The three options
| Large power station | Portable generator | Installed home battery | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical size | 4–12 kWh, 4,000–6,000 W | 3,500–13,000 W, as long as fuel lasts | 10–15 kWh per unit |
| Noise and exhaust | Silent, none | Loud, carbon monoxide | Silent, none |
| Runs during a long outage | With solar or a generator to recharge | Yes, with fuel | With solar |
| Use indoors | Yes | Never | Installed by a pro |
| Moves with you | Yes | Yes | No |
Since Jan 1, 2026, there’s no federal tax credit for home batteries, so the price gap between installed batteries and portable units has widened.
How it connects
Never plug a generator or power station into a wall outlet to power the house. That’s called backfeeding: it can energize the utility’s lines and kill a lineworker, and it can start a fire in your walls.
The safe ways all need a licensed electrician:
- Transfer switch: a small panel next to your main panel. You pick which circuits it feeds.
- Interlock kit with an inlet: a sliding plate on your main panel that makes it impossible to have the main breaker and the generator breaker on at the same time, plus an outdoor inlet box for the cord.
- Smart panels and battery gateways: some big power stations sell their own transfer hardware.
Most areas require a permit for this work.
Which circuits matter
Start with the ones that protect your house and your health: the fridge, the sump pump, the furnace blower (gas furnaces need electricity to run), a well pump, medical equipment, and one circuit for lights and outlets. Central AC and electric water heaters usually need more than portable equipment can supply.
To size the equipment, use the generator sizing calculator or the power station runtime calculator.