Mike De Socio is a CNET contributor who writes about energy, personal finance, electric vehicles and climate change. He's also the author of the nonfiction book, "Morally Straight: How the Fight for ...

Dealing with the expense and bother of setting up a home generator can seem like overkill until the power is out and you're unable to charge your phone, the food in your fridge is spoiling, your ...

There are two basic approaches to choosing generators for home use. For those who have critical power needs (because they work from home, or need to keep medical equipment running, for example) a ...

If you experience regular power outages or live somewhere that's considered high risk for disasters such as hurricanes or fires, a home generator or large power bank may be worth investing in. Both ...

Solar is no longer just a way to trim your utility bill; for many homeowners it is a serious contender to keep the lights on when the grid goes dark. Whether panels can truly stand in for a gas or ...

When a sudden power outage leaves your entire neighborhood in darkness, you know you're not the only one scrambling to find flashlights, but what if you never had to experience that inconvenience? At ...

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Maintenance cost is one of several you'll need to account for. Maintenance cost is one of several generator costs you'll need to ...

After Hurricane Ike knocked out electricity to most of Houston in 2008, my 83-year-old father fired up his portable generator, running extension cords through an open kitchen window to a handful of ...

If recent storms have you thinking about emergency backup power for your home, there are a lot of options to consider beyond extension cords plugged into a portable generator outside. There are other ...

Jeff Somers is a freelancer who has been writing about writing, books, personal finance, and home maintenance since 2012. When not writing, Jeff spends his free time fixing up his old house. He has ...