What to do if you depend on electrically powered medical equipment
CPAP, oxygen concentrators, pumps and refrigerated medication. How to size the backup you need and which registrations to set up in advance.
For most people an outage is an inconvenience. For anyone who depends on electrically powered equipment, it is a countdown. The difference between those two situations is almost entirely the calculation done beforehand.
The number first, the equipment second
The question is not which battery to buy but how many watt-hours you need.
- Check the device label and note its wattage.
- Decide how many hours to cover. A major storm outage lasts days, not hours.
- Multiply: watts times hours gives the watt-hours you need.
- Add margin: no battery delivers its full rated capacity, and performance drops in the cold.
Registering with the utility
Many utilities maintain a list of customers with essential medical equipment. Being on it usually means two things: advance notice of planned outages and priority in the restoration order.
What it does not mean is guaranteed continuous supply. You still need your own backup. Ask your utility how to apply and how often it has to be renewed.
Refrigerated medication
The out-of-fridge margin depends on the specific formulation, so the right answer comes from your pharmacy and not from a general rule.
- Ask and write it down before you need it.
- Use a cooler with cold packs.
- Keep the vial from touching ice directly: freezing can ruin it.
- Keep a current prescription and a dose list in the go bag.
The backup for the backup
| Level | Resource |
|---|---|
| 1 | The device’s own battery, if it has one |
| 2 | A charged portable power station |
| 3 | An inverter in the vehicle, always outdoors |
| 4 | Relocating to a relative with power |
| 5 | A care facility or a site opened by the municipality |
- How to run a generator without carbon monoxide risk Carbon monoxide has no smell, no colour and kills in minutes. Where a generator can go, where it never can, and why an open garage does not count.
- How long food lasts in the fridge without power Four hours with the door closed and up to 48 in a full freezer. What survives, what gets thrown out, and why smell is not how you decide.
Gear that covers this
Products that match what the guide above recommends.
Affiliate disclosure: As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. This does not change the price you pay or the recommendations we make.
- View on Amazon
Portable power station
Quiet, no exhaust, usable indoors. Size it by the watt-hours you calculate, not by price.
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Medication cooler
For insulin and other refrigerated formulations. With cold packs, not loose ice touching the vial.
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Printed medical card
Diagnoses, medication, doses and contacts on paper. When there is no battery and no signal, paper is what is left.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate how much battery a medical device needs?
Multiply the device's wattage by the hours you need to cover. The result in watt-hours is the minimum capacity, and it is worth adding margin because no battery delivers 100 percent of its rated capacity.
Can I tell the utility that I depend on a device?
In many areas there is a medical baseline or critical customer register that gives priority in restoration and advance notice of planned outages. It does not guarantee continuous supply, but it improves notification.
What do I do with insulin if the power goes out?
Check the real out-of-refrigeration margin for your formulation with your pharmacy, because it varies. Use a cooler with cold packs and keep the vial from touching ice directly.
Can I power a medical device from my car?
As a bridge, yes, with a suitable inverter, but never with the engine running inside a garage. Carbon monoxide is as real a risk as the outage.