Can You Use a Generator in an Apartment?

If you’re an apartment owner or renter shopping for a generator to protect yourself in a blackout and lower your electricity bills, your options have traditionally been limited at best…

But not anymore.

Thanks to recent innovations in solar power and battery technology, there are now affordable generator and home backup solutions that require very little space and are ideal for apartment use.

Interested in how you can safely achieve energy security for your apartment and save money on electricity bills?

Even if you don’t have access to sunlight?

You’ve come to the right place.

(Source: CPSC)

Can You Have a Generator if You Live in an Apartment?

Conventional gas, diesel, propane, and inverter generators are strictly off-limits indoors for apartment dwellers.

(Source: CPSC)

Portable generators that burn fossil fuels produce colorless, odorless carbon monoxide and other toxic emissions that “can kill in minutes.”

The Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends that gas generators only be operated outdoors at least 20 feet from your home, with the exhaust directed away from other buildings and your home.

Even if you have a balcony or terrace, that rules out gas generator usage for most apartments.

Additionally, many states, municipalities, homeowner’s associations, and leases restrict portable generator usage in apartment buildings.

Fortunately, a clean, renewable energy alternative to gas and other fossil fuels exists.

Solar generators.

Solar generators combine photovoltaic (PV) modules — like rigid or portable solar panels — with a portable power station to store electricity generated using the photovoltaic effect.

Unlike conventional portable generators, EcoFlow portable power stations are whisper-quiet and 100% safe for indoor use.

If you have access to an outdoor space that receives direct sunlight — such as a balcony or roof — a solar generator is the right choice if you want home energy security during blackouts and savings on your electricity bills.

Do Apartments Have Backup Generators?

Many large apartment buildings have backup generators to power elevators, common areas, and emergency lighting during power outages.

Depending on where you live and the number of units in your building, an emergency backup generator may be required by law.

However, very few apartment buildings have backup generators that supply electricity to individual units.

If you’re concerned about blackouts, you’ll have to fend for yourself.

What Kind of Generator Can You Use in an Apartment?

Conventional portable generators that consume fossil fuels like gas or propane ABSOLUTELY must not be used indoors at any time — especially in a confined space like an apartment.

All fossil fuels produce carbon monoxide (CO) when consumed by a generator, an odorless gas that can kill occupants in minutes.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t have reliable home backup power for your apartment.

If you live in an apartment that has usable outdoor space that receives direct sunlight, you can produce off-grid electricity with a solar generator and rigid, portable, or flexible solar panels.

Even if you have limited (or no) sun access, a portable power station can provide enough home battery backup to see you through even extended outages.

For example, EcoFlow DELTA Pro 3 provides up to 48kWh of LFP battery storage, 12,000W of AC output, and seven fast charging methods, including solar panels.

At 27.5 × 13.5 × 16 in (69.5 × 34 × 41 cm), it’s small enough to fit in virtually any apartment and light enough to take on the road.

DELTA Pro 3 offers 2600W Dual-PV Charging (150V), so you can connect up to 7 EcoFlow 400W rigid or portable solar panels per unit.

Up to 3 x DELTA Pro 3’s can be chained together if you need more power.

If peak sunlight is insufficient or unavailable for your apartment, you can recharge with an AC (household) wall plug or combine the two for lightning-fast multi-charging.

EcoFlow’s 800W Alternator Charger is ideal for staying powered up on the road. 

You can top up your DELTA Pro 3 by up to 1kWh an hour while you drive. 

Just because conventional portable generators are off-limits doesn’t mean you can’t have reliable home backup power and save money on electricity bills.

What Makes a Generator Suitable for Use in an Apartment?

Until recently, apartment dwellers seeking home energy security and lower electricity bills had very few options.

But thanks to innovations in battery and photovoltaic technology — like portable power stations and solar panels — renewable energy is within reach for many at an affordable price.

If you can’t generate electricity from sunlight, you can at least power your home during a blackout.

Here’s what to look for in solar generators and portable power stations for apartment use.    

No Deadly Emissions or Toxic Fumes

Any generator that consumes fossil fuels like gas or propane is strictly prohibited for indoor (and, in most cases, balcony) use.

Carbon monoxide emissions from conventional portable generators can kill you within minutes.

Even if you have outdoor space to install a gas generator at least twenty feet from the nearest window, noise and toxic fumes will cause complaints from your neighbors or worse.

Most apartment buildings and condominium owners’ associations have strict regulations against portable generator use.

Solar generators and portable power stations emit no toxic fumes or poisonous gases like carbon monoxide (CO) — they’re 100% safe for indoor use anywhere in your home.

(Source: Hearing Health Foundation)

Whisper-Quiet Operation

Portable gas generators are not only prohibited for indoor use — they’re LOUD!

Even relatively quiet inverter generators typically operate at 75 decibels (dB) or more — the equivalent of a large lawn mower from inside your home.

EcoFlow Smart Generator 4000 (Dual Fuel) is the quietest gas/LPG generator on the market at 70dB under full load.

But like all other fossil fuel generators, you can’t operate it indoors or close to an apartment. 

On the other hand, the EcoFlow DELTA 2 Max operates as quietly as 30dB — literally as loud as a whisper. 

No fumes, no noise, no maintenance — what more could you ask for in a generator?

Multiple Charging Options

If your apartment receives only a limited amount of sun, it may not be enough to fully charge a portable power station.

You don’t necessarily need a rooftop or balcony for solar panel installation…

You can mount PV modules outside a window that receives direct sunlight. 

If you don’t have access to a suitable outdoor installation site, you can still use a portable power station for home backup and save on electricity bills by minimizing Time of Use rates.  

From Essential to Whole Home Battery Backup

If installing solar panels at your location isn’t a viable option, having a generator in your apartment isn’t either.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t have reliable home backup power in case of power outages.

All of EcoFlow’s portable power stations have multiple charging options in addition to solar panels, including household wall plugs.

You can easily back up everything from essential appliances like a refrigerator to your home office — or your entire apartment.

EcoFlow’s River Series provides entry-level home backup at an affordable price, while the DELTA Series is a more robust option for running multiple high-wattage appliances and HVAC systems simultaneously.

Electricity Bill Savings

Virtually all utility grid providers and power companies in the United States utilize electricity demand charges.

Also known as Time-of-Use pricing, it means that you’re likely charged a different rate for electricity at specific times of day, seasonally, or based on some other arbitrary criteria.

By avoiding on-peak rates, you can save a significant amount on your electricity bills.

If you’re able to generate electricity with solar panels at your location, you can restrict grid power use to off-peak hours.

If not, you use the EcoFlow App to schedule auto-switch appliances into the portable power station to run on battery power during on-peak hours and switch back automatically when your charge starts running out.

You can also integrate high-capacity portable power stations like EcoFlow DELTA Pro Ultra with your apartment’s circuit board using Smart Home Panel 2 or a transfer switch.

There’s even more good news…

EcoFlow DELTA Pro Ultra qualifies for the 30% Solar Tax Credit — with or without solar panels.

If you pay federal income taxes and install an eligible clean energy system at your primary residence in the United States, you should be eligible for a 30% credit for your total purchase and installation costs of a new photovoltaic (solar panel) system and/or home battery backup against your tax liability.

Find out more about the Residential Clean Energy Credit here.   

Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) for Sensitive Electronics

If you do remote work or have a desktop computer for gaming, you’re probably familiar with Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) systems. 

Sensitive electronics that plug into household wall outlets are easily damaged by blackouts, brownouts, and power surges — particularly storage devices like internal or external hard drives or desktop computers.

Laptops are slightly less likely to be damaged due to battery storage, but do you really want to take a chance with your data storage and expensive electronics?

Surge-protecting power strips can mitigate against catastrophic damage but do nothing to protect you from losing your work, high score, or data during a blackout. 

Even imperceptible “brownouts” from variations in grid power can put your precision electronics at risk.

All unconditioned power from a household wall plug is subject to total harmonic distortion (THD).

By placing a high-performance UPS in the chain between grid power and your sensitive electronics, you can prevent damage and other negative consequences from THD and power outages.

Many cheap UPS solutions give you anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes to shut down your home office or other vulnerable devices during an outage.

Many portable power stations, power banks, and UPS units advertise uninterrupted backup but take 30 milliseconds (ms) or more to auto-switch to the battery in a blackout.

30ms isn’t long — but it’s long enough to permanently damage sensitive devices.

EcoFlow RIVER 3 Plus is the ideal starter battery for backing up your home office. 

It offers professional-level data center UPS protection at an affordable price with a switchover time of ~10ms.

What Size Generator Do You Need for an Apartment?

When it comes to purchasing a solar generator for your apartment, there’s no such thing as one-size-fits-all.

The AC output and battery storage required depends on numerous factors, primarily:

• Apartment size
• Number of occupants
• Usage and consumption patterns

According to the latest Residential Energy Consumer Survey, the average American home in 2020 was 1,818 square feet and consumed 10,566kWh of electricity per year — about 29kWh per day.

Such statistics can be useful benchmarks, but there’s no substitute for calculating your own household electricity needs.

There are two primary factors to consider.

1. The total starting and running watts of all the appliances you want to operate simultaneously. The AC output of your generator should exceed the combined total wattage by at least 10%. AC output is measured in watts (W) and kilowatts (kW).   
2. The period of time you want your appliances to run between battery charges. Storage capacity is typically measured in watt-hours (Wh) and kilowatt-hours (kWh). 

Learn more about calculating electricity consumption.

If you’re using solar panels to charge your portable power station, estimating the amount of electricity you can expect your array to generate is also helpful.

Learn about estimating solar panel electricity generation here.

How To Set Up a Generator for Use in an Apartment

Unless you want to integrate a solar generator or portable power station with your apartment’s circuit board,  the setup procedure is straightforward.

Connecting to your existing wiring requires a licensed electrician to install a transfer switch, but it’s a quick job for a trained professional.

You should never attempt it yourself, though, as working with high-voltage power is dangerous and likely a violation of your building code.

Faulty wiring puts your apartment and everyone else in the building at risk.

Here are step-by-step instructions on how to install a standalone EcoFlow solar generator in your home.

1. Install Your Solar Panels

Whether you’re installing a single 220W Bifacial Portable Solar Panel on your balcony or several 400W rigid solar panels on your roof, it’s essential to position them to capture the maximum amount of direct sunlight during the day.  Learn how to determine the best direction for solar panels here.

2. Plug Your Solar Panels Into the Generator*

Once you’ve connected your solar panels together in series, parallel, or a hybrid of both, plug the last PV module in the chain into the portable power station. Be careful not to exceed the maximum wattage, voltage, and amperage of the solar input on your portable power station.

3. Connect Your Devices and Appliances

EcoFlow portable power stations make it easy to plug multiple devices, appliances, and systems to the front or rear of the unit.

Depending on the model you choose, you’ll find many of the most common plug and cable outputs, including:

• AC (household) plugs
• USB-A
• USB-C
• DC car charger

More advanced models, like EcoFlow DELTA Pro, include various other output options, some of which require a specialized adapter. 

For example:

• Grounded adapter for electric vehicle (EV) charging
• Double voltage hub (for connecting 2 x DELTA Pros and optional Smart Extra Batteries)

You can also purchase an EcoFlow EV X-Stream Adapter, allowing you to charge your DELTA Pro at thousands of level 2 AC EV charging stations worldwide.

*Optional Step: Home Wiring Integration

As mentioned above, some EcoFlow solar generators — such as DELTA 2 Max, DELTA Pro 3, and DELTA Pro Ultra — support integration with your apartment’s circuit board using Smart Home Panel 2 or a transfer switch.

Any integration with your apartment’s circuit board must be done by a licensed electrician.

It’s also a good idea to check if your building or locality has any restrictions on altering electrical systems.

If you go ahead with the integration, wait until the electrician has finished with installation and testing before connecting/reconnecting solar panels to the unit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Thoughts

Conventional portable generators aren’t an option for apartments, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have home energy security and save on electricity bills.

EcoFlow DELTA Pro 3 is just one of the solar generators and portable power stations we offer that are 100% safe for indoor use.

Check out our selection today.

Remember, you can still stay powered up in a blackout and take advantage of off-peak electricity rates even without sunlight access.