medical support. Know this before the event.
The full guide to medical equipment during outages, including CPAP battery options, medication refrigeration, and the utility registration process, is in the Medical Equipment situational guide.
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