In November 2024, a bomb cyclone slammed western Washington with hurricane-force gusts, toppling trees onto power lines and cutting electricity to roughly 600,000 homes and businesses — some for the better part of a week. It wasn’t a one-off. Just ten months earlier, a January 2024 ice storm coated east King County in glaze, downing trees onto lines around North Bend and leaving thousands of Puget Sound Energy (PSE) and Tanner Electric Cooperative customers without power from Wednesday morning through Friday. Washington has no single grid operator; the Bonneville Power Administration carries bulk power across the Northwest while PSE, Seattle City Light, Tacoma Power, and Avista run the local lines. If you’re comparing Washington solar quotes, here’s what most installers skip: a rooftop system does nothing for you in either of those outages unless you also have storage.
Our top pick for most Washington homes: the Jackery Solar Generator HomePower 3000. About 3,072Wh and 3,600W, it keeps the fridge, Wi-Fi, and lights running for one to two days — silently, with zero exhaust, safe to run indoors with the house shut against the wind and rain. Its included panels recharge it once the sky clears.
▶ Get the HomePower 3000 — our pick for Washington use code DEAL5
Two storms, one lesson: the grid in Washington goes down hard
The 2024 bomb cyclone was the headline event — hurricane-force gusts from the coast to Puget Sound, mature Douglas firs coming down across distribution lines, and roughly 600,000 customers dark at the peak, some for the better part of a week. But the pattern isn’t rare. The January 2024 ice storm two months earlier hit a smaller footprint — mainly North Bend and the hills of east King County — yet still took the better part of three days to fully clear, because ice-loaded branches kept falling onto freshly repaired lines. Puget Sound’s geography, dense conifer cover right up against the lines, and Pacific storm systems arriving one after another make a multi-day outage a recurring risk rather than a freak event.
Grid-tied means grid-dependent
The reason a rooftop system doesn’t help in either outage is anti-islanding, a safety feature built into every grid-tied inverter. When the utility line loses voltage, the inverter must stop producing so it can’t energize a “dead” line and hurt a crew working to restore it. The upshot: even on a bright, calm morning after the storm, a panels-only system stays dark because the grid is still down. Rooftop solar shaves your bill under Washington’s net metering rules, but it isn’t backup power.
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 through a multi-day windstorm outage.
| Load | Typical draw | Energy per day |
|---|---|---|
| Fridge/freezer | ~150W running (cycling) | ~1,200Wh |
| 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 |
| Sump pump (wet Pacific Northwest soil) | ~800 to 1,000W running | ~500 to 1,000Wh, storm-dependent |
| Space heater | 1,500W | Not recommended |
Fridge, Wi-Fi, lights, and phones come to roughly 1,900Wh a day. Add a furnace blower in a cold snap, or a sump pump working overtime in a soaking Pacific storm, and the day climbs toward 3,000 to 4,000Wh.
▶ Shop the HomePower 3000 — panels included use code DEAL5
How long each Jackery runs a Washington home’s essentials
HomePower 3000. At 3,072Wh it covers fridge, Wi-Fi, lights, and phones for one to two days per charge, plus whatever a clear-weather break 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 bomb-cyclone-style outage into something you barely notice, furnace blower and sump pump included.
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 heat pump.
| Unit | Capacity / output | Best for in Washington | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| HomePower 3000 (our pick) | 3,072Wh · 3,600W · panels included | Essentials for 1 to 2 days of a windstorm or ice-storm outage | Check price → |
| HomePower 3600 Plus | 3,584Wh · 3,600W · to 21kWh | Multi-day bomb-cyclone outages, furnace and sump pump on a transfer switch | Check price → |
| Solar Generator 5000 Plus | 5,040Wh · 7,200W · 120V/240V · to 60kWh | Well pump or heat pump on a rural east-county feeder | Check price → |
▶ Shop the HomePower 3600 Plus — expandable to 21kWh
Solar generator vs gas generator for a Washington outage
- Indoor safety and carbon monoxide. A battery station vents nothing and runs in a mudroom or garage with the house sealed against the storm. A gas generator has to sit outside, well away from windows and doors.
- Noise. About 30 decibels versus 60 to 90 for gas — a real difference when a whole block is already on edge from the wind.
- Warning time. A bomb cyclone or ice storm is usually forecast a day or two out. Charge the battery when the watch is issued; a gas generator still needs fuel bought and stored ahead of the run on stores.
- Cold starting. Push a button, or fight a pull cord in a January 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 lower upfront cost.
Set-up checklist before the next storm
- Charge to full as soon as a windstorm or ice-storm watch is issued. PSE, Seattle City Light, and the National Weather Service all give at least a day’s notice for the big Pacific systems.
- Keep it indoors and above freezing. A closet, mudroom, or garage that doesn’t drop below freezing overnight.
- Map which outlets and which loads. Fridge, furnace blower, sump pump, router, one lamp per room. Tape the list to the unit.
- Buy extension cords rated for the load, especially for the sump pump if your property sits low or near a creek.
- Test the sump pump and furnace on the battery once in autumn, before the first big storm of the season.
- Keep the panels accessible so you can set them up the moment the wind drops, even if the sky is still overcast.
- Pair the HomePower 3600 Plus with a transfer switch for hardwired circuits like the furnace or sump pump. Licensed electrician only.
- Keep a battery-powered CO alarm regardless — a neighbor’s gas generator can still put carbon monoxide near your house.
▶ Get the HomePower 3000 charged before the next storm use code DEAL5
The bottom line for Washington: solar lowers your bill, but only a battery keeps you running when the next bomb cyclone or ice storm puts the lights out across Puget Sound. Pair panels with even a modest backup, and a multi-day windstorm outage becomes something you ride out at home. It’s worth checking current deals first.
Keep reading: Washington solar incentives & costs · Solar battery backup vs rooftop solar (Oregon) · Solar battery backup vs rooftop solar (California) · Solar generator vs gas generator