POWER STATIONS AND GENERATORS: DO HOMEOWNERS REALLY NEED THEM?

Around the office, a lot of conversations revolve around the latest tech, especially when it has to do with electrical. Lately, between the planned outages, storms and fires here in Colorado, we’re talking a lot about alternative power sources.

One employee recently mentioned that her family had invested in a solar-chargeable battery. They were getting into camping, and the easiest campsites to find were of course non-electric. Not to mention having it on hand in case of outages at home. She told me she’d seen an empty pallet at Costco where the one she was interested in had sat. She found that she couldn’t order it online, and ended up going an hour away to get it – where it was also one of the last left on the shelf.

Why was this thing selling out so quickly? Turns out Costco had a good sale going on, and it was one of those Costco exclusive packages you can’t even get on the manufacturer’s site. But I don’t think that’s the whole story.

The idea of a power station isn’t new – the first iteration entered the scene back in the late 2000’s. It used a lead-acid battery and ran at much smaller capacities than what we’re seeing today. Fast forward to COVID times and a decade of improving technology, and these things started flying off the shelves. What had been a very niche outdoorsy type of market suddenly saw not only more people getting outdoors, but also emergency preparedness, remote working and more reasons for backup plans. By this time, more manufacturers had joined the game, too.

So what’s the draw in 2026? Power stations have become incredibly efficient, they’re getting more affordable, and they’re useful in so many scenarios. A portable power station can keep phones charged, run lights and electronics, power a refrigerator for a period of time, or keep internet equipment running during an outage. Take one camping and it can power appliances and other equipment at a campsite without a traditional generator.

But that doesn’t mean a power station is a replacement for every generator or backup power system.

That’s where terms like watts and watt-hours become important. Watts tell you how much power a device needs to operate, while watt-hours tell you how much energy a battery can store. A power station may be capable of running a particular appliance, but that doesn't necessarily mean it can run it for very long.

In other words, buying the biggest battery you can afford isn't necessarily the best approach. Start by matching the loads you truly need to support.

Battery or generator? Traditional generators still have a major advantage: fuel can keep them running. If you have enough gasoline or propane, a generator can provide power for much longer than a portable battery can typically provide on a single charge. They’re also available in sizes capable of handling much larger loads.

The tradeoffs are familiar: noise, fuel storage, maintenance and the fact that combustion generators need to operate outdoors.

Portable power stations flip that equation. They’re quiet, require very little maintenance and can be used indoors. Many can be charged from a standard outlet, a vehicle or solar panels. They’re particularly convenient for short outages, camping and situations where you only need to keep essential devices running.

For homeowners who want automatic backup for a large portion of their home, there’s another option: a permanently installed generator or battery energy storage system. These systems require more planning and investment, but they can provide substantially more capacity and, depending on the system, automatically take over when the grid goes down.

What about the “solar” part? A solar power station doesn't necessarily need solar power to be useful. Most portable units can be charged from a standard electrical outlet before an outage and then used when the power goes out. Solar panels simply provide another way to recharge the battery.

That can be especially valuable during a longer outage, but it’s important to understand the math. A small solar panel paired with a large battery won't necessarily produce enough energy to keep that battery fully charged while you're simultaneously using it. The amount of sunlight, panel capacity and energy consumption all come into play.

So, do you need one? For Colorado homeowners, the question may be less “Will my power go out?” and more “What do I want to happen when it does?”

For one household, that might mean keeping a portable battery station in the basement for lights and electronics. Another homeowner may be better served by a portable gas generator. Someone who wants the whole house to continue operating may need a permanently installed generator or battery system.

There isn't one backup power solution that works for every home. The right choice depends on what you want to power, how long you want to operate it, how often you expect to use it and what you're willing to invest.The best backup power system isn't necessarily the biggest or most expensive one. It's the one that matches your home's needs and gives you a plan when the power goes out.