POWER IT UP IF PRICE IS NO OBJECT

Candles and hand-cranked flashlightradios will prove handy in a blackout. More elaborate options are available, but may prove costly. Here are some high-tech ways to power your home and maintain communications during an emergency: Power sources Tesla Powerwall 2: This wall-sized lithium-ion battery stores electricity generated by rooftop solar panels or electricity from your home’s grid. The device can be attached to an interior or exterior wall or mounted on the ground. Powerwall’s Storm Watch function charges the device to maximum capacity when severe weather is predicted.

Cost: $5,900, with an added $700 for a Backup Gateway, which helps to monitor usage and connect after an outage, and $1,000 to $3,000 in installation fees. One Powerwall can generate enough power to cover a 1,100-squarefoot home, and two Powerwalls work for up to 4,600square-feet — though if you’re using an air-conditioner or electric vehicle, you may need more.

The catch: You’ll need rooftop solar panels to weather an extended power outage. Stored electricity from the grid in one Powerwall will last for less than two days if you’re running home appliances as usual. Alternatives: Competitors to the Powerwall include the yet-to-be-released Solpad Home, an all-in-one battery, inverter and solar panel optimizer that won’t require a wall mount. One system typically will be able to support a small house. The Solpad Home will be released in 2019, and the price will be determined then.

Power generators: Choices include a portable gasolinepowered backup generator or a permanently installed generator, powered by natural gas, propane or diesel, that automatically kicks in if the power goes off.

Cost: It varies wildly depending on your electrical needs; Honda’s wattage calculator can provide an estimate.

Home Depot’s website lists portables starting around $100, but only a couple meet the 15,000-watt requirement for running a house full of appliances — including refrigerator, microwave, furnace fan, flat-screen TV, washer, dryer, air conditioner, computer, monitor, garage door opener and DVD player.

Permanent generators are available for anywhere from $1,900 to $29,000, although a $3,500 model might be enough to make everything work in your house.

Communications

Satellite phones: If cell networks are incapacitated, landlines are down and Wi-Fi is unavailable, phones that connect to orbiting satellites might be the only option for communicating with loved ones and emergency services.

Cost: Iridium has the largest commercial communication satellite constellation with 66 satellites, enough to make a call from atop Mount Everest or from the North Pole to the Sahara. The Iridium Extreme 9575, which allows voice calls and SMS texting, costs $1,200 on satellite phone sites like BlueCosmo.com. Other phones start in the neighborhood of $500, but that doesn’t include a service plan. The Extreme 9575 also features an SOS button, which sends your location to a pre-programmed contact or emergency response service. Smartphone: Your phone can become a satellite phone with a device like Iridium GO! Global Smartphone Access, which creates a Wi-Fi hotspot that allows a connection of up to five smartphones and tablets to the satellites. The connection permits only one call at a time. It also supports texts and light email use, and it features the SOS button as well.

Cost: $775 for the unit, plus additional monthly data plan costs.

The catch: Satellite phone equipment requires some form of power to charge the batteries.

— Rebecca Aydin and Benny Evangelista

Iridium Phones that connect to satellites might be the only option for communicating with loved ones and emergency services.