About OutageShield | Methods and sources

OutageShield is an independent editorial site about residential backup power. It is affiliate-supported. It is not a laboratory, installer, or manufacturer.

What we do — and do not do

We do: read current manufacturer spec pages and datasheets, quote list prices with a date, explain the difference between cart products and installer products, and run a transparent runtime formula.
We do not: operate a test bench, install systems, collect homeowner reviews, or claim press features we do not have.
We do not invent: star ratings, “trusted by N homeowners,” or unnamed storm anecdotes.

How a ranking is decided

Shop-ready products are ranked on (1) whether you can order them without a certified-installer queue, (2) continuous watts vs typical home loads, (3) published chemistry and warranty, (4) expandability, (5) current list price. Installer-only systems such as Tesla Powerwall 3 are scored on the same engineering criteria and labeled as installer-only.

Primary sources we used for the August 2026 update

IRS / ENERGY STAR Residential Clean Energy Credit pages — 25D not available after Dec 31, 2025.
Tesla Powerwall product and Energy Library specs — 13.5 kWh, 11.5 kW, 185 LRA, 10-year warranty. Chemistry: LFP (widely documented; Tesla’s public spec table emphasizes energy and power, not cathode chemistry).
EcoFlow US product pages — DELTA 3 / Plus / Max Plus / Ultra Plus, DELTA Pro 3, Ultra X bundles, SHP3, 400 W panel.
Anker SOLIX C2000 Gen 2, F3000, F3800, and F3800 Plus product pages — capacities, watts, solar windows, dated sale/list where checkout was visible.
BLUETTI AC200L and EP900 / B500 product materials — 2.4 kW portable vs 9 kW stack.

Photos

Product pictures are manufacturer packshots (Anker SOLIX, EcoFlow, BLUETTI) saved from brand storefronts and shown in a gallery. We do not shoot a studio. We do not generate fake garage installs. Tesla is described without a hosted packshot because their site does not offer one we can keep reliably. If a brand asks an image removed, we drop it.

Explanation graphics are our own SVG diagrams (runtime math, surge vs running watts, kit stack). They are labeled as diagrams.

Money

This site is supported by affiliate links. If you buy through a product link for EcoFlow, Anker SOLIX, Bluetti, or Amazon, we may earn a commission. Tesla Powerwall is included because it is the product many homeowners are quoted — omitting it would be a worse guide.

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