Keeping a CPAP and Other Medical Devices Running When SDG&E Shuts Off Power

If someone in your home depends on a CPAP, an oxygen concentrator or another powered device, a Public Safety Power Shutoff is more than an inconvenience. Here is how SDG&E’s notifications work, how much power common devices actually use, and how to keep them running for a night or for days.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OrLRiMkaHY

Key takeaways

• SDG&E’s Medical Baseline program may bring extra outreach during a shutoff, including in-person contact attempts. Notification is not backup power.
• A ResMed AirSense 11 CPAP draws about 56 watts, roughly 0.45 to 0.6 kWh over an eight-hour night.
• Oxygen concentrators are a different scale. A Philips EverFlo averages about 350 watts, or roughly 8.4 kWh a day.
• A portable power station can often cover a CPAP for a night or two. A home battery with solar covers the household and recharges every sunny day.
• Put the device on a backed-up circuit, test it before fire season, and ask your doctor and supplier what the device needs.

Frequently asked questions

How long will a CPAP run on a battery during a power outage?

It depends on the battery’s capacity. An AirSense 11 uses roughly 0.45 to 0.6 kWh over an eight-hour night, and most of that goes to heated humidification, so a portable power station can often cover a night or two, especially with the humidifier off if your doctor says that’s acceptable. Compare the station’s watt-hours to your device’s nightly use and leave a margin.

Does SDG&E notify Medical Baseline customers before a power shutoff?

SDG&E says Medical Baseline customers may receive additional support during a PSPS, including in-person contact attempts, on top of the calls, texts and emails every affected customer gets. Enrollment is what triggers the extra outreach, so apply before fire season.

Does SDG&E guarantee power for medical devices?

No. SDG&E’s Medical Baseline materials say the utility cannot guarantee uninterrupted service and that customers on life support should arrange a backup power supply.

Can a home battery run an oxygen concentrator?

Yes, with the right sizing. A home concentrator like the Philips EverFlo averages about 350 watts and often runs around the clock, roughly 8.4 kWh a day. A Tesla Powerwall 3 stores 13.5 kWh, and solar recharging during the day is what makes a multi-day shutoff manageable.

Does SDG&E help pay for backup power for medical devices?

The 2026 Generator Assistance Program offers a $150 rebate toward a portable power station ($200 for CARE and FERA customers) to customers in High Fire Threat District Tier 2 or Tier 3 areas who have experienced a PSPS. SDG&E’s Generator Grant Program also offers a short resiliency assessment by phone for Medical Baseline customers and customers with access and functional needs in those areas who have experienced a PSPS since 2019.

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For most households, a shutoff means warm drinks and a dark living room. For a household with a CPAP machine, an oxygen concentrator, a powered bed or a medication refrigerator, it means planning. The good news is that a Public Safety Power Shutoff is usually announced ahead of time, and the power these devices need is often smaller than people expect.

This article covers the power side of the plan. Talk to your doctor and your equipment supplier about the medical side, including what your device needs and how long it can safely go without power.

How SDG&E notifies Medical Baseline customers

SDG&E’s Medical Baseline program is best known for its billing benefit: extra gas and electricity at the lowest baseline rate, or a discount on untiered time-of-use plans, for households where someone has a qualifying medical need. It’s the program most people mean when they search for an “SDG&E CPAP discount” or a “medical device discount.” It also matters during shutoffs. SDG&E says Medical Baseline customers may receive additional support during a PSPS, including in-person contact attempts, on top of the calls, texts and emails every affected customer gets.

Two things are worth knowing:

• Enrollment is what triggers the extra outreach. If someone in your home uses a powered medical device and you’re not enrolled, apply now rather than at the start of fire season. We explain how the allowance works in our guide to the SDG&E Medical Baseline Allowance.
• Notification is not backup power. SDG&E’s own Medical Baseline materials say the utility cannot guarantee uninterrupted service and that customers on life support should arrange a backup power supply.

How much power a CPAP actually uses

Less than most people think. ResMed’s user guide for the AirSense 11 lists a typical power draw of about 56 watts, with a peak around 73 watts. Over an eight-hour night, that works out to roughly 0.45 to 0.6 kWh.

Most of that comes from the heated humidifier and heated tubing. ResMed’s figures for the earlier AirSense 10 show the machine alone using a small fraction of what it uses with humidification turned on. That’s useful during an outage: if your doctor says it’s acceptable to run without heated humidification for a night or two, your battery or power station will last much longer.

Oxygen concentrators are a different scale

A home oxygen concentrator draws far more than a CPAP and often runs around the clock. Philips lists its EverFlo home concentrator at about 350 watts on average. Run for 24 hours, that’s roughly 8.4 kWh a day, roughly 14 to 19 times what a CPAP uses in a night. Some newer concentrators use less, but the scale is the point. It needs to be in the plan from the start, not added at the last minute.

Option 1: a portable power station

A portable power station is a large rechargeable battery with outlets. For a CPAP, it’s often enough to cover a night or two, especially with the humidifier off.

• Check the capacity. Compare the station’s watt-hours to your device’s nightly use, and leave a margin.
• Check how it recharges. Once it’s empty, it needs a working outlet, a car, or a solar panel.
• Check whether SDG&E helps pay. The 2026 Generator Assistance Program offers a $150 rebate toward a portable power station ($200 for CARE and FERA customers) for customers in High Fire Threat District Tier 2 or Tier 3 areas who have experienced a PSPS.

SDG&E also runs a Generator Grant Program for Medical Baseline customers and customers with access and functional needs in those same areas who have experienced a PSPS since 2019. It offers a short resiliency assessment by phone and information on resources you may be eligible for.

Option 2: a home battery with solar

A power station covers one device. A home battery covers the household. During a shutoff, a Tesla Powerwall 3 disconnects your home from the grid automatically, stores 13.5 kWh and delivers up to 11.5 kW continuously. With solar panels, it recharges during the day, which is what makes a multi-day shutoff manageable for a home running an oxygen concentrator around the clock.

A few setup details make the difference:

• Put the device on a backed-up circuit. If your system uses partial backup, make sure the bedroom outlet for the CPAP or concentrator is on the backup panel. Label it.
• Turn on Storm Watch. Once enabled in the Tesla app, Tesla’s Storm Watch charges the battery to full when alerts such as red flag or high wind warnings are issued for your area.
• Test it. Before fire season, flip the main breaker or run a test with your installer and confirm the device keeps running.

A plan for the next shutoff watch

1. Enroll in Medical Baseline if you qualify, and confirm SDG&E has your current phone numbers.
2. Ask your doctor or equipment supplier how long your device can go without power and what backup they recommend.
3. Know your device’s wattage and estimate its daily energy use.
4. Pick a backup that covers at least the longest shutoff your area has seen, with room to spare.
5. When the watch notice arrives, charge everything to full.

Build backup around the device that matters most

If someone in your home depends on powered medical equipment, Stellar Solar can design solar and battery backup around that device first and the rest of the house second. Stellar Solar has been San Diego’s trusted solar installer since 1998, A+ rated with the BBB and a repeat winner of San Diego’s Best Solar in the Union-Tribune Readers Poll. Call 866.787.6527 for a free evaluation, or get your free quote here.

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Do You Live in an SDG&E High Fire Threat District? Backup Power for Poway, Rancho Bernardo, Scripps Ranch and Rancho Santa Fe

Some San Diego neighborhoods see power shutoffs that coastal homes never do. Here is how to find out whether your address is in the High Fire Threat District, what that means for outages, and how to size backup power for a larger inland home.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgIxdon_rew

Key takeaways

• The CPUC’s statewide fire threat map rates areas Tier 2 (higher risk) or Tier 3 (extreme risk). Together with Tier 1 High Hazard Zones, they make up the High Fire Threat District.
• You can look up your address on the CPUC’s interactive Fire Threat Map. Tier lines don’t follow city limits or ZIP codes.
• Homes in or near the HFTD are more likely to see SDG&E power shutoffs, and some qualify for SDG&E’s Generator Assistance Program.
• Larger inland homes can choose partial backup for essentials or whole-home backup, and a Powerwall 3 system can grow to as many as seven units.
• Solar recharging is what turns hours of battery backup into days.

Frequently asked questions

What is an SDG&E High Fire Threat District?

The High Fire Threat District (HFTD) is made up of Tier 2 (higher risk) and Tier 3 (extreme risk) areas on the CPUC’s statewide fire threat map, along with Tier 1 High Hazard Zones from the state’s tree mortality map. Utilities apply stricter safety rules there, and they’re the areas where SDG&E is most likely to shut off power during Santa Ana winds.

How do I find out if my home is in Tier 2 or Tier 3?

Open the CPUC’s interactive Fire Threat Map, click the magnifying glass icon, type your address and look at the shading around your home. Check your own address rather than your neighbor’s, because two homes in the same neighborhood can land in different zones.

Are Poway, Rancho Bernardo and Scripps Ranch in the High Fire Threat District?

Parts of these communities sit near or inside fire-threat areas, which is why they see shutoff watches that coastal neighborhoods rarely do. In early October 2026, SDG&E named Poway and Ramona among the areas that could see shutoffs. Tier boundaries vary, so look up your exact address.

Does living in the HFTD qualify me for help with backup power?

It can. SDG&E’s 2026 Generator Assistance Program offers rebates toward a fuel generator or portable power station to customers in Tier 2 or Tier 3 areas who have experienced at least one PSPS.

Can a home battery back up a well pump or central air?

Yes, if the system is designed for it. The Powerwall 3 is rated for motor starting current (185 A locked rotor, per Tesla’s datasheet), but large loads like central air and pool pumps drain the battery faster, so your installer should check each motor load against the design.

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Ask someone in Carlsbad about a Public Safety Power Shutoff and you may get a blank look. Ask someone east of the I-15 and you’ll probably hear about the last time the alert came in. The difference isn’t luck. It’s geography, and it’s written down on a state map most homeowners have never looked at.

What the High Fire Threat District map is

The California Public Utilities Commission adopted its statewide fire threat map on January 19, 2018. It was developed by a utility mapping panel and reviewed by an independent team chaired by CAL FIRE. The map sorts areas served by overhead power lines into tiers:

• Tier 2: areas at higher risk from utility-associated wildfires
• Tier 3: areas at extreme risk

Tiers 2 and 3, along with Tier 1 High Hazard Zones from the state’s tree mortality map, make up the High Fire Threat District, or HFTD. Utilities apply stricter safety rules in these zones, and they’re the areas where SDG&E is most likely to de-energize lines during Santa Ana winds. The CPUC explains the map on its fire threat maps page.

How to look up your address

The CPUC publishes an interactive Fire Threat Map. Open it, click the magnifying glass icon, type your address and look at the shading around your home. Tier boundaries don’t follow city limits or ZIP codes, so two homes in the same neighborhood can land in different zones. Check your own address rather than your neighbor’s.

Why inland neighborhoods carry more risk

Inland North County and the I-15 corridor sit where Santa Ana winds funnel through canyons into chaparral-covered hills. That’s the setting for two of the largest fires in county history:

• The 2003 Cedar Fire burned more than 280,000 acres and destroyed 2,820 buildings. Within the City of San Diego, Scripps Ranch and Tierrasanta were hit hardest.
• The 2007 Witch Creek Fire, which merged with the Guejito Fire, burned nearly 198,000 acres, moving through Ramona, Rancho Bernardo and Poway toward Rancho Santa Fe. All 365 homes lost inside the City of San Diego were in Rancho Bernardo.

That history is why so many homeowners in Poway, Rancho Bernardo, Scripps Ranch, Rancho Santa Fe, Rancho Peñasquitos and Carmel Valley ask about battery backup installation. Parts of these communities sit near or inside fire-threat areas, and in early October 2026 SDG&E named Poway and Ramona among the areas that could see shutoffs.

What being in or near the HFTD means for you

• Shutoffs are more likely. SDG&E’s Public Safety Power Shutoffs target circuits in high-risk areas. Alerts typically start about 48 hours ahead, and shutoffs can run from several hours to multiple days.
• You may qualify for help with backup power. SDG&E’s 2026 Generator Assistance Program offers rebates toward a fuel generator or portable power station to customers in Tier 2 or Tier 3 areas who have experienced at least one PSPS.
• Planning ahead pays off. A battery installed before fire season is ready for the first watch notice. One installed in the middle of it may not be.

Backup for larger inland homes

Homes in Poway, Rancho Santa Fe and Rancho Bernardo often have bigger loads than a typical coastal house: central air, pool equipment, EV chargers, and on some rural lots, a well pump. That changes how backup should be designed.

Start by choosing what to back up. There are two approaches:

• Partial backup puts essential circuits (refrigerator, lights, internet, a few outlets, a well pump) on a dedicated backup panel. It stretches a battery further.
• Whole-home backup keeps everything on the battery. Tesla says a Powerwall 3 system can provide whole-home backup to most homes, but large loads like pool pumps and central AC will drain it faster.

Then size the storage. Each Tesla Powerwall 3 stores 13.5 kWh and delivers up to 11.5 kW continuously, with a built-in solar inverter that lets your panels recharge it during the day. A single system can grow to as many as seven units (up to four Powerwall 3s plus up to three Powerwall 3 Expansions), which gives a large home room to cover a multi-day shutoff. Tesla’s system design guide walks through the options.

Motor loads deserve a look. Well pumps and air conditioners draw a surge when they start. The Powerwall 3 is rated for that kind of starting current (185 A locked rotor, per Tesla’s datasheet), but your installer should check each motor load against the design rather than assume.

Solar is what makes it multi-day. Without panels, a battery is a countdown. With them, every sunny day of the shutoff refills the battery, which is why inland homes in fire-prone areas get the most out of pairing the two.

Know your tier before the next watch

Look up your address on the CPUC map, then decide what you’d want running if SDG&E called a shutoff tomorrow. If you’re in or near the HFTD, Stellar Solar can design solar and battery backup around your home’s real loads and your neighborhood’s shutoff history. Stellar Solar has been San Diego’s trusted solar installer since 1998, A+ rated with the BBB and a repeat winner of San Diego’s Best Solar in the Union-Tribune Readers Poll. Call 866.787.6527 for a free evaluation, or get your free quote here.

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