Technological advances have made life easier for people with medical conditions requiring supplemental oxygen, like sleep apnea, where breathing repeatedly starts and stops throughout the night. The medical devices that provide relief are powered by electricity and members who rely on them should have a plan in the event power is interrupted.
When making an emergency power back up plan for a medical device, consider different scenarios where you may be without power. What will you need to shelter in place for a winter storm? What will you need if you must evacuate because of a wildfire? You will also need to consider the power requirements for your device to make sure your backup power supply can provide the watts to operate it, as well as store enough energy to provide power during the time you don’t have grid power.
Supplemental oxygen is normally supplied using an oxygen concentrator. Concentrators can use between 280 to 350 watts. If you were planning for a 12 hour outage, you would need a power source that could supply 350 W and store 4.2 kWh of energy (350 W x 12 hours / 1,000 W/kW). Common power sources are a portable power station using a rechargeable battery, a solar generator with battery storage, or a fossil fuel generator. Another alternative is portable oxygen bottles. These can be used at home or can also easily be transported to a safer location. Check with your health care provider for recommendations on how many bottles you should have for emergencies.
The most common device used to relieve sleep apnea symptoms is a continuous positive airway pressure system that provides low pressure air that keeps your airway open while you sleep. A CPAP uses 30-90 W, depending on its features. If you were planning for 8 hours of sleep without grid power, you would need a power source that could deliver 90 W and store 0.72 kWh. Portable power stations that store up to 1-kWh are readily available. If you were planning for several days of power supply you could buy solar panels to recharge the 1-kWh battery or purchase a portable power station with more storage capacity. You could also consider a solar generation system with battery storage or a fossil fuel generator.
Power interruptions are not always of long duration. Short interruptions or blinks may cause your medical device to reset or turn off. CPAP users are especially aware of this because an interruption that resets their device makes it difficult to breathe and wakes them up. This can be avoided if the portable power station you are using has pass-through charging which allows battery charging while running a device. During an interruption, the power station automatically switches to battery power from the grid and the device functions normally.
Empire Electric Association works hard to keep your power reliable, but we cannot prevent all outages. Your safety is an important part of our mission. Please take the time now to be prepared.
By Andy Carter, Member Engagement Manager
