What matters is what stays on, and for how long
The best home backup supplies for 2026
A home backup supply keeps chosen circuits alive when the grid drops, and it is chosen by what it must carry rather than by its size. The first question is the load list: a fridge, a boiler pump and a router draw a few hundred watts between them and can run for many hours on a modest battery, while an electric hob belongs to a different class of machine entirely. Transfer time decides what the changeover feels like — below about ten milliseconds a computer never notices, above it a desktop reboots and a boiler may need resetting. Capacity then sets the duration, and the honest way to read it is watt-hours divided by the real load, with the inverter’s losses acknowledged. Recharge sources separate the shelf: mains only, mains and solar, or mains, solar and a vehicle. Because these live indoors, noise and the maker’s statement about ventilation matter more than on a generator, and the fan behaviour under load is a specification worth finding. Wiring a backup supply into a house consumer unit is regulated work in most countries, and the maker’s documentation and local rules decide who may do it. We compare capacity, continuous output, transfer time, supported circuits, recharge sources, noise and stated indoor use.
