These homeowners kept their power running during blackouts—you can, too

As extreme weather and power outages become more frequent and intense, energy resilience—the ability to keep power on when the grid fails—is no longer a luxury but a necessity.

Energy resilience can take many forms, from massive solar projects that keep entire communities running to a couple of batteries tucked away in your garage. We spoke with entrepreneurs and homeowners across that spectrum to learn practical ways anyone can boost their power security, no matter the budget.

Syd Kitson, a former NFL player turned sustainability developer, founded Babcock Ranch—a solar-powered town in Southwest Florida with over 5,000 residents. In 2022, Hurricane Ian put his vision to the ultimate test: The Category 4 storm hit the community head-on with 160 mph winds.

"I can remember sitting in my home and watching the weather, and the weather person said, 'it's headed right for Babcock Ranch,'" said Kitson. "That thing sat on top of us for eight hours."

The devastating hurricane knocked out power to over 4.45 million homes and businesses across the state, but Babcock Ranch never lost power.

The town’s secret isn’t just solar panels and batteries—though the community had both ready to deploy—but thoughtful infrastructure planning. Babcock partnered with Florida Power & Light to weather-proof its electrical grid, including burying all power lines and using concrete poles. Combined with strategic construction around natural waterways, the community was prepared to endure the hurricane.

"Everything we had worked on, everything we had done to plan for this, had worked. And it really proved out that if you do the right thing and you think ahead of time of what needs to be done, you can be very successful," Kitson said.

You may have heard of Matt Ferrell, who created the popular YouTube channel Undecided with Matt Ferrell. His energy resilience journey started small: He bought solar panels and a battery at his previous Massachusetts home to provide additional peace of mind during New England winter storms.

When designing his new eco-friendly home, Ferrell went all-in with a solar and battery system large enough to achieve net-zero energy use, which means it produces as much energy as his family consumes. The investment cost was about $90,000, but he says it was worth it.

"There's just no worry. Once, I was sitting at my computer, and the power was out in the neighborhood, and we never knew,” he said, explaining the benefits of adding solar and storage to his home. “It's that sense of security for my family, knowing that we won't have spoiled food in the fridge, knowing that we don't have to worry about this kind of stuff…to me, that sense of relief makes it all worthwhile."

Ferrell said the solar energy system will save him $196,000 over 30 years, but he emphasizes his approach isn't for everyone.

"I look at the content that I've been putting together as a menu,” he said.“ Look at all the different options, but you don't have to do all the options." A system design that works well for one property may not work for another, and homeowners have varying energy priorities.

Army veteran Adam Lawrence lives in Orlando, Florida, with six family members and was experiencing regular power outages. There were just enough to be genuinely frustrating—and push him into taking action.

"We probably have an outage once a quarter or something like that for a few hours. And if it's nighttime in Florida, it's tough to sleep if your AC goes out," he said.

Lawrence first tried a traditional generator, but said the experience was miserable.

"I remember we lost power, and it was raining, and it was 3 a.m. We had a little AC window unit, and I had to get that working because we had a 7-month-old," said Lawrence. "So I'm out there hooking up propane tanks, getting the generators, setting up the interlock…and that's when I was like, 'Okay, I’ve got to figure something else out.'"

Plus, the generator was loud. "Running a generator at two in the morning is fine for me because my AC's on and I can sleep, but it's not the best for my buddy and his wife who live next door."

This past summer, Lawrence installed solar panels and batteries. It doesn’t zero out his energy use like Ferrell’s, but the system produces about two-thirds of their family's daily energy needs and provides backup power when needed, which Lawrence says is enough.

“You never really know how bad things can get, and seeing these things happen across the world, a lot of people think this can't happen here. But it can, and I'd rather be prepared for it than not,” Lawrence said.

In rural Pyrmont, New Hampshire, where there are fewer than 800 residents, Vernon and Jane Jones spent over two decades dreaming about going solar before contacting an installer in August. For them, power outages aren’t only inconvenient, but also impact their access to water from their drilled well—a critical necessity on their property

"With that kind of grid dependency, we really didn't want to have a problem and be without water for weeks at a time," Vernon said.

“We need to protect our water supply if we should need it, or if anybody around us needs it when the power goes out,” Jane added.

Timing also worked in their favor: The Joneses are scheduled for an October installation, so they were able to secure the 30% federal tax credit before it expires at the end of 2025. This will help them save around $9,000 on their roughly $30,000 investment.

Installing a solar battery isn’t cheap. It typically costs about $11,000, but your ultimate electric bill savings also depends on other factors like where you live and how much energy your household uses daily.

That means that batteries may not make financial sense for every homeowner. But as Ferrell explains, "It's not just about the finances—it's also about energy security. I keep hammering home on that, because it's hard to put a price on that.”

Ferrell said the good news is that battery prices continue dropping over time, and new, more affordable options are hitting the market every day. However, he’s the first to admit that solar batteries aren’t the best solution for everyone.

"Don't take me as saying everybody should go get a battery, because everybody's use case will be different,” he explained. But if you're very concerned about energy security because of tornadoes or hurricanes or blackout conditions, or if you live in Florida…a battery is probably where you should be looking first."

If you can’t afford a battery or aren’t ready to make the financial commitment, there are more affordable ways to improve your home’s safety and efficiency with other simple clean energy upgrades.

“Home insulation is the lowest hanging fruit,” Ferrell said. “If you have access to a home energy audit, that will be the best money you can ever spend on your house. They'll give you recommendations, and then you can take it from there.”

As the country’s electrical grid faces increasing challenges—from severe weather to growing power demand from AI data centers and electric vehicles—energy security will only become more critical. Whether you're planning a comprehensive system like Matt's net-zero home, a practical solution like Adam's backup setup, or just getting started with solar like Vernon and Jane, the key is taking that first step toward home resiliency, no matter how small that step is.