Idaho has no single regional grid operator behind it. Idaho Power runs the lines across the Treasure Valley and southern Idaho, Avista serves the Panhandle around Coeur d’Alene, and Rocky Mountain Power covers the east — each on its own within the wider Western grid. Three different hazards put those lines to the test: a Panhandle windstorm, a Treasure Valley ice or snow event, and now, since 2024, Idaho Power deliberately switching off a line when wildfire risk spikes. A grid-tied rooftop system won’t help in any of the three — it shuts off with the grid (anti-islanding) — so keeping the essentials on comes down to having the right backup ready. If you’re looking at solar in Idaho, that’s the piece worth planning for now.
Our top pick for most Idaho homes: the Jackery Solar Generator HomePower 3000. About 3,072Wh and 3,600W, it runs the fridge, Wi-Fi, lights, and phone charging for one to two days — silently, with zero exhaust, safe to run indoors with the doors shut. Its included panels recharge it once the sun is back, whether the line came down in a windstorm or Idaho Power switched it off on purpose.
▶ Get the HomePower 3000 — our pick for Idaho use code DEAL5
Idaho Power now shuts off lines on purpose
Wildfire risk changed how Idaho’s biggest utility operates. Idaho Power adopted a wildfire mitigation plan that includes Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) — deliberately de-energizing a line on hot, dry, windy days so a downed wire or wind-blown branch can’t spark a fire. The company ran its first-ever PSPS event on 24 July 2024, cutting power to about 9,100 customers in northern Boise and Ada County when gusts hit 59 mph on top of heat and dry vegetation. Some homes were back on by 11pm; others waited until after 3am. It won’t be the last one, and unlike a storm outage, a PSPS is planned days ahead, which is exactly the warning window a charged battery needs.
The outages Idaho has actually had
The recent record, beyond the 2024 PSPS:
The 17 November 2015 windstorm. A single storm knocked out power to 180,000 Avista customers across eastern Washington and north Idaho — the worst outage in the company’s 126-year history, affecting roughly half its customer base. Three days later, 70,000 were still dark. On Thanksgiving, over 3,000 remained without power. The last customer wasn’t restored until 27 November, ten days after the wind hit.
Treasure Valley winter storms. Boise-area ice and heavy snow regularly load lines and drop branches onto them, and Idaho Power’s rural feeders in Canyon and Ada counties can take a day or more to fully restore after a bad system moves through.
Panhandle windstorms and wildfire smoke. Avista’s territory around Coeur d’Alene sits in the same wind corridor that produced the 2015 event, and summer wildfire smoke periodically triggers precautionary line work of its own.
Why restoration takes time. Idaho Power, Avista, and Rocky Mountain Power each restore substations and towns first and work outward, so a home on a long rural feeder — a farm outside Twin Falls, a cabin in the Panhandle — is restored last by design. Our Montana and Washington guides cover the same problem in the neighboring states that share Idaho’s grid corridors.
What actually has to stay on
You don’t need to run the whole house, just the handful of things that keep a family fed, warm, and connected. A fridge draws about 150W, ten LED bulbs roughly 50W together, a Wi-Fi router near 10W, and phone charging about 20W. Add a furnace blower and you’re near 300W to 600W of steady draw — comfortably within a mid-size battery’s reach.
▶ Shop the HomePower 3000 — panels included use code DEAL5
How long each Jackery runs an Idaho home’s essentials
Size against energy per day, not the wattage on the label.
| Load | Typical draw | Energy per day |
|---|---|---|
| Fridge/freezer | ~150W running (cycling) | ~1,200Wh |
| Gas furnace blower + ignition | ~400 to 600W while running | ~2,500 to 4,000Wh in cold weather |
| Wi-Fi router | ~10W | ~240Wh |
| LED lights (ten bulbs) | ~50W | ~300Wh (6 hrs) |
| Phone and laptop charging | ~20 to 60W | ~150 to 250Wh |
| CPAP (humidifier off) | ~40W | ~400Wh per night |
| Window AC (summer PSPS day) | ~900 to 1,200W running | ~4,000 to 6,000Wh |
| Space heater | 1,500W | Not recommended |
Fridge, Wi-Fi, lights, and phones come to roughly 1,900Wh a day. Add a furnace blower in winter, or a window AC on a hot PSPS day, and the day runs closer to 5,000 to 6,000Wh.
HomePower 3000. At 3,072Wh it covers fridge, Wi-Fi, lights, and phones for one to two days per charge, plus whatever a clear day puts back through the included panels. It is 120V only and not expandable.
HomePower 3600 Plus. 3,584Wh and 3,600W, expandable to 21kWh, which turns a multi-day windstorm or PSPS event into a non-event even with the furnace blower or a window AC running.
Solar Generator 5000 Plus. 5,040Wh, 7,200W, 120V and 240V, expandable to 60kWh — the only one of the three that runs a 240V well pump or central AC.
| Unit | Capacity / output | Best for in Idaho | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| HomePower 3000 (our pick) | 3,072Wh · 3,600W · panels included | Essentials for 1 to 2 days of a windstorm, PSPS, or winter outage | Check price → |
| HomePower 3600 Plus | 3,584Wh · 3,600W · to 21kWh | Multi-day windstorms like November 2015, furnace on a transfer switch | Check price → |
| Solar Generator 5000 Plus | 5,040Wh · 7,200W · 120V/240V · to 60kWh | Well pump or central AC on a rural feeder or a hot PSPS day | Check price → |
▶ Shop the HomePower 3600 Plus — expandable to 21kWh
The gas-generator problem in a closed-up house
An Idaho cold snap keeps everyone inside with the doors sealed, and that’s exactly when a gas generator becomes a hazard — its exhaust is dangerous indoors, it needs fuel on hand, and it roars at 60 to 90 decibels next to the house. A solar generator sidesteps all of that. Jackery’s LiFePO4 units run near 30 decibels, produce zero exhaust so they’re safe indoors, hold their charge for months, and start instantly no matter how cold it is.
Solar generator vs gas generator for an Idaho outage
- Indoor safety and carbon monoxide. A battery station vents nothing and runs in the utility room with the house sealed. A gas generator sits outside, well away from windows.
- Noise. About 30 decibels versus 60 to 90 — a real difference on a quiet PSPS evening.
- Warning time. A PSPS is announced days ahead. Charge the battery when the warning goes out; a gas generator still needs fuel bought and stored.
- Cold starting. Push a button, or fight a pull cord in a Treasure Valley freeze.
- Maintenance. Oil, carburetor, and monthly test runs for gas. A monthly top-up for the battery.
- What gas still does better. A very long outage with no sun, and whole-house 240V at a low upfront cost.
Set-up checklist before the next storm or shutoff warning
- Charge to full when Idaho Power issues a PSPS warning. These come with days of notice — use them.
- Keep it indoors, above freezing in winter. A closet, utility room, or garage that stays above freezing.
- Map which outlets and which loads. Fridge, furnace, router, one lamp per room. Tape the list to the unit.
- Buy extension cords rated for the load. A short 12-gauge cord for the fridge and furnace runs.
- Test the furnace on the battery once in autumn, before the first cold snap.
- Keep the panels accessible. Store them where you can set them up quickly, clear of snow in winter.
- Pair the HomePower 3600 Plus with a transfer switch for hardwired circuits like the furnace. Licensed electrician only.
- Keep a battery-powered CO alarm regardless. A furnace or a neighbor’s generator can still put CO in the house.
▶ Get the HomePower 3000 charged before the next warning use code DEAL5
Set it up before wildfire season or the first winter storm, keep it topped off, and it’s ready the moment the line goes dark — whether Idaho Power planned it or the weather did. It’s worth checking current deals first.
Keep reading: Idaho solar incentives & costs · How to keep power during a Montana outage · Solar battery backup vs rooftop solar (Washington) · Solar generator vs gas generator