Houston outages

The fridge and the deep freezer went to the curb. Again.

It's a story we hear on almost every call. Here's what changes when a Powerwall 3 is on the wall.

Private homeowner program. Not affiliated with CenterPoint, ERCOT, the PUC or any government agency.

The power goes out on a Monday night. Nobody thinks much of it. Houston loses power, Houston gets it back.

By Tuesday afternoon the house is 88 degrees inside. The fridge has been dark for almost a day. Somebody opens the deep freezer and the bags on top are soft.

By Wednesday, when the lights come back, the brisket, the chicken, the milk, the leftovers and whatever was in the door all go into black trash bags on the curb. Up and down the street, the same bags.

Nobody budgets for it. Everybody pays for it. And it happens again the next storm.

A closed fridge keeps food safe for about 4 hours without power. A full freezer holds about 48 hours, a half-full one about 24. USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service

One Houston home with its lights on during a neighborhood power outage

What a Powerwall 3 actually does when CenterPoint goes down

It switches on by itselfIt senses the outage and moves your home to battery power in a fraction of a second. No switch to flip, no cord to pull, nothing to start in the dark.

It runs the essentials you chooseFridge, freezer, lights, Wi-Fi, fans, and depending on your system, your AC. Your advisor sizes it to what you want kept on.

It recharges on its ownFrom the grid when power comes back, or from your solar panels if you have them. Then it's ready for the next one.

No gas, no fumesIt lives on your garage wall. Nothing to fuel, nothing to drag outside, no carbon monoxide.

Tesla Powerwall 3 home battery mounted on a Houston garage wall

Generator vs Powerwall 3

Feature	Powerwall 3	Standby generator	Portable gas generator
Starts by itself	Yes, in under a second	Yes, in 10–30 seconds	No
Fuel	None	Natural gas or propane	Gas, refill every 8–12 hours
Fumes and carbon monoxide	None. It lives in your garage	Exhaust outdoors	Yes. Outdoors only, 20 ft from windows
Noise	Silent	Loud	Loud
Upkeep	None. Check it in the app	Yearly service and self-tests	Oil, fuel stabilizer, test runs
Runs in the rain	Yes	Yes	Not safely
Recharges from solar	Yes	No	No
Useful on normal days	Yes	No	No
Warranty	10 years	About 5 years	1–3 years

To be fair: a generator keeps running as long as it has fuel. One Powerwall 3 stores 13.5 kWh, and your advisor sizes your system to what you want backed up.

After Hurricane Beryl, Harris, Fort Bend and Montgomery counties logged more than 100 carbon monoxide poisonings in four days, most from generators run indoors or too close to the house. Houston Public Media, July 12, 2024

Quick questions

Where does a Powerwall 3 go?

Usually on a garage wall or an outside wall near your electrical panel. It's slim and quiet, about the size of a small closet door.

Do I need solar panels?

No. Powerwall 3 works on its own and charges from the grid. If you have panels, it can store their power too.

What happens on the call?

A program advisor looks at your home and what you want backed up, then goes over your options. It's a phone call, no one comes to your door to sell you.

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