The honest answer: some of it
A solar generator will comfortably run the things that matter in an outage — fridge, internet, lighting, phone charging, a gas furnace blower. It will not run a whole house the way the grid does, and any seller implying otherwise is overselling.
The useful question is not “can it power my house” but “which circuits do I actually need during an outage”. For most households that list is much shorter than expected.
What it will run
| Appliance | Draw | Realistic? |
|---|---|---|
| Fridge / freezer | 100–200W avg | Yes |
| Internet + phones | 20–40W | Easily |
| LED lighting | 20–60W | Easily |
| Gas furnace blower | 300–600W | Yes |
| CPAP | 30–60W | Yes |
| Microwave (bursts) | 1,000–1,500W | With enough output |
| Electric heat | 1,500W+ | No |
| Central air conditioning | 3,000W+ | No |
| Electric water heater | 4,500W | No |
| Well pump | Huge surge | Generator territory |
The pattern is simple. Anything that makes heat or moves large volumes of air or water is out of reach. Everything else is usually fine.
What it costs to cover the essentials
- Fridge and devices only: around 1,000Wh — EcoFlow Delta 2.
- Fridge, furnace and lights for a day: around 2,000Wh — Bluetti AC200LCheck price at BLUETTI.
- Several circuits, multi-day, expandable: Bluetti Apex 300Check price at BLUETTI with extra batteries.
Costs and the three routes to home backup are laid out in home battery backup.
Where solar changes the maths
Battery alone is a fixed budget. Add panels and it refills each day, which turns a one-day solution into an indefinite one — weather permitting. That is the real argument for a solar generator over a plain battery.
Expect a realistic panel output well below the rated figure when you plan it.
When you should buy a generator instead
If you have electric heat, a well pump, or outages measured in days rather than hours, a gas generator is still the right tool — or both. The honest comparison is in power station vs generator.