Power Outage Guide: What to Charge First and How to Cope

This post contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, StashAndSet may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, StashAndSet earns from qualifying purchases.

Hope for the best. Plan for the worst.

Power outages are the most common "emergency" most of us will ever face. In Jacksonville they come with summer storms, hurricanes and the occasional mystery transformer pop. Most last a few hours. Some last days. Either way, a little planning turns a stressful outage into a mostly boring one.

This guide covers the basics everyone should know, then how to make the most of power banks, power stations and solar chargers when the grid is down.

Part 1: The basics of riding out an outage

Keep the fridge and freezer closed

According to Ready.gov's power outage guidance, a refrigerator keeps food cold for about four hours, and a full freezer holds its temperature for about 48 hours, as long as the doors stay closed. Use coolers with ice if needed, keep a thermometer handy, and throw out food if it reaches 40°F or higher. When in doubt, throw it out.

A practical tip: before a storm, freeze water bottles or containers to fill empty freezer space. A fuller freezer stays cold longer, and you get ice for the cooler.

Generators and carbon monoxide: no shortcuts

Ready.gov is clear: generators, camp stoves and charcoal grills should always be used outdoors and at least 20 feet away from windows. Never use a gas stovetop or oven to heat your home. Install carbon monoxide detectors with battery backup on every level of your home. This is the single most important safety point in this post. Every hurricane season, people are hurt by running generators in garages or too close to the house.

Protect your electronics

Ready.gov recommends turning off or disconnecting appliances and electronics, since power can return with surges that damage them. Leave one lamp switched on so you know when the power is back.

Stay informed

Sign up for local alerts before you need them, and have a way to hear news that doesn't depend on Wi-Fi. A battery or hand-crank radio, like our Solar Multifunctional Radio with a hand crank, keeps you informed even when cell service is spotty.

Plan for medical needs

Ready.gov notes that outages can prevent the use of medical devices. If anyone in your home relies on powered medical equipment, talk to your doctor or the device maker about backup options now, and know where you'd go if power is out for an extended period.

Part 2: What to charge first

When the power goes out, your stored battery capacity is your budget. Spend it wisely. Here's the order we suggest:

1. Medical devices. Anything someone's health depends on comes first, always. Follow the device manufacturer's guidance on backup power.
2. One phone per household (at minimum). It's your link to alerts, family and help. Turn on low-power mode, dim the screen and close apps you don't need.
3. Your radio. If it's not hand-crank or solar, keep it topped up for updates.
4. Lights. Rechargeable lanterns and lamps are much safer than candles. One good lantern can light a whole room.
5. Everything else. Tablets, laptops and entertainment come last. They're nice, but they drain a lot.

Part 3: Making your power last

• Charge everything before the storm. When a hurricane is in the forecast, charge every power bank, lantern and device the day before landfall.
• Use the right size tool. A pocket power bank like the 20000mAh 65W Power Bank or 90W 20000mAh Laptop Power Bank is great for phones and laptops. Save a larger unit like the 120W or 300W Portable Power Station for lights, a small fan or multiple devices.
• Light smart. Use one lantern in a shared room instead of lights everywhere. The 60-LED Rechargeable Lantern or a cordless desk lamp uses far less power than you'd expect.
• Charge during the day, use at night. If you have solar, run your charging while the sun is up.
• Keep cables simple. A good braided USB-C cable charges faster and wastes less time.

Part 4: Solar charging tips

Solar is what turns a few days of stored power into something you can refill. A foldable panel like our 36W Foldable Solar Charger, or the 300W Power Station + 100W Solar Panel bundle, can keep the essentials running through a longer outage. A few tips:

• Face the sun directly. Angle the panel toward the sun and adjust it every couple of hours.
• Avoid shade. Even partial shade on a panel can cut its output a lot.
• Expect less on cloudy days. After a storm, skies may stay overcast. Plan your charging budget around that.
• Charge a power bank, then the phone. Solar output varies with clouds. Charging a power bank first and then your phone from it often works better.
• Practice before you need it. Set it up on a sunny weekend so you know how it works.

Small solar items help too. A Solar Rechargeable LED Lantern can sit on a sunny windowsill all day and light your evening.

Solar backup comes in a lot of price points

You don't need to spend thousands to have solar backup. Here are a few options at different budgets. Prices are approximate as of November 2026 and change often, so check the current price before you buy.

• About $160: entry level. The MARBERO portable solar generatoraffiliate has 172Wh of capacity, comes with a 40W solar panel and handles a 270W surge. It's a good fit for phones, lights, a radio and a small fan.

The next three picks all come from EcoFlow, so you can pick the size that fits your home and budget.

• About $219: step up. The EcoFlow 288Wh portable power stationaffiliate gives you 288Wh, 300W output and 45W charging. It's a solid middle option, but note that a panel isn't included.
• Just over $1,000 (on sale): whole-day backup. The EcoFlow 1024Wh solar generator kitaffiliate has 1024Wh of capacity and 1800W AC output (3600W surge), and it includes a 220W solar panel.
• About $2,000: serious backup. The EcoFlow 3072Wh solar generator kitaffiliate has 3072Wh of capacity and 3600W AC output (7200W surge), and it includes two 220W panels. It's built for longer outages and running several essentials at once.

Shopping tip: look for kits that include solar panels. Power stations are often sold on their own, so the panel is an extra purchase. A "solar generator" price that seems low may be for the station alone.

A note on batteries and safety

Power banks, power stations and solar generators store a lot of energy. Always follow the manufacturer's instructions for charging, storage, temperature and use. Don't charge them unattended overnight on a bed or couch, keep them away from water and heat, and stop using any unit that swells, smells or gets unusually hot.

The everyday angle

The best outage gear is the gear you already use. A power bank in your bag, a lantern on the patio and a desk lamp that doesn't need an outlet all earn their keep every day, and they're charged and ready when the lights go out.

For the bigger picture, see our Ready.gov emergency kit checklist, and don't forget a manual can opener for that pantry. Browse our power and lighting picks in the Ready Storage collection.

Hope for the best. Plan for the worst.

— The StashandSet.com Team, approved by Barry Floore