Ice storm power outage: what a power station can and can't do

A portable power station is a good friend in an ice storm, but not as a heater. It can keep your fridge, internet, lights, phones and a CPAP running for a day or more. It cannot keep a house warm: one 1,000 W heater empties a 1,000 Wh station in under an hour.

Why ice storms hit so hard

Freezing rain coats power lines and trees with ice until they break. When the ice storm hit Montreal on January 5, 1998, Maclean’s reported that more than four million people had lost power by the end of that week. Hydro-Québec warned that some areas would wait weeks.

You don’t need a storm that big to lose power for a few days. The Government of Canada asks every household to be ready to take care of itself for at least 72 hours.

A power station is a large battery with household outlets, USB ports and often a 12 V car-style socket. It makes no fumes. Canada.ca notes that battery- or solar-powered portable generators do not produce carbon monoxide and can be used anywhere.

The heating math

Many homes heated with electricity use baseboard heaters. Take a 1,000 W unit as an example, such as a 47.5-inch Stelpro model rated 1,000 W at 240 V, listed for a room of about 150 square feet.

Two problems follow. First, baseboards are wired into the house at 240 V, and a portable station’s outlets are 120 V. You can’t plug one in, and you must never connect a station to your home’s wiring or panel.

Second, even a plug-in heater of the same 1,000 W drains a station very fast. On this site, runtime = battery Wh × 0.85 ÷ (device watts + 10 W). We keep 85 % because part of the energy turns into heat inside the station. The 10 W is its own draw whenever the outlets are switched on.

Station (capacity announced by the brand)	Math for a 1,000 W heater	Runtime
EcoFlow DELTA 3 Plus (1,024 Wh)	1,024 × 0.85 ÷ 1,010	≈ 52 minutes
Anker SOLIX C1000 (1,056 Wh)	1,056 × 0.85 ÷ 1,010	≈ 53 minutes
FOSSiBOT F2400 (2,048 Wh)	2,048 × 0.85 ÷ 1,010	≈ 1 h 43 min

Now picture a full day. As an example, say one 1,000 W heater runs half the time to keep one room warm. That is 1,000 W × 12 h = 12,000 Wh. It would take 12,000 ÷ 1,741 ≈ 7 fully charged F2400s, for one room, for one day.

That is why a station is the wrong tool for heat. Keep its energy for small, useful loads.

What the same battery does well

Here is the Anker SOLIX C1000 again, with about 1,056 × 0.85 ≈ 898 Wh of usable energy. Device watts are our site averages.

What you plug in	Site average	Calculation	How long
Internet router	10 W	898 ÷ (10 + 10)	≈ 45 h
CPAP, no heated humidifier	12 W	898 ÷ (12 + 10)	≈ 41 h
LED lamp	8 W	898 ÷ (8 + 10)	≈ 50 h
Refrigerator	45 W	898 ÷ (45 + 10)	≈ 16 h

Compare the two tables: on the same battery, the router runs about 45 hours and the heater less than one. That is roughly 50 times longer. Phones are cheap too: at about 15 Wh per charge, the same station gives about 60 charges.

You can try your own list in the runtime calculator, or see the fridge on the FOSSiBOT F2400.

Staying warm without the station

Canada.ca suggests having a backup heat source, such as a fireplace, a wood stove or a space heater that does not depend on the grid. It says a natural gas fireplace can provide warmth until the power is back. It also warns not to use a natural gas stove to heat your home.

A gas furnace is not a way around the outage either. It still needs electricity for its fan and controls, and it is wired into the house. If you want backup power for it, talk to a licensed electrician or heating technician.

Other advice from the same pages:

• Fuel-burning generators belong outdoors, at least 6 metres (20 feet) from any home or building.
• Run a trickle of water to keep pipes from freezing.
• Keep the freezer shut: closed, it keeps food frozen for 24 to 48 hours.
• Unplug tools and electronics so a surge doesn’t damage them when power returns.

A simple ice storm plan

Before the storm, charge the station to full and keep it in a heated room. The stations whose specs we checked don’t list charging below 0 °C, which matters if it sits in a cold garage; see our guide to charging lithium batteries in the cold.

During the outage, run the router and a lamp, and the fridge for a few hours at a time with the door shut. Charge phones in the daytime. Our 72-hour emergency kit page has the rest of the checklist.

In short

• A 1,000 Wh station runs a 1,000 W heater for under an hour, so it can’t heat a home.
• Baseboards are 240 V and wired in; never connect a station to house wiring.
• The same battery runs a router about 45 hours or a fridge about 16 hours.
• Plan heat separately, with a safe non-electric source, and keep the station for light, food and contact.