We have probably a dozen 1500VA UPS's scattered around the house.
They come in handy in an outage as you can plug a CFL or LED lamp
into one and have LOTS of light (instead of living with flashlights
or candles). Figure 10-15W for a CFL gives you many HOURS on one
of these beasts (battery capacity is ~170WHr; assume 70% efficiency
gives you 120WHr -- so, almost 10 hours for a "60W equivalent" CFL)

Novel idea, but that's one expensive flashlight.

We kind of enjoy the rare power outage. It's an excuse to take a break from
technology, build a fire, light some candles, and spend some quality time
together.

That said, my VOIP adapter and phone base unit are connected to my
computer's UPS system.

If the outage lasts more than an hour or two (rare), we can always fall
back to our cell phones. Or, people can just call back later.

Anthony Watson
www.watsondiy.com
www.mountainsoftware.com