On the night of Friday, October 10, the Russian army launched strikes on Ukraine, damaging energy infrastructure facilities, which led to power outages in some regions of Ukraine. UNN tells how to prepare for a power outage and how much the necessary devices cost.
Energy situation
As a result of the strikes, energy infrastructure facilities were damaged, which led to power outages in some regions of Ukraine. In particular, the most difficult situation is in Kyiv, Kyiv, Kharkiv, Sumy, Poltava, and Chernihiv regions.
To stabilize the situation in the energy system, emergency shutdowns have been introduced in some of the named regions, as well as in Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions.
Devices in case of power outage schedules
Portable chargers. Prices for PowerBanks depend on the capacity of the built-in battery. The higher the capacity, the higher the price. For example, a PowerBank with a battery capacity of 10 thousand mAh can be purchased on average from 900 to 1100 hryvnias. A PowerBank with a battery capacity of 20 thousand mAh will cost from 1300 hryvnias to 1700 hryvnias.
More powerful PowerBanks with a battery capacity of more than 50 thousand mAh start from 2 thousand hryvnias.
It should be noted that the cost of a PowerBank also depends on the manufacturer.
What to pay attention to when choosing a PowerBank: first of all, you need to choose what you will use it for.
For phones, models with a capacity of 10 thousand mAh are suitable - this is enough for 2-3 full charges of a standard phone with a 4000-5000 mAh battery. The charging power should be within 10-18 W - this will allow you to quickly replenish the charge even during active use of the gadget. Such power banks are usually compact, so they are convenient to take with you to work, study or travel.
Tablets consume more energy than smartphones, so they need more capacious power sources. It is recommended to choose models with a capacity of at least 20 thousand mAh. This will provide 1-2 full charges of an average tablet. Power in the range of 15-30 W will allow not only to quickly charge the tablet, but also to use the device during charging without a noticeable decrease in performance. Such power banks are a good option for active users who often work with a large screen on the go.
For laptops, you should choose models with a capacity of 30 thousand mAh and a power of 60-100 W.
Charging stations. As with PowerBanks, the cost of charging stations depends on the power. For example, a charging station with a power of up to 500 Wh will cost an average of 10-12 thousand hryvnias.
For charging stations with a power of 500 to 1000 Wh, prices start from 15 thousand to 35 thousand, depending on the manufacturer.
Some prices for charging stations over 3000 Wh reach over 100 thousand hryvnias, although some can still be found in the range of 80 thousand to 90 thousand hryvnias.
According to Telegram channels, prices for some charging stations began to rise overnight, and some of them increased by almost 8 thousand hryvnias.
Assess what exactly you want to power from the charging station, and calculate the power you need. For example, in the absence of light, you want to easily make coffee in the coffee machine in the morning, clean with a vacuum cleaner, and watch TV.
Let's calculate consumption: a coffee machine needs 1200-1500 W to operate, a vacuum cleaner about 1000 W, and a TV 100-200 W. So, you need a device with a power of at least 1500 W, and ideally 2500 W.
Even if a charging station has a peak power of 2500 W, it does not mean that you can use equipment that requires such power for a long time.
After all, this is only a peak load, the real power of the model is usually half as much.
Gas stoves. If you live in a house that does not have a centralized gas supply, and electric stoves are used, then the question arises of what to cook or reheat food on. Portable stoves, also called tourist stoves, will come in handy.
Their prices range from 200 to 1.5 thousand hryvnias. The stove itself will not work, so you need to take care of gas supplies, which are sold in cylinders, the price of which reaches about one hundred hryvnias.
Important! Remember the safety rules!
Generators. Prices for generators also depend on power. In particular, generators with a power of 1.1 to 4 kW start from 8 thousand hryvnias to 50 thousand hryvnias. However, it should be noted that the price, again, depends on the manufacturer. For example, you can find a generator with a power of 4 kW for 60 thousand hryvnias, and you can also find one for 80 thousand hryvnias.
The cost of generators with a power of 10 kW already starts from 50 thousand hryvnias to 160 thousand hryvnias.
It should be noted that such generators run on fuel - gasoline or diesel. As of October 10, gas stations sell A-95 gasoline for an average of 63.3 hryvnias, A-92 for 56.8 hryvnias, and diesel for 55.8 hryvnias.
When choosing a generator, you need to understand what power you need. When choosing fuel, consider its availability in your region, taking into account long power outages.
If there is no particular difference, note that diesel models are usually a little quieter and generally more reliable. But they are more expensive and may have problems starting at low temperatures: the colder it is outside, the harder it will be to start the device.