Cooking Through a Power Outage in Houston: Backing Up an Electric Range

You can absolutely cook a hot meal during a Houston outage on a home battery, as long as you cook smart. A single electric burner, a portable induction cooktop, or a gas cooktop all run comfortably on a battery. What does not fit is firing up the whole electric range, oven and every burner at once, which can pull more power than a home battery puts out. The trick is knowing which is which.

Key Takeaways

• A single electric burner draws a lot on its own: a strong element can hit 3,100 to 3,600 watts (GE Appliances, 2026).
• A whole electric range, oven plus burners, can present about a 12.5 kW connected load on a 40-amp circuit (GE Appliances, 2026), at or above a home battery's 11.5 kW continuous output.
• A portable induction cooktop draws only about 1,800 watts on a standard outlet (Duxtop, 2026), the easiest way to cook on a battery.
• A gas cooktop needs almost no electricity. Its surface burners can be lit with a match during an outage (GE Appliances, 2026).
• Hurricane Beryl left about 2.2 million Houston-area customers without power in 2024 (Houston Public Media).

Can a home battery let you cook during a Houston outage?

Yes, and the key is running one or two heat sources at a time, not the entire range. A home battery supplies 11.5 kW continuously, which comfortably covers a single electric element, a couple of standard burners, a portable induction cooktop, or a microwave. That is plenty to cook real meals.

Where people get into trouble is expecting to run the full electric range wide open. With the oven and several burners going at once, an electric range can draw around 12.5 kW (GE Appliances, 2026), which meets or beats a battery's output. Cook one or two things at a time and you are fine.

How much power does cooking use?

It varies enormously by method, which is exactly why the strategy matters. A gas surface burner uses essentially no electricity. A portable induction cooktop pulls about 1,800 watts, and a microwave draws a bit over a kilowatt, though you should read its nameplate, since input draw runs higher than the cooking rating (DOE). A single electric element runs 3,100 to 3,600 watts at full power. The chart shows each against a battery's 11.5 kW limit.

What is the smart way to cook on a battery?

Cook with one or two heat sources and lean on the efficient ones. A portable induction cooktop is the star here: at about 1,800 watts it boils water fast, plugs into a normal outlet, and is gentle on your reserve. A microwave is perfect for reheating and quick meals. If you have a gas cooktop, its surface burners light with a match and use essentially no battery at all.

Because cooking is short and intermittent, a full meal uses only a small slice of a home battery. When we set up a system for a Houston family, we make sure the kitchen counter outlets and the range are on the backup circuits, so cooking is simply an option during any outage.

What size battery do you need to keep cooking?

Pro (27 kWh) or Premium (36 kWh) is more than enough to keep cooking through a multi-day outage, because meals are short and you cook a couple of burners at a time. Even an hour of active cooking a day is a modest draw on that capacity, leaving plenty for your fridge, lights, and air conditioning.

The larger tiers matter less for the stove and more for everything else you run at the same time. For the stove itself, the plan is simply to avoid the whole-range-at-once load and cook in stages.

Prefer to talk it through? Call Eos at 713-207-2222 for a same-week Houston site survey.

Cooking and staying cool through a Houston summer outage

Summer outages add a wrinkle: cooking heats the kitchen when you are already fighting to stay cool. A battery lets you run the microwave or induction cooktop for quick meals rather than heating the whole house with the oven, and keep the air conditioning cycling at the same time. That balance is easier on a system sized for both.

For the other half of that equation, our guide on

covers the cooling side. For the whole-home picture, see our .

Frequently asked questions

Can a home battery run my whole electric range?

Not wide open. A full electric range with the oven and burners going can draw about 12.5 kW (GE Appliances, 2026), at or above a battery's 11.5 kW output. Running one or two burners at a time is well within range.

Will a portable induction cooktop work on a battery?

Yes, and it is the easiest option. A portable induction burner draws about 1,800 watts on a standard outlet (Duxtop, 2026), boils quickly, and barely dents a home battery's reserve.

How much battery does cooking a meal use?

Not much. Cooking is short and intermittent, so an hour of active cooking on a burner or two uses only a small share of a Pro or Premium system, leaving most of your capacity for the rest of the home.

Does a gas stove work during a power outage?

The surface burners do. A gas cooktop's burners can be lit with a match when the igniter has no power (GE Appliances, 2026). A gas oven usually cannot be match-lit, because its igniter needs electricity, but a home battery supplies that power, so the oven works on backup.

What size Eos system do I need to keep cooking?

Pro (27 kWh) or Premium (36 kWh), chosen mainly to cover your whole home. Cooking a couple of burners at a time is a light, intermittent load, so the stove rarely drives the tier by itself.

This article covers cooking during a power outage in Houston on a home battery and reflects Eos specifications as of July 2026. Appliance draw varies by model; check the nameplate and confirm sizing at the free site survey.