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FROM THE DESK
A reader emailed me about her husband's CPAP machine. During their last outage, he went without it for two nights. Bad sleep, headaches, and elevated blood pressure. Not life-threatening, but harmful and scary. She asked what backup power option would keep it running. The answer was simpler and cheaper than she expected.
Here's what I've got this morning.
THE BRIEF
When the Power Goes Out and Your Health Depends On It
For millions of Americans, electricity isn't a convenience. It's a medical necessity. CPAP machines, home oxygen concentrators, powered wheelchairs, insulin that requires refrigeration, nebulizers, and dialysis equipment all need electricity to function. A power outage for these households is a health emergency.
Start by identifying your medical power needs. What devices do you depend on? What's their wattage? How many hours per day do they run? A CPAP machine typically draws 30 to 60 watts. An oxygen concentrator draws 300 to 600 watts. A mini-fridge for insulin draws 40 to 80 watts. These numbers determine what backup solution you need.
For CPAP users, the easiest solution is a battery specifically designed for CPAP machines. Companies like Medistrom and Freedom CPAP Battery make portable batteries that connect directly to most CPAP brands and run them for one to three nights per charge. They cost $250 to $500 but are purpose-built and reliable.
A portable power station (Issue 21 and 72) works for most medical devices. A 500Wh unit can run a CPAP for 8 to 15 hours, keep insulin cold for 24+ hours, or power a nebulizer for dozens of treatments. Pair it with a solar panel and you have indefinite medical power during an extended outage.
Oxygen concentrators are the most power-hungry common medical device. A 1,000+ watt-hour power station or a gas generator may be necessary. If you're oxygen-dependent, talk to your supplier about backup oxygen tanks in addition to electrical backup.
Register with your utility company as a medical-priority customer. Most utilities maintain a list of customers with life-sustaining medical equipment and prioritize power restoration to those addresses. The registration is free and takes one phone call.
Notify your local fire department and emergency management office too. During widespread outages, they can direct resources to households with medical needs if they know you exist.
Insurance may cover backup power. Some health insurance plans and Medicare cover battery backups for CPAP and other devices. Ask your provider. The documentation is worth the phone call.
ONE THING THIS WEEK
If anyone in your household uses a powered medical device, calculate its wattage and nightly power consumption.
Check the label on the device or the power adapter. Multiply watts by hours of daily use. That number is your minimum backup power requirement. Match it to a battery or power station.
ON THE RADAR
3.5 million Americans depend on electrically powered home medical equipment around the clock. Most backup batteries for these devices last just 3 to 8 hours. U.S. power outages have become 9% more frequent and 56% longer over the past decade, with more than half of all U.S. counties experiencing at least one 8-hour outage between 2018 and 2021. During the 2003 New York City blackout, disease-related deaths rose by 25%.
Sources: Environmental Research: Health (2025) / The Conversation / JEMS
LESSON FROM: DR. JOE ALTON AND AMY ALTON
The Altons address medical device dependence directly in The Survival Medicine Handbook. Their concern isn't just the devices themselves but the cascade of health effects when they stop working. A CPAP user who goes without treatment experiences increased blood pressure, cognitive impairment, and elevated cardiac risk. An insulin-dependent diabetic without refrigeration faces a medication efficacy crisis within days.
Their recommendation: treat backup power for medical devices with the same urgency you'd treat a backup supply of medication. Both are medical necessities, not conveniences. Build redundancy: a battery for short outages, a generator or solar system for extended ones, and a manual or alternative method as a last resort.
WHAT'S HAPPENING
Your Power Bill Isn’t Coming Down — and Neither Is Your Risk
U.S. residential electricity now averages 18 cents per kilowatt-hour, up 37% from 2020. The average monthly bill has climbed from $121 to $156. In 2025, more than 4 million households were disconnected for non-payment. The federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which helped millions keep their lights on, has seen significant staff reductions this year.
For the 3.5 million Americans who depend on electrically powered home medical equipment — CPAP machines, oxygen concentrators, home dialysis — this isn’t a utility story. It’s a threat multiplier. Higher bills mean more disconnections. More disconnections mean more medical emergencies for people who can’t run the equipment they need.
A former Colorado Public Utilities Commission chair summed it up: “The cake is baked.” Rates locked in years ago are still flowing through the system. Experts don’t see meaningful relief ahead.
WHAT WE’RE TESTING
Jackery Explorer 500 for CPAP Backup
This is a 518Wh power station. If we used the example of it as a CPAP backup, connected to a ResMed AirSense 10 (without humidifier, which reduces power draw significantly), it can run the CPAP for approximately 12 hours, enough for two nights of 6-hour use.
With the 100W Jackery solar panel, it recharges fully in about 6 to 7 hours of sun. That creates an indefinite cycle: use at night, recharge during the day. For CPAP-dependent users, this is a genuine solution.
The unit weighs 13.3 pounds, has a pure sine wave inverter (important for medical devices, as modified sine wave can damage sensitive electronics), and includes USB, DC, and AC outputs. About $500 for the unit, $700 bundled with the solar panel.
Budget alternative: Medistrom Pilot-24 Lite ($300). Purpose-built CPAP battery. Smaller, lighter, connects directly to most CPAP machines without an inverter. One night per charge. No solar option, but very portable.
OVERRATED / UNDERRATED
Overrated: Car inverters for medical device backup. They work in a pinch, but running your car engine for 8 hours to power a CPAP is noisy, burns significant fuel, produces carbon monoxide, and isn't sustainable. A purpose-built battery is safer and quieter.
Underrated: Registering as a medical-priority customer with your utility. One free phone call can mean the difference between waiting two days and two hours for power restoration. If you have medical equipment, make the call.
THE LINK DUMP
Medistrom.com — CPAP-specific battery products and compatibility information.
Doom and Bloom — The Altons' medical preparedness site with device backup guides.
PowerOutage.us — Real-time US power outage tracking map.
GridStatus.io — Real-time grid demand data by region for monitoring outage risk.
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NEXT ISSUE
The seasonal kit swap. How to update your emergency supplies twice a year so they match the actual threats of the season ahead.
PS: That reader's husband probably has a Jackery under the bed now. For a device he depends on every night, $500 for reliable backup power is the best money they can spend on preparedness.