How to use a generator when the power goes out
Published October 3, 2026.
Built by Jeremy Panasuk.
The first move is the food, not the pull cord. Ready.gov's clock on a closed refrigerator is about four hours. The generator comes after that, and it comes from outside.
The order Ready.gov actually writes
An outage page that starts with "buy a bigger generator" skips the part that does not need fuel. Ready.gov puts the closed-door rule in its food-storage list, and it puts the generator in a separate list. Both apply. Neither replaces the other.
- Keep freezers and refrigerators closed. The refrigerator keeps food cold for about four hours. A full freezer keeps temperature for about 48 hours. Use a thermometer. Throw food out if the temperature is 40°F or higher.
- Turn off or disconnect appliances and electronics. Ready.gov says power can return with surges or spikes that damage them.
- Do not heat the house with a gas stove or oven. Ready.gov says that raises the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, fire, and burns, and can damage the appliance.
- Generators and fuel stay outdoors, at least 20 feet from windows, doors, and attached garages. Install carbon monoxide detectors. Keep the generator dry. Connect appliances with heavy-duty extension cords. Let the generator cool before refueling, because fuel spilled on hot engine parts can ignite.
The distance and the "never in the garage" wording are quoted at more length on how to run a generator safely. This page is the sequence. That page is the placement rule. The storm runbook turns a longer running load into fuel cans. It is not this first-hour list.
Worked example: fridge and one 60 W bulb
After the doors have stayed shut, a small first load is the fridge plus a light. Honda's wattage guide lists an Energy Star refrigerator or freezer at 1,200 starting watts and 132–192 running watts. Incandescent lights are "as indicated on the bulb," and Honda's own example is 60 W for both start and run. This case uses 192 W running for the fridge, the top of Honda's band.
Same steps as sizeGenerator() in assets/app.js, headroom 20%, 8 hours a day, 4 gallon tank:
- Running total = 192 + 60 = 252 W.
- The largest start is the fridge at 1,200 W. Extra surge = 1,200 − 192 = 1,008 W. The bulb adds no extra.
- Peak = 252 + 1,008 = 1,260 W.
- 1,260 × 1.20 = 1,512 W, rounded up to the next 500 W = 2,000 W recommended.
- Gasoline at 50% of that recommendation = 2,000 / 7,000 gallons per hour. A 4 gallon tank lasts 14.0 hours. Propane at 1.37 times the gasoline rate lasts 10.2 hours on the same 4 gallons. At 8 hours a day the gasoline figure is 2.3 gallons per day.
Replay it on the calculator with two custom rows: 192 running / 1,200 starting, and 60 / 60. The 14.0 hours is the script's fuel model at 50% of the 2,000 W recommendation. It is not Ready.gov's four hours of cold food with the power off, and it is not a promise that the compressor draws 2,000 W the whole time.
A common mistake
Treating the tank's 14.0 hours as the food-safety clock, or opening the fridge every few minutes during Ready.gov's four-hour window to "check." The four hours is for a closed refrigerator. The 14.0 hours is a gasoline estimate for a recommended wattage. They answer different questions. The other mistake is rolling the set into the garage because the only loads are a fridge and a bulb. Ready.gov's 20-foot line does not have a small-load exception.
Limits, and when to call a pro
Plugging the fridge and the lamp into heavy-duty cords, outdoors, is the portable path Ready.gov describes. Feeding circuits inside the house needs a transfer switch installed by a licensed electrician and a permit where local code requires one. This page does not pick that switch. Medical devices and refrigerated medicine need the plan Ready.gov tells you to make with your provider, not a 60 W bulb example.
Compiled with AI assistance from the sources below. Spot an error? Email [email protected].