just occurred to me that in addition to the other damage/ inconvenience that those of us on the East Coast are bracing for with Hurricane Irene, we will probably lose ability to use our CPAPs when the power goes out. going to be a very unrestful weekend.
Gosh, never though about these problems you have over the pond. We don't get enough sun here, but we certainly aren't troubled by adverse weather conditions which affect our power.....well hardly ever!
Just pick up a marine battery, inverter and small charger at your local auto place and your fine for 4-5 days without power. Find a direct connect DC cable for your PAP instead of the inverter and you're good for at least 10 days. Once you have battery, just top it off on the charger every few months.