The short answer: there are two safe ways to run your house from a solar generator. The simple one is extension cords from the unit to the few things you need, which needs no wiring and no electrician. The tidier one is a transfer switch, fitted by a licensed electrician, which feeds chosen circuits in your panel without cords. A unit like the Jackery HomePower 3000 suits the cord route, and the Solar Generator 5000 Plus is the one to look at if you want 240V circuits covered.
There is one thing you must never do, and it is worth saying first: do not plug a generator into a wall outlet with a double-ended cord. The next section explains why, and the rest of the page walks through the two safe options so you can pick one before the outage, not during it.
The one thing never to do
Some people try to “backfeed” the house: they run a cord with a plug on both ends from the generator into a wall socket or a dryer outlet, hoping the whole house comes alive. It is dangerous for three reasons.
- It can electrocute a lineworker. Power pushed into your wiring can travel back out through the meter to the lines outside. A crew repairing those lines thinks they are dead.
- It can start a fire. Your house wiring was never designed to be fed from a random outlet, and nothing stops the load from exceeding what a branch circuit can carry.
- It can damage your equipment, and the unit. When the grid comes back, the two supplies can meet with nothing to keep them apart.
A transfer switch exists to solve exactly this. It makes it physically impossible for your house to be connected to the grid and the generator at the same moment. If you are not using one, use extension cords and plug appliances into the unit directly.
Option 1: extension cords to the essentials
This is where nearly everyone should start. You put the unit in the kitchen or a hallway, run heavy-duty extension cords to what matters, and leave the rest of the house dark.
What you need: the unit, a few heavy-duty extension cords rated for the load (thin cords for lamps only; ask the shop for the rating on the label), and a power strip for the router, phones and lights.
What it does well:
- Needs no installation, no permit and no electrician, and you can set it up in minutes in the dark.
- Works for a fridge, a freezer, Wi-Fi, lights, phone and laptop charging, a CPAP and a TV. Our fridge runtime page and HomePower 3000 appliance guide give the hours for each.
- Moves with you. If you rent, this is the only option, and it comes with you when you move.
What it does badly:
- It cannot power anything hard-wired, such as a furnace, a well pump, a sump pump wired into the wall or a built-in microwave.
- Cords snake across floors, which is a trip hazard and means doors stay open a crack in winter.
- You choose what to plug in one appliance at a time, so you have to decide before dark.
HomePower 3000 (solar panels included): specs and price at Jackery
Option 2: a transfer switch
A transfer switch is a small box connected to your main electrical panel. You choose a handful of circuits, such as the fridge, the furnace blower, the kitchen outlets and the living room lights, and move them to the switch. In an outage you flip the switch, and those circuits run from the generator through an inlet on the outside or inside wall. When the power returns, you flip it back.
What you need:
- A licensed electrician. This is not a weekend job, and in most places it needs a permit and an inspection. Your utility may have its own rules too.
- A manual transfer switch, or an inlet-and-interlock kit. The electrician will tell you which one your panel takes.
- A unit with an output the switch can use. Check with the electrician and with the manufacturer before you buy either.
What it does well:
- Hard-wired items work, including a furnace blower, a sump pump on its own circuit and built-in kitchen lights.
- No cords across the floor. You plug one cable into an inlet and the chosen circuits come on.
- It is the neat answer for a family that has been through a long outage and does not want to repeat it with an extension cord.
What it does badly:
- It costs more up front, because you pay for the switch and for the electrician’s time.
- It is tied to the house. Rent and you cannot take it with you.
- You can only run what fits inside the unit’s output. A 3,600W unit runs the circuits you chose, not every circuit at once, so you have to leave the big loads off.
Which one fits your home
| Your situation | Best option | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Rent your home | Extension cords | Nothing to install, and you take it with you |
| Outages are hours long, list is fridge, Wi-Fi, lights | Extension cords | Three or four cords cover the whole list |
| Furnace blower must stay on in winter | Transfer switch | The furnace is hard-wired, so cords cannot reach it |
| Elderly or medical needs, so you want it simple in the dark | Transfer switch | Flip one switch, no cords to place |
| Well pump or central air on 240V | Transfer switch with a 240V unit | Needs the 240V outlet of the Solar Generator 5000 Plus |
| Not sure yet | Start with cords | You can add a switch later, and the same unit works with both |
Which unit goes with which set-up
The unit matters less than the set-up, but the output does set a ceiling on what the switch can feed.
- HomePower 3000 (3,072Wh, 3,600W): the best fit for cords. It covers the fridge, router, lights, phones and a CPAP for one to two days, and it comes with solar panels to refill it. Read the full review.
- HomePower 3600 Plus (3,584Wh, 3,600W, expandable to 21kWh): the one our guides pair with a transfer switch for the furnace circuit, because the expansion packs carry a longer outage. 120V only. Read the full review.
- Solar Generator 5000 Plus (5,040Wh, 7,200W, 120V and 240V, expandable to 60kWh): the only unit of the three with a 240V outlet, so it is the one for a well pump, central air or an electric water heater. Read the full review.
Check the current price of the HomePower 3600 Plus at Jackery
If you are still choosing a unit, our which-one-to-buy guide takes three questions and ends on one pick, and the sizing guide shows how to add up what you need to run.
Questions to ask the electrician
Before you book, write down the answers to these. They keep the quote honest and the job short.
- Which circuits do I move to the switch? Pick the fridge, the furnace blower, one or two lighting circuits and a kitchen outlet. Fewer circuits means a smaller, cheaper job.
- Does my area require a permit and an inspection? Almost always yes. A permitted job also protects your home insurance.
- Does my utility need to be told? Some do, even for a battery that never touches the grid.
- Which inlet suits the unit I am buying? Show the electrician the maker’s current specification page for the outlet type.
- Where will the unit sit during an outage? Indoors on a dry shelf is fine for a battery. Never run a gas generator indoors.
A safe set-up checklist
- Keep the unit charged and ready before the storm, not after the power goes out.
- Put it indoors, dry and off the floor if the basement can flood, with air around it.
- List what must stay on before you shop, and add up the watts. Our sizing guide shows how.
- Use cords rated for the load and unroll them fully rather than leaving them coiled.
- Switch off the main breaker, or use a proper transfer switch, before you connect anything to your house wiring.
- Do not fit or modify anything in the panel yourself.
The bottom line
For most homes, start with extension cords. They need no installation, they work for the things that matter, and the same unit serves you later if you add a switch. Add a transfer switch when a hard-wired circuit such as a furnace must stay on, or when you want the house to come back with one flip. And whatever you do, never backfeed the house through a wall outlet.
If your list is short, the HomePower 3000 is the place to begin. If a furnace or a well sits on it, read the furnace guide and the well pump guide next.