Planning backup power for an Anchorage home

Step 1: Understand your outage risk

Look at your own history: how often has your home lost power, for how long, and in what season? Anchorage outages are often caused by wind. Hillside and East Anchorage neighborhoods have repeatedly been among the hardest hit in recent windstorms, and many homes north of the Bowl and on the upper Hillside rely on wells. A home that has never lost power for more than an hour has different needs from one that lost heat for two days in January 2025.

Step 2: Identify what depends on electricity

Walk through the house and list everything you would need in a multi-day winter outage. Most Anchorage homes heat with natural gas, but almost every heating system needs electricity:

Note each item’s nameplate voltage and amps or watts if you can. An installer will still do a proper load calculation, but your list shortens the conversation.

Step 3: Decide who will run it

This question often decides the answer. If someone is reliably home and able to move a generator through snow, start it, and refuel it, a portable generator with a properly installed inlet and transfer switch can work. If the house may be empty — travel, work shifts, a cabin weekend — or nobody in the household can safely handle a portable generator in winter, an automatic standby system is the safer choice for protecting heat and plumbing.

Step 4: Choose an approach

Portable generator with transfer equipment

Lowest cost. Requires manual setup each time, fuel storage, and a safe outdoor operating spot. Never connect it with a cord into a wall outlet; use an approved inlet and transfer switch or interlock.

Standby generator, essential circuits

Starts automatically and runs a selected subpanel. A good balance for many homes: heat, water, refrigeration and some lighting.

Standby generator, whole home

Everything stays on, typically with load management. Highest cost and fuel use. See standby generator installation.

Step 5: Plan fuel and placement

• Natural gas avoids refueling but requires adequate gas service and meter capacity.
• Propane requires a tank sized for multi-day runtime and attention to cold-weather performance.
• Gasoline for portables must be stored safely and rotated; plan how much you need for a two- or three-day outage.
• Choose a location that stays accessible after snow removal and keeps exhaust away from doors, windows and vents.

Portable generator safety

• Let the generator cool before refueling.
• Use outdoor-rated cords sized for the load; inspect them for damage after winter use.
• Keep the generator dry without enclosing it — use a listed cover or canopy designed for running units.

Step 6: Prepare before winter

• Test the generator and transfer equipment in the fall.
• Confirm fuel supply and change oil per the manufacturer’s schedule.
• Label which circuits are backed up so everyone in the household knows.
• Keep a flashlight and printed instructions near the transfer switch.
• Know your utility’s outage reporting method — Chugach Electric or Matanuska Electric Association.
• Plan for medical devices and pets; have a fallback place to stay if heat cannot be maintained.