alt Hacker NewsGenerators don’t work that well. They need regular use and maintenance. Fuel storage is complicated (you will need 30+ gallons a day, or about 2 sedan tank’s worth. Connecting to your panel is expensive at least $2k+. They are smelly and noisy. And if it’s a real emergency, everyone will know you have one , and eventually come knocking.
For $2k you can buy 3 Ankers and distribute around the house. With a propane camp stove you can cook. So the only utility failing during a power outage is your air conn. If it’s winter you can run a gas fireplace to keep warm.
In my area we have power outages in the fall and winter wind storms due to trees falling. We need electricity for the fridge, fireplace, lighting , internet & devices. Lithium batteries work great. We get a few outages every season, usually for 2-6 hours .
My neighbors have a generator for “emergencies” and don’t end up using it because it’s such a PITA. He has it for SHTF, but then he will have to consume the gas from his cars (and siphon it), which means making the decision between home comfort and evac.
My point is that every solution covers a range of scenarios based on convenience, cost, resilience, versatility and more. There is no one size fits all .
And now these lithium battery backups provide a broad amount of coverage that is safe and convenient for novices to run.
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People here buy natural gas generators[1] and just connect them into the existing gas lines. (I realize natural gas is not part of the utility mix everywhere.) Gas still flows when power is out, and common generators are big enough to power even A/C.
1 - https://www.homedepot.com/p/Generac-14kW-Air-Cooled-Auto-Sta...
What are you running that uses 30+ gallons of gasoline per day? Personal AI datacenter? I barely use that much in my car per month.
You should be able to expect at least 4-6kwh per gallon at the generator output. So $25 worth of gas in a 5 gallon can stores 5x the energy of a $2000 battery. The only maintenance I've done on my generator is to drain the fuel lines after use. Maybe change the engine oil once or twice per decade. Apart from that, it runs just as well as 30 years ago when it was new.
True, the gasoline doesn't last that long in storage, but I just use it to fill my car every now and then, and get new gas.
> Generators don’t work that well. They need regular use and maintenance.
So do lawnmowers and chainsaws.
>Fuel storage is complicated (you will need 30+ gallons a day, or about 2 sedan tank’s worth.
You put it in containers and put them in your garage.
>Connecting to your panel is expensive at least $2k+.
You don't have to do that. Just run some extension cords through your house.
> They are smelly and noisy.
So is everyone after a couple of days in the South without air conditioning!
> And if it’s a real emergency, everyone will know you have one , and eventually come knocking.
This is a feature, not a bug. It's how communities take care of each other.