If you are looking for a generator for your apartment, we’ve got you covered. In this article we will look at the 5 best choices on the market today, with a bit of a description and review of each of them.
To be clear right from the start, though, you cannot use a normal gas powered generator for most apartments – they are not safe or suitable for indoor use!
And so here we will look at a very special product – the solar generator, or portable power station – which can safely be used inside – perfect for backup in case of extreme weather or power outages, and also great gear to take with you, camping, fishing, to job sites or wherever you need portable power.
If you’d like to get right to the good stuff, here are my top picks for best generators for apartments:
- The Best Apartment Generator Overall: Bluetti Portable Power Station AC200P, 2000Wh LiFePO4 Battery Backup
- Best Generator for Small Apartments: DBPOWER SYD-N036 Portable Power Station 500W (Peak 1000W) Solar Generator
- Best Generator for Medium Sized Apartments: Jackery Explorer 1000 Portable Power Station 1002Wh Solar Generator
- Best Generator for Apartments – High Power: Jackery Explorer 3000 Pro Portable Power Station 3024Wh Solar Generator
- Best Generator for Apartment Buildings: Generac 7043 22kW Home Standby Generator with, 200-Amp Transfer Switch
Can You Use a Generator Indoors?
Yes and no – we need to be as clear as possible about this: normal gas powered generators, whether fueled by gasoline, propane, LP gas, diesel or anything else, are not appropriate or safe for indoor use.
But apartments have blackouts too, just like anywhere else, and if you want to make sure you can keep working, keep your food cold, or even just have emergency lights during a power outage, you’re going to need a good and reliable power generator.
So the answer – and, I have to say, a fantastic product to have – is a solar powered generator.
The best solar powered generators have big rechargeable battery packs built in, and can take a charge from either a normal wall outlet or from solar panels (which are usually sold separately).
Of course you can’t charge one from the wall during a power outage, but good solar generators – which are also called portable power stations – can be charged when there is power, and should hold that charge for a long time, and offer hours of electricity from that single charge. In fact, though we call them solar generators, you can use your power station to full capacity without ever getting solar panels for it – again, you just can’t recharge them during the actual blackout.
But with the optional solar panels you can, and if the outage is extended, or if you are using your new portable power station outdoors, you can use solar panels to recharge that battery, as many times as you need – really quite brilliant, and something I think most people – in apartments or anywhere else – should have on hand.
So the next question is:
Who makes the best portable power station?
And that’s just what we’ll look at next, in this list of the best solar generators available today.
At the end of the article I will even briefly mention a large, permanently installed backup generator for powering an entire apartment building, but I assume that’s not why most of you are here, and the first four recommendations are for small, portable solar units, suitable for indoor use and perfect for your apartment – and for so much more!
The Best Generators for Apartments in 2024
Table could not be displayed.The Best Solar Generator Overall
Bluetti Portable Power Station AC200P, 2000Wh LiFePO4 Battery Backup
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- Power Output: 2000 Wh
- Charge Time (Solar): 3 – 3.5 Hours
- Charge Time (Wall Outlet): 2.5 – 6 Hours
- Solar Panels Included: No – get Bluetti PV200 Solar Panels
There’s no question – the Bluetti portable power station is an expensive unit, especially considering you have to purchase the optional Bluetti solar panel separately!
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If you are looking for a smaller, less expensive solar generator that is more than enough for almost any apartment, read on, because our next several choices are a lot more affordable, and still great products.
But for the finest, most reliable solar generator you can get, and one that will power pretty much everything you have – even most window-mount air conditioners – the Bluetti AC200P is the best choice, and probably the best portable power station I’ve ever found.
With 2,000 watts of output power, in fact, you can run lights, appliances, electronics, a CPAP machine and more all at the same time, and basically have a normal flow of activity even during blackouts or extreme weather. Six normal AC outlets help facilitate this, and there are also several USB charging ports and DC plugs as well.
For the highest power, the best design and usability there’s no question that the Bluetti AC200P solar generator is a fantastic product, but the real draw here is the extremely high quality of the 200 – really the finest material and build quality, the best battery and circuitry, and a great company backing it all up, all come together to make the premium AC200P the best generator for apartments on the market today.
Best Generator for Apartments – Low Power
DBPOWER SYD-N036 Portable Power Station 500W (Peak 1000W) Solar Generator
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- Power Output: 500 Wh
- Charge Time (Solar): 7.5 Hours
- Charge Time (Wall Outlet): 5 Hours
- Solar Panels Included: No – get Dokio 160W Solar Panels
There are definitely smaller and less powerful solar generators you can get, like the nice Grecell T300, and they will get at least most of the job done.
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But with 500 watts of power, this DBPower SYD-N036 power station will power all of your appliances and gadgets easily, even at the same time, and its pure sine wave power makes it totally safe for even the most sensitive electronics.
The DBPower 500W generator is also an exceptionally reliable unit for the money, and so perfect for CPAP usage or other critical equipment. The outlet panel has two 120 volt AC outlets as well as a DC outlet and several USB ports. There’s also an emergency light and a nicely designed and truly useful information and monitoring display.
For long lasting, clean and safe power, excellent build quality and ultimate reliability, and for the best and most useful design and layout, the DBPower SYD-N036 portable power station is the best budget generator for apartments I’ve found – again, you could spend a bit less, but the DBPower is not expensive, and for this type of gear you really need and want this level of quality.
Best Generator for Apartments – Mid-Range
Jackery Explorer 1000 Portable Power Station 1002Wh Solar Generator
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- Power Output: 1002 Wh
- Charge Time (Solar): 9 Hours
- Charge Time (Wall Outlet): <2 Hours
- Solar Panels Included: No – get Jackery SolarSaga 100W Solar Panels
The Jackery Explorer Series portable power stations may be the most popular line of solar generators in the world, and their 1000 watt generator is really ideal for most normal to large apartments – as well as for camping, portable use, job sites and a million other uses.
I call the Jackery 1000 the best apartment generator at the ‘mid-range’ power level, but we should make it clear that this is quite a powerful unit, and more than most people would need – with a thousand watts output, the Jackery 1000 can run almost anything you can think of, including even most window-mount or portable air conditioners, and can run most smaller appliances and gadgets at the same time – really, plenty of power for normal activities and medium to large apartments.
The 1000 has 3 normal AC outlets, a 12 volt DC outlet and several type A and type C usb ports, as well as a basic power level monitor, and that’s about it – a very simple and easy to use machine. All of the AC power utilizes pure sine wave technology, making it totally safe for all your sensitive electronic gadgets.
Also included are all the cables and connectors you need for charging your new Jackery from solar, AC or car battery sources – though, as with most solar generators, you do need to purchase the actual solar panels separately.
But perhaps the most important thing to consider here is the legendary Jackery quality and reliability – again, as with all the other choices on this list of best apartment generators, you could save a few dollars and get a lesser machine that will still probably be fine, but for emergency backup you don’t want to scrimp, and Jackery generators are a beautiful example of what you can get by spending a little more.
A big, high power generator that is seriously overbuilt and truly premium quality, the Jackery 1000 is a brilliant choice if you want plenty of power, ease of use, absolute dependability and long life – easily the best mid-range power generator for apartments I know and, though not cheap, an amazing value!
Best Generator for Apartments – High Power
Jackery Explorer 3000 Pro Portable Power Station 3024Wh Solar Generator
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- Power Output: 3024 Wh
- Charge Time (Solar): 9 Hours
- Charge Time (Wall Outlet): 2.4 Hours
- Solar Panels Included: No – get Jackery SolarSaga 200W Solar Panels
We come right back to Jackery for our next recommendation, this time for the best large solar generator for apartments, with the Jackery 3000 Pro portable power station.
The 3000 Pro is really a high power unit, perfectly suitable for the largest apartments, for heavy usage and busy families, and will run a full complement of appliances and electronics – including air conditioners, electric ovens and microwaves – all at the same time.
Like all Jackery products, and like all the picks on this list of best apartment generators, the Jackery 3000 Pro is perfectly safe for sensitive electronics, including computers, phones and tablets, televisions and gaming systems, smart appliances and more, and its superior reliability and dependability make the 3000 ideal for CPAP usage and other critical equipment.
With a smart but very basic and easy to read monitoring panel, a full array of electrical outlets – including 4 fully grounded AC outlets, a 12 volt dc plug, 2 each of USB type A and type C ports and even a 30 amp locking plug, this is a remarkably easy and highly useful product, and it includes all of the connectors and cables you need – though you do need to purchase the solar panels separately.
Even though it is such big and powerful unit, the Jackery 3000 Pro is easy to move and position, with a solid and stable handle and wheels on the bottom, and for its size the 3000 Pro is remarkably quiet (essentially silent) and totally safe for any environment, especially given Jackery’s industry leading safety and protection circuitry.
Any Jackery Solar Generator is an automatic recommendation, and they do make units as low as 300 watts – you can see the whole line HERE – but if you have a large apartment, especially with air conditioning, a wide range of appliances and several occupants, a 3000 watt generator is ideal, allowing you to carry on pretty much normally during severe weather and even extended power outages, and the Jackery 3000 Pro is the finest one on the market today.
Best Backup Generator for Apartment Buildings
Generac 7043 22kW Home Standby Generator with, 200-Amp Transfer Switch
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- Power Output: 19,500 Watts
- Startup Power: 22,000 Watts
- Voltage: 240/120
- Transfer Switch: Included, 200 Amp
- Mobile Link Wifi Connectivity
- Natural Gas or LP Gas Operation
- Noise Level: 67 DBa
A whole-building generator, or what we would call a ‘standby system,’ is really outside of the scope of this article, which is more about individual use power backup systems that can be used indoors.
But if you are here looking for an appropriate standby system for a small apartment building, I can definitely steer you in the right direction: Generac power generators are incredibly well made industrial grade systems for remarkably low prices – easy to understand why they’ve become probably the most popular standby systems on the market today.
A Generac standby system will have plenty of power for small buildings, with both 120 and 240 volt feeds, and will include a transfer switch for automatic activation in the event of a power blackout. It would be permanently installed outside, and is housed in an appropriately durable and weather resistant frame, which also greatly attenuates the noise, making the generator pretty much unnoticeable when you’re inside.
While they do need to be connected to a LP or natural gas line, and require professional installation by a licensed electrician, it makes a lot of sense to purchase your standby generator online – my choice, for example, is significantly less expensive online than you can typically find it from local dealers.
And, speaking of my choice, my strongest recommendation for most small apartment buildings would be the Generac 7043, with nearly 20,000 watts of stable, clean electrical power, essentially industrial quality in materials and construction, wifi connectivity and a brilliant app for control and monitoring. As good as it gets – at least without spending a lot (really, a lot) more – the 7043, like all Generac standby systems, is made in the US, and comes with a full 5 year factory warranty.
You can also choose a smaller Generac standby system, like the excellent Generac 7172 which, with 10,000 watts, is suitable for very small apartment buildings or for emergency lights, critical operations and common area power. And for big apartment buildings you really should consult a professional contractor.
But if you have two or three floors, and maybe up to 20 or so units, the Generac 7043 is the perfect choice for emergency backup, and is not just one of the finest standby systems I know at this level, but easily the best value as well.
