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Just about every disaster scenario we think about will involve being without electricity in some capacity or another. We are constantly thinking about food, water and shelter, but what would we do if the lights went out for an extended period of time? These grid down energy solutions can be useful today as well as in a SHTF situation.

Don’t get me wrong, food and water should be our main concern because after all we do have the sun to depend on for at least 10 hours a day, but after a few dark nights we would be foaming at the mouth for a little light in the evenings before bed.

When we are talking about a day or 2 this is pretty easy to figure out, have some extra batteries, a few flashlights and even some candles. If we are talking about longer than that or more than just some cozy candle light we are going to need to think a little larger.

I like to think of this in short, medium and long term. If the power goes out overnight you can probably just use the camping supplies you have or the flashlights laying around. If it lasts longer you might need to have some extra fuel on hand for cooking and heating. If the grid is down for more than a couple of weeks you are going to need to pull out the big guns.

Before we get into alternative forms of energy for these small, medium and long term grid down events I want to explain how much energy we really might need on a daily basis. Keep in mind, I don’t mean how much we use now, I mean how much we will need to use.

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Appliance Energy Usage

Amps = watts / volts

Most appliances like a refrigerator, a fan or a light bulb will tell you their wattage, some items like a laptop will not and you have to figure it out. Like I said, the article I linked to above has all those power conversions.

If you are using a generator it’s a little easier because you don’t need to figure out amp hours, battery banks have stored energy, and generators use fuel to make energy. Here are a few examples of how many watts a typical appliance uses.

Refrigerator: 700 Watts - 58 Amp Hours from battery.

Microwave: 1500 Watts - 125 Amp Hours from battery. (About 2 Amp Hour per minute.)

Oscillating Fan: 200 Watts - 17 Amp Hours from battery.

Space Heater: 1800 Watts - 150 Amp Hours from battery.