November has a way of reminding us who's boss. The leaves are down, the wind picks up, and sooner or later a big gust takes out a line somewhere down the road. If you're out in the country or up at the cottage, you already know you're usually not first on the list when the crews start restoring power. So this month, we're going to talk about keeping the power on when the grid goes down.
The good news is that being ready for an outage doesn't have to mean a huge, complicated system. It really comes down to knowing what you need to keep running and picking the right backup for it.
Start With What Matters Most
Before you shop for anything, take a few minutes and make a list of the things you can't do without. For most people that's the fridge and freezer, a few lights, the furnace fan, the well pump, phones and the internet modem. Some people want the whole house to carry on like nothing happened. Others just want to keep the food cold and the pipes from freezing. Knowing which camp you're in makes choosing a lot easier.
Portable Power Stations
For a lot of households, a portable power station is the simplest place to start. There's no fuel, no fumes and no pull cord. You charge it from the wall (or from solar panels) while the power is on, and it's ready to go when the lights go out.
- The EcoFlow RIVER 3 is a small, light unit with a 245 Wh battery and 300 W of output. It's great for phones, laptops, a modem and a lamp, and it switches over in under 20 milliseconds, so your internet won't even blink.
- The EcoFlow DELTA Pro 3 is a big step up. It puts out 4,000 W at both 120 V and 240 V, so it can handle the fridge, the well pump and the furnace fan, and you can expand the battery from 4 kWh all the way up to 48 kWh.
Whole-Home Backup
If you want the whole house to keep running, not just a few essentials, our go-to recommendation is an EG4 system built around the FlexBOSS21 hybrid inverter and the GridBOSS. The FlexBOSS21 delivers 16 kW continuous with solar, which is enough to start a 5-ton air conditioner, and takes up to 21 kW of solar panels. The GridBOSS is a 200 A hub that ties your utility, generator, inverters and household loads together in one box, so it replaces the separate breakers and transfer switches you'd otherwise need. When the grid goes down, the house just keeps going.
We also offer it as a complete package, the EG4 GridBOSS + FlexBOSS21 kit with a 14.3 kWh indoor battery, and you can add batteries and more inverters as your needs grow.
Why we lean EG4 for whole-home backup:
- Lots of power from one inverter, and you can parallel more of them later.
- Big solar input, so it isn't just a backup system. It can lower your bills every sunny day too.
- The GridBOSS handles your generator, smart loads and grid connection all in one place.
- It's what we know best. We were the first EG4 distributor in Canada and we support these systems every day.
The trade-off is that it's a permanent installation. You'll need a licensed electrician, a permit and some wall space, and the upfront cost is higher than a plug-in setup.
The Alternative: EcoFlow DELTA Pro Ultra and Smart Home Panel 2
If a full EG4 install isn't the right fit, the EcoFlow DELTA Pro Ultra paired with the Smart Home Panel 2 is another way to back up the whole house. Here's how it stacks up:
- Pros: The batteries and inverter are plug-and-play modules, so it's simpler to set up and easy to add capacity, from 6 kWh up to 90 kWh. The Smart Home Panel 2 switches your circuits over in about 20 milliseconds, and it's rated to charge and discharge from -20°C to 45°C.
- Cons: Each inverter delivers 7.2 kW continuous, so you need more of them (up to three) to match one FlexBOSS21. Solar input is lower too, at up to 5,600 W per inverter. The Smart Home Panel 2 still needs an electrician to install, and you're tied to EcoFlow's own batteries and panel.
Generators for the Long Haul
Batteries are wonderful, but when a storm knocks the power out for days, a generator is what keeps everything topped up. We carry BE Power inverter generators, which put out clean, pure sine wave power that's safe for electronics and battery chargers.
The BE7500IDATS (dual-fuel, gasoline or propane) and the BE10500ITATS (tri-fuel) both have a built-in 2-wire start. That means a compatible inverter system, like an EG4 setup, can start the generator on its own when the batteries get low. Pair one with a transfer switch and you've got real automatic backup.
Before the Next Storm
A little prep now saves a lot of scrambling in the dark later!
- Charge your power station all the way and plug it back in every month or so.
- Start your generator and let it run under a load for a few minutes. Better to find a problem on a sunny afternoon than at 2 a.m.
- Add fuel stabilizer to any gasoline you're storing, and check that your propane tanks are full.
- Keep a flashlight, extension cords and a printed list of what plugs in where somewhere you can find it without the lights on.
- Never run a generator inside, in the garage, or near an open window.
If you're not sure what size of backup you need, give us a call or come see us at our showroom in Beamsville. We'd be happy to help you work out what to keep running and find a setup that fits your home and your budget. Stay warm out there!