Home Backup Power UK: How to Keep the Lights On During a Power Cut

Fred & Ellis
8 hours ago
2 min read

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Portable power station providing home backup during a power cut

UK power cuts are usually short — but storms like those in recent winters have left some homes without electricity for hours or even days. A portable power station is the simplest way to keep the essentials running: your broadband and phones, a few lights, the fridge, and medical or heating controls. No installation, no petrol generator, no fumes. Here’s how to plan it properly.

What do you actually need to back up?

You’re not trying to run the whole house — just the things that matter during an outage:

Broadband router and phones (staying connected): very low draw, hours per Wh.
Fridge/freezer (protecting food): cycles on and off, ~1–2kWh per day.
Lighting (LED lamps): minimal draw.
Gas boiler controls / heating pump: low draw but vital in winter.
Medical equipment (CPAP, etc.): check the wattage — often modest, but essential.

What size power station for home backup?

Essentials only (1000–1500Wh): Router, phones, lights and intermittent fridge use for several hours.
Extended outage (2000Wh+): Fridge/freezer plus essentials for a day, especially with solar top-ups.
Whole-day / multi-day (expandable systems): A unit like the EcoFlow Delta Pro with add-on batteries and solar can bridge long outages.

Why not a petrol generator?

Petrol generators are cheaper per watt but can’t be run indoors or in a garage (carbon monoxide risk), are noisy, need fuel you have to store safely, and won’t power sensitive electronics cleanly. A power station is silent, safe indoors, maintenance-free and instantly ready — far better suited to the typical UK household outage.

The role of solar in home backup

For short outages, a charged power station is enough on its own — keep it topped up and ready. For longer or repeated outages, adding solar panels lets you recharge during daylight. Just remember UK winter solar is limited, so size your battery for the worst case rather than relying on the sun in December. Our solar generator guide explains realistic UK expectations.

Recommended home backup setups

EcoFlow DELTA 2 — a strong entry point for essentials backup, with fast recharge so you can top it up quickly before a forecast storm.

Bluetti AC180 / larger LiFePO4 units — excellent longevity for households wanting a dependable, long-life backup battery.

EcoFlow Delta Pro (expandable) — the serious choice for whole-day or multi-day resilience; read our full review.

Whatever you choose, keep it charged and know in advance which appliances you’ll plug in — the middle of a blackout is not the time to work it out.

Where to buy

Prices change frequently — we link to the retailer so you always see the current UK price:

(Affiliate links — see our disclosure at the top of this guide.)