A recent government report shows that U.S. electricity consumers averaged seven hours of power interruptions in 2021. Basic preparations for temporary blackouts aren’t expensive, so it’s generally worth it for most households to take a few precautionary measures—a surge protector to safeguard your media center, for example, and headlamps to keep your hands free in the dark. For longer blackouts, whether they last a few days during wildfire-prevention efforts in California or stretch more than a week after a tropical storm or hurricane, extra backup power can prevent food from spoiling, keep medical devices running, provide power for fans, light, or space heaters, and help phones, laptops, and tablets stay charged and connected to the outside world.
We have additional guides to general emergency preparedness and bug-out bags, as well as lists specific to readiness for hurricanes, earthquakes, wildfires, and winter storms. But this list covers all the best options for power and lighting—whether you’re preparing for a planned outage, anticipating the aftermath of a natural disaster, or looking to be ready for the next blip that affects your utility. That said, should a power outage leave you without adequate heating or cooling options for an extended period of time, be sure to seek out a shelter. If you want to learn about larger systems to keep your house running in an outage via solar power combined with battery storage, read our guide on how to pick a solar panel and battery backup system.
