A power outage kit should carry your household through at least 72 hours without electricity or running water. Federal guidance sets two litres of water per person per day as the minimum, and about four once cooking and hygiene are counted, plus food, lighting, a radio, first aid, medications, documents, cash, and warm layers. Backup power comes last, sized to the loads you actually need rather than to a guess.
An outage that lasts one evening is mostly inconvenient; a three-day winter outage can affect food, heat controls, medical equipment, communications, well pumps, and building access. Canada recommends planning to be self-sufficient for at least 72 hours.
The most useful kit combines physical supplies, a household plan, and a measured backup-power strategy rather than relying on any one device. Below, we separate life-safety supplies from convenience loads, work out how much battery you really need, and build in reserve for the delays nobody plans for.
Why Should You Prepare for at Least 72 Hours?
Canadian guidance recommends preparing to be self-sufficient for at least 72 hours. Power outage preparedness starts with supplies, communications, and a household plan everyone knows.
Three days of supplies gives households time to manage delayed restoration, blocked roads, water interruptions, and limited access to stores or emergency services.
For Ontario households, a prolonged outage can also affect refrigerated medications, electrically powered medical equipment, elevators and building access, particularly in apartments and multi-unit housing. Ontario emergency guidance recommends keeping enough supplies to manage for at least three days, so a 72-hour kit should reflect not only food and water but also the household’s medical, mobility, communication, and access needs.
What Should Be in a Power Outage Kit?
The table below sets a 72-hour target for each category, and the sections that follow explain what to look for in each one. An emergency kit for power outage conditions should cover at least three days:
| Item | 72-hour target | Storage | Review |
| Water | 6 L/person minimum; 12 L with cooking and hygiene | Cool, dark storage | 6 months |
| Non-perishable food | 3 days/person | Pantry | Yearly/expiry |
| Flashlights / headlamps | 1-2 + spares | Kit/bedside | 6 months |
| Radio | 1 battery/wind-up | Kit | 6 months |
| Batteries / power banks | Critical devices | Kit | Recharge/test |
| First aid / medications | Household needs | Accessible bag | Expiry |
| Warmth | 1 blanket/bag/person | Near kit | Seasonal |
Water and Shelf-Stable Food
The federal emergency kit guidance lists two litres of stored or bottled water per person per day for the basic kit, and about four litres once cooking, dishwashing, and hygiene are included. For a family of four that is 24 to 48 litres over three days, so split it across containers you can actually lift. Choose food that needs no cooking or refrigeration, and pack a manual can opener with it.
Flashlights, Radio, and Spare Batteries
Use wind-up or battery-powered flashlights and a radio so emergency information and safe lighting do not depend on household electricity. Keep matching spare batteries or charged battery packs in the kit.
First Aid, Medications, and Hygiene Supplies
Keep a first-aid kit plus the medications, dosage list, medical identifiers, and device supplies your household relies on. Add toilet paper, tissues, hand sanitizer, and garbage bags, because water may be off as well as power.
Cash, Documents, and Basic Tools
Keep small bills and coins, spare keys, copies of identification, insurance and health information, an emergency contact plan, and essential phone numbers. Basic tools can include pliers, wrench, screwdrivers, work gloves, and a manual can opener.
Warmth, Clothing, and Bedding
Canadian outages can coincide with ice storms and extreme cold. Store season-appropriate clothing, footwear, sleeping bags or warm blankets, hats, gloves, and extra layers.
How Much Backup Power Do You Need?
Size backup power only after you know which devices are essential and what they actually draw. Battery capacity is measured in watt-hours, inverter output in watts, and the three steps below take you from a device list to both numbers.
Identify the Devices You Need to Keep Running
Start with the loads that protect communication, food, health, lighting, and basic heating before adding comfort appliances. Actual power draw varies by model, so use the figures below as planning references and confirm the rating of your own equipment before sizing backup power.
| Essential device | Typical running power |
|---|---|
| Router + modem | 10–20 W |
| LED lighting | 10 W |
| Refrigerator or freezer | 100–300 W |
| CPAP machine | 30–60 W |
| Oxygen concentrator | 300–600 W |
| Wheelchair charger | 100–300 W |
| Gas furnace fan and controls | 400–800 W |
For medical equipment, treat these figures as planning references only and use the actual rating on the device label or manual for final sizing.
If your essential-load list remains relatively small and the devices can be powered from standard outlets, a portable power station can provide a flexible backup option without permanent installation. Size it from the combined running watts, startup surge, and the number of hours each device needs to operate.
Check Their Running and Starting Watts
Running watts describe the power an appliance uses once it is operating, while starting watts are the brief surge some motors or compressors need when they switch on. Add up the running watts of everything that may operate at the same time, then make sure the inverter can also handle the largest startup surge.
Example: suppose a refrigerator uses 500 W while running but needs 1,500 W for a few seconds at startup, while your router and lights together use another 70 W. The normal combined load is only 570 W, but the system should still be able to handle about 1,570 W when the refrigerator compressor starts. That is why sizing backup power from running watts alone can lead to unexpected shutdowns.
Estimate Required Runtime and Battery Capacity
Use watt-hours: watts multiplied by hours of operation. A 15W router for 12 hours uses 180Wh, four 10W LED lamps for five hours use 200Wh, and a 60W laptop for three hours uses 180Wh. That is 560Wh for one evening before a fridge cycles on and off, and inverter losses take roughly another 10 to 15 percent on top.
For a lighter essential-load setup, the BLUETTI Elite 100 V2 is a practical example of how those calculations translate into a real system. With 1,024Wh of capacity and 1,800W of output, it can suit households mainly trying to keep communication, lighting, laptops, and other modest loads available through an evening or short outage.
If your backup plan includes larger or motor-driven loads, such as a refrigerator together with a sump or well pump, you need more output headroom and battery capacity. The BLUETTI Apex 300 steps up to 3,840W of continuous output and 2,764.8Wh of capacity, making it better suited to a broader essential-load list where simultaneous demand and startup surges matter more.
How Should You Adapt Your Kit to Your Household and Location?
Household needs, building type, climate, and access to water or essential equipment can all change what belongs in your outage kit.
Ontario Outage Kit Check
- Apartment residents: plan for elevator outages, access-control failures, dark hallways, and limited storage.
- Well-water households: store extra water because a power failure may also stop the pump.
- Medical-device users: record actual watts, required runtime, backup battery options, and a relocation plan if power cannot be restored.
- Refrigerated medication: know the required storage temperature and what to do if refrigeration is interrupted.
- Winter households: keep extra warmth, lighting, charged communication devices, and a plan for safe relocation if indoor temperatures fall too far.
Infants, Older Adults, and Medical Needs
Add formula, diapers, feeding supplies, mobility aids, hearing-aid batteries, prescription medication, backup glasses, and any medical-device power needs. Ask the pharmacy for a printed medication list and keep at least a week of anything that cannot be skipped. If someone depends on a powered device such as a CPAP or oxygen concentrator, write down its wattage now, because that number decides how big the backup battery has to be.
Pets and Service Animals
Store at least three days of appropriate food, water, medication, carriers or leashes, waste supplies, and copies of vaccination or identification records. Service animals may need specialized food, harnesses, or mobility support.
Apartments, Rural Homes, and Well Pumps
Apartment plans should account for elevators, hallway lighting, access control, and limited storage. Rural homes may need more food, water, fuel, communication range, and vehicle reserve because restoration can take longer.
A rural property on a well pump has one more problem: no power means no water at all. A fixed home battery system can support a well pump and selected circuits when it is properly sized and installed with the required transfer and backup equipment. Systems configured with an automatic transfer switch can move supported loads to battery power automatically during an outage.
Winter Storms and Extreme Cold
Ice storms are the outages that last, and they arrive in sub-zero weather. Keep extra warm layers, blankets, winter footwear, and snow tools together, agree on a safe place to relocate if the house gets too cold, and know where the water shutoff is so pipes can be drained.
When a storm is in the forecast, charge every battery you own the day before. The BLUETTI Elite 200 V2 provides 2,073.6Wh of capacity and 2,600W of output. Whether it can support furnace controls through the night depends on the equipment’s actual running watts, startup demand, duty cycle, and the other loads connected at the same time. Its output can also support compatible higher-draw devices such as a microwave or kettle when the total simultaneous load remains within the inverter limit.
How to Stay Safe During a Power Outage
The largest hazards are often secondary: carbon monoxide, fire, unsafe food, contaminated water, electrical damage, and dangerous travel. Keep combustion equipment outdoors, use safe lighting, minimize refrigerator opening.
Prevent Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Never run a fuel generator, barbecue, camp stove, or vehicle inside a home, garage, enclosed porch, or any other space where exhaust can build up. Carbon monoxide has no smell, and a generator running in an attached garage can push dangerous levels into the house even with the door open. Keep a battery-powered CO alarm in the kit and test it during your seasonal check.
Use Emergency Lighting and Alternative Heat Safely
Battery-powered lighting is safer than any open flame, and a headlamp leaves both hands free. If candles are used despite the fire risk, keep them in sturdy holders on a bare surface, well away from curtains and bedding, and never leave a room with one still burning.
Protect Food and Drinking Water
Health Canada's food safety advice is specific: an unopened refrigerator keeps food cold for about four hours, a full freezer stays frozen for about 48 hours, and a half-full freezer for about 24 hours. Every time the door opens, those clocks run faster, so decide what you need before you reach in.
Follow Local Alerts and Evacuation Advice
Follow Environment Canada weather warnings, your local utility’s outage map, and municipal or provincial emergency alerts for current conditions and instructions. Local guidance matters because outage reporting, evacuation notices, and emergency procedures vary by province and community. In Ontario, for example, you can also check the province’s emergency preparedness guidance. If officials issue an evacuation order or advisory, follow it promptly rather than delaying to protect food or household equipment.
Where Should You Store and Maintain the Kit?
Keep the main kit in an easy-to-reach location known to the household and consider smaller grab-and-go bags for quick evacuation.
Keep Supplies Easy to Reach
Store the main kit in a dry, accessible place that everyone in the household knows. Avoid basements or storage areas that could become difficult to reach during flooding, snow, or a power failure, and keep frequently needed items such as flashlights, medications, and phone chargers where they can be accessed quickly in the dark.
Check Food, Water, and Batteries Regularly
Set calendar reminders for spring and fall reviews. Canadian guidance says non-perishable food should be replaced about once a year, and older preparedness guidance also recommends regular battery replacement and twice-yearly kit checks.
Replace Used or Expired Items
After every outage or drill, recharge power banks and power stations, replace used food, first-aid items, batteries, and hygiene supplies, and restore cash or documents removed from the kit.
Conclusion
A power outage kit is really three things: the physical supplies, a household plan everyone knows, and backup power sized to your actual essentials rather than to a guess. Stock water, food, medication, lighting, a radio, warmth, and documents for at least 72 hours, then work out the watts and watt-hours before you buy a battery. Do that once and check the kit twice a year, and you will be better prepared to manage a multi-day outage safely and with fewer disruptions.
FAQs
What Should Be in a 72-Hour Emergency Kit in Canada?
Include at least three days of water and non-perishable food, a manual can opener, battery or wind-up flashlight and radio, spare batteries, first aid, medication, hygiene items, cash, keys, identification, emergency contacts, chargers, warm clothing, blankets, and supplies for pets or accessibility needs. Keep the kit portable and easy to reach.
How Much Water Do You Need for a 72-Hour Power Outage?
The federal basic kit lists two litres of water per person per day, which is six litres per person for 72 hours. Once you include cooking, dishwashing, and hygiene, the same guidance raises that to about four litres a day, or twelve per person. Add more for pets, anyone with medical needs, and hot weather, stored in containers you can carry.
Should You Use Candles During a Power Outage?
Battery-powered flashlights and lanterns are the safer first choice because they avoid an open flame. If candles are used, place them in deep, sturdy holders, keep them away from curtains and other combustibles, and never leave them unattended. Maintain working smoke alarms and keep children and pets away from the flame.
How Long Will Food Stay Safe in the Fridge or Freezer?
Health Canada states that an unopened refrigerator keeps food cold for about four hours. A full freezer can keep food frozen for about 48 hours, while a half-full freezer lasts about 24 hours. Keep doors closed and use appliance thermometers when possible. Discard food if its safety is uncertain after temperatures rise.
What Size Power Station Do You Need for an Outage?
Choose by both watts and watt-hours. The inverter must handle all simultaneous running loads plus motor startup surge, while battery capacity must cover the planned runtime. Add each device watts times hours, account for cycling loads and conversion losses, then add a reserve. A measured essential-load list produces a better answer than a household-size label.