PSPS and Your CPAP: How to Prepare for a Public Safety Power Shutoff

If your utility schedules a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS), you'll usually get one to three days of warning, and the power can stay off for several hours or several days. To keep your CPAP running, use that warning: charge your CPAP battery fully at the first alert, plug the CPAP into it that night, and plan for more than one night without power. Signing up for your utility's medical program gets you extra alerts and outreach, but it won't keep your power on. Everyone on an affected line loses power, medical customers included.

What a Public Safety Power Shutoff is

The California Public Utilities Commission describes it simply: "Utilities may temporarily turn off power to specific areas to reduce the risk of fires caused by electric infrastructure." When forecasts show high winds, low humidity and dry vegetation, often during a National Weather Service Red Flag Warning, a utility can cut power to lines in high fire risk areas before the wind arrives.

Utilities across the West run PSPS programs, from California to Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Colorado. PG&E says shutoffs have historically been most common in the fall. PG&E has already shut off power to thousands of customers this year, in June and again in July. Southern California Edison (SCE) says it expects 2026 events to be more frequent and to last longer, and its average days per activation has gone up every year since 2021.

How a PSPS differs from an ordinary outage

You get warning. A tree falling on a line gives you nothing. A PSPS usually comes with a series of alerts, and that lead time is the most useful thing you have.

It can last longer than you'd expect. Power stays off until the weather passes. Then crews have to inspect the de-energized lines before turning them back on. Pacific Power, for one, does inspection, repairs and restoration during daylight hours, so wind that dies down overnight can still mean waiting for daylight. SDG&E tells customers power "could be shut off for several hours to multiple days." Plan for at least two nights.

For prep that applies to any outage, see how to keep your CPAP running during a home power outage.

How much notice you get, and what to do at each alert

California's rules (CPUC Decision D.19-05-042) set minimum notice for customers: 24 to 48 hours ahead, then 1 to 4 hours ahead "if possible," plus updates when the shutoff starts, before power comes back on, and when it's restored. Utilities word their alerts differently:

• PG&E: a "PSPS Watch" 48 to 24 hours ahead, then a "PSPS Warning" 4 to 1 hours ahead. PG&E also notes that "in some cases we may not send the first alert until the same day your power is shut off."
• SCE: a first notice about three days out, then two days, one day, and 1 to 4 hours ahead when possible.
• SDG&E: a notice about 48 hours out, a follow-up around 24 hours, and a confirmation a few hours before.
• Pacific Power and Puget Sound Energy: about 48 hours, depending on the weather.
• Avista: a Watch, Warning, Imminent, Outage, Updates and Over sequence.

Here's how to use each alert.

At the first alert (about 2 to 3 days out)

• Charge your CPAP battery to 100%. Charge spare batteries, phones and a power bank too.
• Check that your CPAP's DC cord is with the battery and that the battery shows the right output voltage for your CPAP on its LCD. That setting is the most common reason a CPAP won't run on a battery.
• Look up the nearest Community Resource Center (more on those below).
• If you have a generator, check fuel and your CO alarms.

About 24 hours out

• Plug your CPAP into the battery and the battery into the wall. Sleep with it set up that way. The battery stays full until the shutoff.
• Decide how you'll handle a second and third night (see the sizing section).
• If you'll want to use your car to recharge, fill the tank.

1 to 4 hours out

• Confirm the battery reads full.
• Put a flashlight or headlamp by the bed.
• Note your utility's outage map or alert page so you can follow restoration updates.

If the first alert arrives the same day, do all of it at once. Charging the battery comes first.

Medical Baseline and medical certificate programs: enroll now, but know what they do

Most PSPS utilities run a program for customers who use powered medical equipment at home. Names vary:

• PG&E: Medical Baseline Program
• SCE: Medical Baseline Allowance
• SDG&E: Medical Baseline
• Pacific Power (Oregon, California, Washington): Medical Certificate program
• Portland General Electric: PGE Medical Certificate program (Medical Certificate Team: 503-612-3838)
• Puget Sound Energy: Medical Life Support status (enroll at 1-888-225-5773)
• Xcel Energy Colorado: Medical Certification Program

In California, Medical Baseline also includes extra energy at the lowest price. During a PSPS, these programs mean more contact: PG&E says it may reach out with "multiple texts, phone calls or even a door-bell ring," and SCE says it "will send a technician to their door" if it can't reach a Medical Baseline customer. PSE enrollees get a call from Customer Care before a shutoff, and Portland General Electric's PGE Advisors help with backup plans.

What none of these programs do is keep your power on. PG&E puts it plainly: "During a Public Safety Power Shutoff, ALL customers serviced by an affected power line will have their power shut off. This includes Medical Baseline customers." Pacific Power says enrollment "does not guarantee that power will not be interrupted," and Portland General Electric says it doesn't mean your power is restored first.

Enroll anyway, and do it now rather than during a Red Flag Warning. Most programs need a form signed by a licensed medical professional (a physician, nurse practitioner or physician assistant; Pacific Power also accepts a DO), and that takes time. PG&E's application is at pge.com/medicalbaseline. For any other utility, search its site for "medical baseline" or "medical certificate."

If your therapy needs a backup plan beyond a battery, talk to your sleep provider or equipment provider about it.

Sign up for address alerts, including for a parent's home

Utility alerts go to the account holder. If the account is in someone else's name, you might not hear about a shutoff. Most utilities let anyone sign up by address:

• PG&E Address Alerts: any address, no account needed, at pge.com/addressalerts
• SCE Address Level Alerts: for people who aren't account holders
• Puget Sound Energy: PSE.com/Alerts
• Pacific Power: a PSPS map you can search by address, and 1-888-221-7070 for people without an account

If a parent uses a CPAP, add their address too. The first alert gives you time to call them and check their battery is charged.

How to size CPAP battery power for a multi-day shutoff

Because a PSPS can run past one night, size for the long version. These are estimates. Real runtime depends on your machine, pressure, mask fit and settings.

• One EXP48PRO APEX (153.6 Wh): estimated 2 to 3 nights with the humidifier and heated hose off.
• One EXP96PRO APEX (307.2 Wh): estimated 4 to 6 nights with the humidifier and heated hose off, or roughly one night with both on.
• Two APEX batteries in parallel: you can connect up to two APEX batteries through the DC connection method in the user manual to double capacity. See how to connect two EXP PRO batteries.

The humidifier and heated hose make the biggest difference. If the shutoff could run several nights, turning them off stretches each charge a long way. Here's how to turn off the heated hose and humidifier on common machines.

Run the CPAP on its direct DC cord rather than through an inverter. The DC cord uses less power, so the battery lasts longer. Our runtime calculator gives an estimate for your machine and settings, and how long will a CPAP run on a battery covers what changes the number. If two people in the house use CPAPs, compare one EXP96PRO with two EXP48PRO batteries.

Recharging the battery while the power is still off

If the shutoff runs longer than your battery, you have several ways to top it back up during the day.

Your car, while you drive. The EXP48PRO APEX charges in about 4 hours from a car outlet, the EXP96PRO APEX in about 8. Do this while you're driving, for errands or a trip to a resource center. Never run a car in a closed garage.

Solar. A Summit 60W panel charges the EXP48PRO APEX in under about 5 hours and the EXP96PRO APEX in under about 9. The Summit 100W charges the EXP96PRO APEX in under about 4.5 hours. Our 60W vs 100W solar panel comparison helps you choose.

A Community Resource Center. Utilities open these during shutoffs (more below). Bring the battery and its AC charger. On AC, the EXP48PRO APEX charges in about 2.5 hours and the EXP96PRO APEX in about 5.

A generator, during the day. Run the generator during the day, plug the battery's charger into it, and let the CPAP run off the battery overnight with the generator off.

Generator safety during a PSPS

Generator exhaust carries carbon monoxide. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says to "operate portable generators outside only, at least 20 feet away from the house, and direct the generator's exhaust away from the home." Never run one "inside a home, garage, basement, crawlspace, shed or on a porch," even with the door open.

Put battery-operated CO alarms (or plug-in alarms with battery backup) outside sleeping areas and on each floor. A PSPS is exactly when a plug-in alarm without a battery stops working.

Community Resource Centers and other local help

During a PSPS, utilities open Community Resource Centers (CRCs) in affected areas. PG&E lists "charging stations for electronic devices and medical equipment, Wi-Fi service, snacks and bottled water, blankets," usually open 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. (find locations at pge.com/crc). SCE runs CRCs and Community Crew Vehicles with "mobile and portable medical device charging." SDG&E and Avista also offer device charging at their centers.

Some utilities also offer backup batteries or rebates for medical customers, including PG&E's Portable Battery Program, SCE's Critical Care Backup Battery Program, Portland General Electric's Medical Battery Support, Pacific Power's California rebates and Xcel Energy's Colorado PSPS Battery Rebate. Eligibility and availability change, and some close for the year, so ask your utility what's open.

In California, the Disability Disaster Access & Resources (DDAR) program can help people with disabilities and access needs prepare for a shutoff. You can also dial 211, or text PREPARE to 211, for local resources.

Check the battery that's been in the closet since last year

A battery bought for outages often goes on a shelf and stays there. Before fire season, take it out and check it.

• Stored for a while? LiFePO4 batteries are best stored at 40 to 50% charge if you won't use them for more than 3 months. Recharge at least every 3 months in storage. Skipping that voids the warranty. More in maximizing the lifespan of your lithium iron phosphate battery.
• Brand new? EXP PRO batteries ship at 10 to 30% charge, so charge it fully before you count on it.
• Do a test night. Sleep one night at home with the CPAP running from the battery. You'll confirm the cord fits, the output voltage is right and the settings work, while the lights are still on. If something doesn't work, see why won't my CPAP run on my battery, or call us.

Where an EXP PRO battery fits in a PSPS plan

Pass-through makes the warning period easy. With the battery plugged into the wall and the CPAP plugged into the battery, the CPAP runs off the battery cells the whole time while the charger keeps them topped up. When the utility cuts the power, nothing switches. The CPAP was already running on the battery and keeps going. It's a UPS with a 0 ms transfer time, and you can leave it set up this way all the time. We explain it in detail in how pass-through keeps your CPAP running during outages.

The EXP48PRO APEX bundle ($399) weighs about 3.25 lb. The EXP96PRO APEX bundle ($549) doubles the capacity and has two DC output ports, so two people can run their CPAPs from one battery. Both come with a CPAP DC cord. Find the right one for your machine on the CPAP DC power cords page.

Both carry a 2-year warranty and a 45-day satisfaction guarantee. If you want help building your home backup setup before the next Red Flag Warning, call a real person at 360-686-7424 or email orders@exppropower.com.

Frequently asked questions

Does Medical Baseline stop my power from being shut off during a PSPS?

No. PG&E says all customers on an affected line lose power, Medical Baseline customers included. Enrollment gets you extra alerts and outreach, and in some cases an in-person check, but the power still goes off.

How long does a Public Safety Power Shutoff last?

Anywhere from several hours to several days. Power stays off until the dangerous weather passes, and then crews inspect the lines before turning power back on, often only in daylight. Plan for at least two nights.

How much warning will I get before a PSPS?

In California, utilities must try to notify customers 24 to 48 hours ahead and again 1 to 4 hours ahead. Some utilities send a first notice about three days out. In some cases, the first alert comes the same day.

Can I charge my CPAP battery at a Community Resource Center?

Utility CRCs offer charging for electronic devices and medical equipment. Bring your battery and its AC charger, and check your utility's CRC page for locations and hours.

Is it safe to run a generator in my garage with the door open?

No. The CPSC says never to run a portable generator in a home, garage, basement, crawlspace, shed or on a porch. Run it outside, at least 20 feet from the house, with the exhaust pointed away, and keep battery-powered CO alarms inside.