What Holdfast is
Holdfast is not trying to cool a whole house. It is built around a simpler job: keep one room usable through a dangerous outage.
One room. Long runtime.
A standard propane tank, a window setup, and cooling where it matters most.
What it is
A propane-powered cooling unit designed to keep one room livable during a long outage.
Who it is for
People who need a safe place to sleep when the power is out and a whole-home backup system is not realistic.
Why it is different
It is built for longer runtime on a standard propane tank without the noise and setup burden of a portable generator.
Where it fits
Think bedroom, apartment living room, nursery, or one safe room during a summer blackout.
Long outages change the math
Battery cooling can be great for a few hours. The job Holdfast is aiming at is longer: getting one room through the night and well into the next day.
Why not just use a generator?
For many people, generator plus window AC is the obvious backup plan. Holdfast only matters if it can be easier to live with when the outage lasts longer than a few hours.
Holdfast
Generator + window AC
Built for real outage use
Holdfast is for people who do not need a whole-home system. They need one cool room, one survivable night, and one backup plan that is easier to live with.
Bedroom overnight during a summer blackout
Apartment living room when generators are not practical
Nursery or one safe room during a storm outage
Heat-wave backup for outage-prone neighborhoods
Safety
Safety has to be part of the product from the start. Holdfast is being built around sealed combustion, outdoor venting, and standard gas-appliance protection systems.
Sealed combustion, vented outside
Combustion air and exhaust are routed through the window setup instead of into the room.
Oxygen depletion sensor
Designed to shut down gas flow if indoor oxygen drops below a safe threshold.
Flame failure shutoff
If the burner flame goes out, the gas supply is shut off automatically.
Gas-appliance safety approach
The safety approach is based on the same kind of controls people expect from standard gas appliances.
Quick facts
FAQ
Holdfast is a propane-powered room cooling system for long power outages. It is meant to keep one room usable when the grid is down, not cool an entire house.
The current product target is about 5,000 BTU per hour, aimed at one bedroom, living room, nursery, or other single safe room.
The current target is 30+ hours of room cooling on one standard 20 lb propane tank, depending on outdoor heat and room conditions.
Yes. Holdfast is designed to use a window kit so heat goes outside, similar to a portable room AC.
A generator can absolutely cool a room. The tradeoff is more noise, more setup, more maintenance, and a second machine to manage during an outage. Holdfast is being built as a simpler one-room backup option.
No. Holdfast is for one room, not a whole-home replacement.
A standard 20 lb propane tank, the same kind many people already use for a grill or outdoor heater.
It is being designed as a wheeled unit in the rough size and weight class of a heavy portable appliance, meant to roll into place when needed.
Holdfast is still in development. Join the list for early access updates and first-availability news.