When hurricanes knock out power for hours or even days, one of the first things people worry about is their food. A refrigerator full of groceries can spoil in a matter of hours, leaving families scrambling. But a new battery system called BLUETTI FridgePower is designed specifically to keep your refrigerator running when the lights go out — and it turns out the same device can also help you spend less on electricity every single month.
The FridgePower is a home battery system that plugs into your wall and keeps your fridge powered during outages. You might think of it as a backup generator, but quieter and indoor-friendly. What makes it stand out, though, is a built-in feature that takes advantage of how some utility companies charge different rates for electricity at different times of day.
Many electricity providers now offer what they call "time of use" pricing, meaning the cost per unit of electricity goes up during hours when everyone is using power (like hot afternoons) and drops late at night when demand is low. The writer behind CleanTechnica, Zach Shahan, discovered his local utility charges three different rates: $0.23 per kilowatt-hour during peak afternoon hours, $0.09 during regular daytime hours, and just $0.07 during super off-peak hours between midnight and 6 a.m.
Using the FridgePower app, Shahan set the battery to charge up automatically during those cheap nighttime hours. Then, during expensive afternoon hours, the battery powers his refrigerator instead of drawing expensive power from the grid. The result? He avoids the highest electricity rates and uses stored energy instead. The app even lets users choose exactly what battery percentage triggers charging and when the system should stop pulling power from the grid.
Climate change is making extreme weather events like hurricanes more frequent and more severe, meaning power outages are becoming a regular reality for many families. A device that protects both your food and your wallet during these events — and can shave dollars off your monthly bill the rest of the time — could become as common as a smoke detector in homes around the world. The FridgePower system typically costs around $900, though the company sometimes runs promotions and offers discount codes for buyers.