Use this guide
Choose the questions relevant to your situation. Expand each answer, save the checklist and request written clarification where evidence is missing.
If an outage threatens access to a life-sustaining device, seek emergency services immediately; do not wait for solar or battery troubleshooting. FDA’s medical-device disaster guidance addresses this urgency. Prepare with your healthcare team and device supplier before an outage.
Questions homeowners ask
Does rooftop solar establish a medical device power plan?
No. DOE explains that ordinary grid-dependent solar stops supplying power during a grid outage; backup needs an appropriate configuration. A solar or battery proposal also does not establish suitability for a particular medical device. Review the device’s instructions with its manufacturer or supplier and your healthcare team before relying on a home backup arrangement.
Source: DOE: solar resilience and outage configuration. Reviewed 2026-10-07.
Who confirms whether a device can use a battery or generator?
FDA advises reading the device’s instructions or calling its distributor or manufacturer to determine whether it can use batteries or a generator. Obtain an answer for the exact device and proposed power source, and check intended-use restrictions in the power product’s documentation. A residential backup sales description is not that confirmation.
Source: FDA: medical devices, natural disasters and power outages. Reviewed 2026-10-07.
What belongs in the care team’s contingency plan?
FDA’s home-device checklist calls for a backup plan, emergency and after-hours contacts, appropriate extra supplies and caregiver education. Ask your healthcare team and device supplier to explain the actions for loss of power, device failure and loss of the backup source. Keep their device-specific instructions readily available. This guide does not prescribe treatment or select alternative care.
Source: FDA: home healthcare medical-device checklist. Reviewed 2026-10-07.
Which other device dependencies should I record?
FDA identifies electricity, running water, computer connections, backup supplies and compatible power sources and outlets as home-use considerations. Ask the care team and supplier which apply to your device. Restored electrical power alone does not resolve every operating dependency. Record their answers rather than assuming the battery addresses them all.
Source: FDA: home-use device dependencies and manufacturer guidance. Reviewed 2026-10-07.
Should the utility know that a medical device needs power?
FDA advises notifying the electric company and fire department about an electrically powered medical device. Use their actual local procedures and retain the response. Do not infer that notification guarantees electricity, priority restoration or a particular customer program; verify what the organization actually offers.
Source: FDA: medical devices, natural disasters and power outages. Reviewed 2026-10-07.
What should happen after power returns or equipment gets wet?
FDA says to check that medical-device settings have not changed after power returns and not to plug in a wet device or cord. Follow the device’s instructions and contact the supplier or care team about uncertainty or damage. Do not use this guide to change treatment settings or enter an unsafe area.
Source: FDA: medical devices, natural disasters and power outages. Reviewed 2026-10-07.
Does a medical need make indoor portable-generator use safe?
No. CPSC’s May 2026 guidance says portable generators belong outdoors, at least 20 feet from homes and buildings, with exhaust directed away from windows, doors and vents. Never run one in a garage or other enclosed area even with doors open. Keep working carbon monoxide and smoke alarms; if an alarm sounds, get outside immediately and call 911.
Source: CPSC: May 2026 portable-generator safety guidance. Reviewed 2026-10-07.
Your decision checklist
- Keep current instructions for the exact medical device.
- Confirm permitted power sources with the manufacturer or supplier.
- Review a device-specific contingency plan with the healthcare team.
- Request the installer’s actual backed-up circuit schedule.
- Record any other supplier-confirmed operating dependencies.
- Keep emergency and after-hours contacts available privately.
- Resolve changes with responsible professionals without outage tests.
Save or print this guide from your browser. Keep completed records privately.
Keep the care plan and home backup evidence distinct
| Record | Who confirms it and what to retain |
|---|---|
| Exact device | Model, current instructions and verified supplier contact; keep health information private. |
| Approved power source | Manufacturer or supplier confirmation for the proposed source, relevant restrictions and unanswered questions. |
| Home backup scope | Installer’s documented backed-up circuits and source limits; do not assume every outlet is covered. |
| Care instructions | Care-team contingency plan for loss of mains, device failure and unavailable backup; retain separately from sales documents. |
| Other dependencies | Supplier’s requirements for water, communications, supplies and environment, where applicable. |
| People and contacts | Caregiver instruction, emergency and after-hours contacts, and actual utility/local-service responses. |
| Review and changes | Dated confirmations and a plan review when device, care needs or electrical equipment changes. |
Fictional circuit example: a battery proposal lists selected backed-up circuits, while a caregiver expects an outlet elsewhere in the home to remain energized. The installer’s circuit schedule and the device supplier’s power requirements address different questions. Ask both providers to resolve the mismatch in the actual plan. This scenario assigns no device runtime, clinical suitability or safe interruption interval.
Fictional records example: a homeowner receives a solar estimate and assumes its annual energy total proves continuous power for an unspecified medical device. The care team has not supplied outage instructions, and the supplier has not confirmed the proposed power source. Those missing confirmations remain open even if the solar estimate is reasonable. Do not use an annual generation estimate as a medical contingency plan.
Reviewed October 7, 2026 against FDA’s disaster and power-outage advice, home-device checklist and home-use FAQ, DOE’s solar resilience explanation and CPSC’s May 2026 generator safety guidance. These sources support narrow safety and preparation points. FDA does not recommend a specific medical device. We endorse no medical device, battery, generator or solar product and do not certify their suitability. Current device instructions, product restrictions, professional electrical review and your healthcare team’s plan govern individual decisions.
Our organizer is an editorial aid for conversations with the responsible professionals, not a legal requirement or a substitute for medical advice. Keep clinical details and emergency contacts out of public solar posts and shared worksheets. A solar provider generally needs the agreed electrical requirements and project scope; agree with the care team what information is necessary before sharing private health records. Never disconnect a medical device, simulate an outage or alter protective equipment to test this checklist. Arrange any demonstration through the responsible professionals.
Continue with battery and backup scope questions, generator compatibility records and safe storm-recovery observations. Solar Survey AI’s evidence methodology can help organize site observations and unresolved electrical questions. For a separate property concern, confirm available inspection scope, location availability, qualifications, access, fees and conflicts before booking. Third-party does not automatically mean independent. Our survey services do not approve medical-device power sources, prescribe a care plan or provide emergency response. Homeowner monitoring connections and planned free remote diagnosis remain coming soon.
About these guides
Published by Solar Survey AI, a commercial survey-services company. Our original decision checklists are recommendations; linked authorities support the referenced facts. We may benefit if you purchase our services. This is not independent certification of our company, a project-specific engineering decision or personal tax/legal advice. Local rules, contracts and site evidence control individual decisions. Reviewed 2026-10-07.
For available survey or inspection services, confirm your project scope and availability with our team. Our planned free homeowner remote diagnosis remains coming soon.
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