Backup power for an apartment, without a generator

Can I use a backup generator in an apartment?

Not a fuel generator. Ready.gov says: "Generators and fuel should always be used outdoors and at least 20 feet away from windows, doors and attached garages." Most apartments have no spot like that, and a balcony next to a window isn't one. NYC Emergency Management says: "Never use any gas-powered appliance, such as a generator, indoors." Your lease or building rules may also ban fuel storage; check them rather than guess.

The risk is carbon monoxide, a gas you can't see or smell. Keep a battery CO alarm near every sleeping area.

What renters use instead: a battery power station burns no fuel, so it gives off no carbon monoxide. See what a power station can and can't run and what size you need. If you only need phones and a light, a power bank may be enough.

What a power station can and can't run

What it's for: the small, steady jobs. A router so you're not cut off, a laptop for work, lamps and lanterns, and phone and radio charging. Anker lists six AC outlets on its C1000. How long it runs depends on what you plug in, so check each device's watts first. Ready.gov warns an outage may disrupt communications. If you need your router and laptop up, this is the job a power station does.

In the dark: Ready.gov says to have flashlights for every household member. A lantern or headlamp runs on its own battery, so it doesn't draw on your station.

What it isn't for: we won't tell you a power station runs a fridge for days or heats a room. Check the watts on the label of anything that heats or cools before you count on it. Ready.gov says a closed fridge keeps food cold for about four hours, and a full freezer keeps its temperature for about 48 hours. Plan your food around those numbers, not around a battery: keep the doors shut and eat from the fridge first.

Can a power station run a space heater?

It's not a practical plan. Most space heaters draw a lot of power while they run, and a portable power station stores a limited amount. We don't size power stations for heaters. To keep warm when the power is out, see power outage in winter.

If you use an electric space heater when the power is on:

• Follow the heater's manual.
• Plug it straight into the wall. The U.S. Fire Administration says: "Plug space heaters directly into wall outlets and never into an extension cord or power strip."
• Don't leave it running. The U.S. Fire Administration says: "Turn space heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed."
• Give it room. The U.S. Fire Administration says: "Keep anything that can burn at least 3 feet from all heat sources including fireplaces, wood stoves, radiators, space heaters or candles."

What size power station do you need?

Ready.gov says to "Take an inventory of the items you need that rely on electricity." For an apartment, that's usually a short list:

1. 1List what has to run. For most renters that's a phone, the router or modem, a laptop and an LED light.
2. 2Read the watts on each label. They're on the device, its power brick or its manual.
3. 3Multiply by the hours you need. Watts × hours = watt-hours (Wh). Add them up.
4. 4Leave headroom. You won't get the full rated amount out of a battery, so pick a station rated comfortably above your total. See estimate how long a power station will run something.

Example numbers, not real devices: a 10-watt router for 10 hours is 100 Wh, and a 50-watt laptop for 4 hours is 200 Wh. That's 300 Wh before losses, so look above that. Use the watts on your own labels.

If the list is just phones and a light, a power bank may be enough. See how to choose a power bank.

Will you carry it up stairs? Check the station's listed weight on the maker's page before you buy.

Battery, not fuel. A power station burns no fuel. For why a fuel generator doesn't belong in an apartment, see why not a generator.

Charging and storage in a small space

• Keep it charged. Anker says to fully charge the C1000 once every 3 months. For any other model, follow its manual.
• Store it somewhere dry and cool. That's Anker's instruction for the C1000.
• Keep your way out clear. Don't park it, or its cables, in a hallway or by the door you'd use in the dark.
• Test it once with the devices on your list, before you need it.

Pair it with a battery CO alarm

If someone at home uses a powered medical device

Buy, Borrow, or Skip

• Buy: a power bank for every adult who relies on a phone. Add a power station only if your list from "What size power station do you need?" needs one. A battery CO alarm if you don't have one near every sleeping area.
• Borrow: a friend's or neighbor's power station for a test run with your own devices before you spend on one.
• Skip: fuel generators of any kind in an apartment or on a balcony. Kerosene heaters and propane space heaters, which NYC Emergency Management calls dangerous and illegal in New York City. "Solar generator" listings that don't show the watt-hours. The name doesn't tell you what it can run.