By Heidi Mitchell

It has become much less expensive in recent years for consumers to protect their homes against power outages. According to research company Statista, the price of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries -- the kind that can keep home appliances and electronic devices humming in a blackout -- dropped 20% last year and was down 39% over the past five years.

"Innovations in chemistry and materials science have resulted in improvements in batteries" and are the main driver of lower costs, says Jessika Trancik, a professor at the Institute for Data, Systems and Society at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

There are many options for consumers, from whole-home power stations that last for days to smaller battery packs that can get critical devices through a typical 5 1/2 -hour blackout. Here's a look at some of them.

EcoFlow Delta Pro 3

The EcoFlow Delta Pro 3 costs $3,699 (currently on sale on the company website for $2,799) and is eligible for a 30% rebate under the Inflation Reduction Act. It provides 4 kilowatt-hours of power when fully charged. That's enough to power essentials like a refrigerator or a sump pump, along with smaller devices such as a laptop, a cellphone and a fan, for about three days of typical use. Its capacity can be doubled or tripled with extra battery packs, for $2,599 each.

The Delta Pro 3 is about the size of a desktop computer and weighs 100 pounds, but it has wheels and a telescoping handle that make it easy to move from room to room. It takes about an hour to charge. And it can be plugged into EcoFlow's foldable solar 220-watt panel, starting at $399, for recharging.

BioLite Backup Complete

The BioLite Backup Complete is a less bulky alternative, at $2,999 with 3 kWh of capacity. It is eligible for the Inflation Reduction Act rebate. The Backup made its debut at the CES consumer-electronics trade show in January, and the company plans to start shipping batteries this fall. The unit is 2.8 inches thick per battery pack, making it relatively easy to store. The Complete package arrives with two battery packs and weighs about 75 pounds. It charges in 2 1/2 hours and can power a refrigerator, microwave, lamp, smartphone and laptop for 30 to 60 hours.

Pila

Pila's home battery costs $1,299 (though for a limited time it's available at $999 for customers placing a refundable $99 reservation) and has a capacity of 1.6 kWh of power, enough to keep a refrigerator running for about 32 hours. Consumers who buy two or more are eligible for the Inflation Reduction Act rebate. It can also be attached to a variety of common plug-in solar panels, which typically start at $150.

Part of the Pila battery's appeal is its usefulness when there isn't a blackout. The Pila app can help consumers optimize their electricity use and trim energy bills by setting the batteries to be charged at the time of day when utility rates are lowest and then run a home's appliances when utility rates are highest.

Each Pila battery is about the size of a cable box and weighs about 45 pounds.

Jackery Explorer Portable Power Station 2000 V2

One smaller option is the Jackery Explorer Portable Power Station 2000 V2, which typically retails for $1,999 (it's currently on sale for $500 off on the company website) and has a capacity of 2 kWh. It's about the size of a large lunchbox and weighs just under 40 pounds, but it can power a refrigerator for over three hours or an air conditioner for about two hours, while simultaneously charging a phone and a laptop and keeping a CPAP machine juiced. It charges in under two hours and can be hooked up to Jackery's SolarSaga 200-watt panels.

Heidi Mitchell is a writer in New York and London. She can be reached at reports@wsj.com.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

April 17, 2025 10:00 ET (14:00 GMT)

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