Generator or Power Station?
Not sure whether you need a gas generator or a battery power station? Answer three quick questions and the tool points you to the right kind of backup power for your home, then helps you size it.
How it works
Three questions settle it: where you'll run the power, how long your outages usually last, and what matters most to you. Those map cleanly onto the real trade-off between a battery station and a fuel generator.
Battery stations win indoors and for short, quiet outages. Fuel generators win on sustained high power over several days — at the cost of noise, fuel, and exhaust that has to stay outside. Plenty of households end up owning both.
Frequently asked questions
Can I run a generator indoors or in my garage?
No. Fuel generators give off carbon monoxide, which is odorless and can be fatal within minutes indoors — including in a garage, on a porch, or near an open window. Run them outdoors only, at least 20 feet from the house, with a working CO alarm inside. If you need power indoors, that's a battery station's job.
Which is better for an apartment?
A battery power station, with little debate. Generators can't be run safely anywhere in or around an apartment, so a silent, emission-free battery unit is the only realistic backup. Size it to the essentials you want to keep alive.
What about a multi-day outage?
For several days of meaningful load, a fuel or dual-fuel generator gives sustained power and refuels in minutes, where a battery eventually runs flat. The common setup is a generator for daytime heavy loads plus a battery station for quiet, safe power indoors overnight.
Which one is cheaper?
Per watt of output, a fuel generator usually costs less upfront. But add fuel, maintenance, and storage over time, plus the fact that you can't use it indoors. For light, occasional use, a mid-size battery station often works out simpler and cheaper to live with.