The Probably Stolen power system can get confusing at times; paying for electricity and having enough energy to run a machine aren’t the same thing, for example. You pay the bill each night and yet, you wake up to an idle Furnace. You can also skip ordinary Power Service yet finish a production cycle with a battery that already holds enough charge. Things get more complicated once Joe Wild offers Power Line Hijack and Dr. Jackson starts supplying Current Converters. See my point now?
Machines run on Energy Cells, while Power Service lets you recharge them overnight. Rechargers restore 3 kJ per battery, and PowerBlocs restore 2 kJ to each battery around it, including those inside machines. Joe Wild’s Commercial Grade upgrade doubles these rates, while Power Line Hijack removes the normal electricity bill and keeps your shop’s power on during blackouts. Current Converters eliminate battery swapping but charge Credits for the energy used. Blackouts occur randomly and can interrupt charging, though they also create opportunities to sell charged Energy Cells at much better prices.
Spark your plug:
How Does Power Work in Probably Stolen?
Machines in Probably Stolen draw their power from the Energy Cells installed in their battery slot. The energy in this game is measured in kJ (kilojoules), and a portion of it is used each time a machine is doing its work. Also, keep in mind that having the shop’s lights on doesn’t automatically fill an empty energy cell.
Power Service is a nightly service that enables regular charging through equipment such as Rechargers and PowerBlocs. Current Converters, on the other hand, introduce another option: they replace a machine’s battery and charge Credits for the energy consumed.
| System | Function |
|---|---|
| Energy Cell | Provides electricity for machines. |
| Power Service | Provides electricity for normal overnight charging equipment. |
| Recharger | Recharges batteries stored inside the device. |
| PowerBloc | Recharges eligible neighboring Energy Cells installed inside adjacent machines. |
| Current Converter | Supplies energy directly to a machine and charges Credits for the power consumed. |
| Power Line Hijack | Removes the ordinary nightly Power Service expense. |
Running out of battery charge, losing store electricity, and being unable to pay for a Current Converter are each different problems.
How to Turn On Power and Pay Power Service
You can interact with the bedroll (when you finish the day) to open the overnight services screen. Make sure Power Service is enabled if you want your Rechargers or PowerBlocs to refill batteries that night. Skipping Power Service makes your pretty little store lights to dim. It also prevents ordinary grid charging. The good news is that a machine with sufficient energy already stored in its battery can still operate.
Power Line Hijack vs. Commercial Grade Power Supply Unit
The dashing Joe Wild offers two upgrades that each influence your electricity differently.
| Upgrade | Base cost | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Power Line Hijack | 300 Credits | Removes the normal Power Service bill and keeps that service active. |
| Commercial Grade Power Supply Unit | 350 Credits | Doubles the charging rate of Rechargers and PowerBlocs. |
These are base prices. Your difficulty, Joe Wild modifiers, and available discounts can change the amount you pay.
After acquiring Power Line Hijack, the ordinary Power Service entry disappears from the End of Day menu because it is automatically enabled. The Commercial Grade Power Supply Unit upgrade instead improves battery charging. A PowerBloc’s normal 2 kJ becomes 4 kJ, while a Recharger’s 3 kJ becomes 6 kJ per battery each night. If you got the Makeshift Reactor starting perk, neither upgrade is offered to you. Sorry.
Why Are You Still Paying After Power Line Hijack?
Power Line Hijack removes ordinary Power Service charges, but Current Converter usage is billed separately.
You may still receive a power bill despite having an upgrade that supposedly makes electricity free. A Current Converter replaces a battery and draws electricity from the Lower Levels’ grid instead. Its service charges for the energy used by the machine, instead of the normal store electricity connection.
This confused a lot of people (including yours truly) after the full release of the game. On October 30, Questing Goose Studio acknowledged that the behavior was a design oversight involving the late addition of Current Converters and the Makeshift Reactor. So this’ll probably be fixed in the near future.
How to Charge Energy Cells: PowerBloc vs. Recharger
You got two options. The Recharger refills Energy Cells stored inside its inventory. The PowerBloc charges the Energy Cells physically touching it, including those installed in adjacent machines.
| Feature | Recharger | PowerBloc |
|---|---|---|
| Base value | 150 Credits | 200 Credits |
| Dimensions | 4×2 | 2×2 |
| Standard charge | 3 kJ per cell/night | 2 kJ per cell/night |
| Upgraded charge | 6 kJ per cell/night | 4 kJ per cell/night |
| Charges installed machine batteries | No | Yes |
| Supports stacked PowerBloc bonuses | No | Yes |
So a Recharger refills Energy Cells twice as fast as (unupgraded) PowerBlocs. But the PowerBloc has an advantage: Placement flexibility. With a suitable arrangement, one PowerBloc can recharge up to eight standard Energy Cells simultaneously. With a PowerBloc, each cell receives the entire 2-kJ bonus. That way you get up to 16 kJ of combined charging per night for all 8 Energy Cells that fit. The Probably Stolen PowerBloc guide goes deeper on the PowerBloc mechanics.
A Recharger holding four Energy Cells gives us 12 kJ per night. So two full Rechargers provide 24 kJ. A PowerBloc can charge as many batteries as two Rechargers, but that doesn’t mean it delivers the same total energy.
How to Use a Current Converter and What It Costs
Throw those Energy Cells away; you got Current Converter now! You can get one from Dr. Jackson, with a base value of 300 Credits. It occupies a 1×2 space and as I said, replaces the Energy Cell inside the machines.
To use a Current Converter, place it in the machine’s battery slot, switch on the Converter, and enable the Current Converter nightly service. Problem is that it doesn’t store a fixed amount of energy like an ordinary battery. Instead, the machine draws the energy it needs and the corresponding cost is charged in Credits. So it’s kind of costlier.
Current Converter Upgrades and Billing
An unupgraded Current Converter costs 1.5 Credits per kJ. Use between one to five Electronic Parts (Common) to lower the rate by 0.1 Credits per kJ. For instance, my Moisture Farm required 6 kJ each night. My unupgraded Current Converter cost me 9 Credits just to cover that machine’s power. After the upgrades, it was reduced to 6 Credits. So I highly recommend you implement all five Electric Parts. It might seem like a small change, but keep in mind you’re doing this Credit-cost lowering move for all the machines affected by the Current Converter, not just one.
Do Current Converters Work During Blackouts?
Unfortunately, they do not. Current Converters depend on the grid rather than stored energy. HOWEVER, if you get the solar Power Line Hijack upgrade via Joe Wild’s Network, your Current Converters keep on generating power for you. I tested this out through multiple runs and it works every time.
How Much Power Do Machines Use?
It differs based on how valuable or high-level a machine is. I’ve put every Machine’s power cost in the table. Check it out:
| Machine | Reference power cost | When it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Furnace | 8 kJ per smelt | Metal ingots |
| Water Purifier | 4 kJ per night | Overnight water purification |
| Moisture Farm | 6 kJ per night | Producing 850 mL of water at base settings |
| 3D Printer | 8 kJ while operating | Printing jobs |
| Alarm System | 4 kJ per night | Store security |
| Vending Machine | 2 kJ per night | After-hours sales |
| Fridge | 2 kJ per night | Chilling stock |
| Mirage Projector | 16 kJ per night | Store attractiveness |
| AgeWell | 24 kJ per night | Wine-aging automation |
| Recirculating Aquaculture System | 5 kJ and up | Keeping the fish tank circulating |
| Bottle Printer | 4 to 11 kJ per use | Depends on bottle size; not a standard overnight cycle |
Make use of the game’s Modules to lower that power cost. The Efficiency Module in particular will lower that power usage significantly. Quality and Performance Modules provide different benefits depending on the machine, and some specialized modules introduce extra energy penalties (in exchange for unique bonuses).
How to Keep Machines Powered Overnight
It’s simpler than you think. All you gotta do is compare the energy a machine consumes, versus the charging available to its installed battery. You have to know how much costs you gave in order to provide the necessary power source. The best approach is to inspect a battery’s charge before sleeping and compare it with its charge after the next operating night.
From there, set up your power production system. Make use of Modules to reduce power consumption, and rely on PowerBloc and Rechargers to keep your Energy Cells alive. If you’re really under pressure, you have to go for the Current Converter earlier than you should, and sacrifice Credits in exchange for a long-term productivity bonus, and therefore, higher profits. It’s all about foresight.
Advanced Turbo Booster
The Advanced Turbo Booster is another way to optimize production. Unlike a regular disposable Turbo Booster, the advanced version can be used repeatedly after charging. It has a 15 point meter and draws 5 kJ each night to add 5 charge to that meter. When the meter reaches 15, it can trigger one additional machine operation immediately. Starting from an empty meter, that takes three successful charging nights. The target machine still needs all its ordinary inputs and sufficient energy.
Put simply, the booster grants an extra operation, not free production. Don’t think otherwise.
What Happens to Power During a Blackout?
Capitalism at its best happens. Seriously, station blackouts interrupt not just you, but everybody’s charging system and that leaves your batteries without their expected overnight replenishment. Don’t worry though, at the same time, the market value of Energy Cells surge.
| Event | Listed Energy Cell market modifier | Duration or effect |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Power Plant Maintenance | +33% | 1 day |
| Who Turned Out the Lights? | +50% | 2 days |
| Low Power In The Lower Levels | +66% | 2 days; blackout disrupts charging |
Blackouts in Probably Stolen are random; they don’t happen on fixed in-game days. Also, I should mention once more that I used Power Line Hijack to keep my store powered through all three blackouts. You can do the same.
Other Ways to Get Electricity
There are a multitude of other ways to generate power for your shop, none are necessarily better than the normal methods mentioned above, but they’re worth having as backup.
Self Charging Energy Cells
You probably can guess that this Energy Cell doesn’t power high-level machines, instead the point of having these Self Charging Energy Cells around is to replenish 4 kJ each night without relying on an ordinary Recharger. It can hold up to 100 kJ power. It’s more valuable than a standard Energy Cell, in my opinion.
Energy Cell (Mk. II)
The Mk. II Energy Cell holds 250 kJ instead of the ordinary 100 kJ. The larger capacity helps with saving time dedicated to battery switching, but it doesn’t increase the charging speed of a regular Recharger.
Disposable Battery
A Disposable Battery contains 1,000 kJ of energy. You can’t recharge it, so it’s basically a large single-use energy source rather than a permanent solution.
Electric Eels
Ah, yes, the unusual choice. A living, adequately fed Electric Eel can replenish the battery of its Recirculating Aquaculture System and eligible neighboring batteries. What’s funny is that this mehod can work even during station blackouts. Here’s how much an Electric Eel produces power throughout its life cycle:
- Juvenile: 1 kJ/night
- Adolescent: 2 kJ/night
- Adult: 3 kJ/night
- Elder: 3 kJ/night
Makeshift Micro Nuclear Reactor
The Makeshift Reactor is a starting perk which provides another source of electricity (with a catch). The reactor begins with 100 integrity and loses 18 integrity each night. When its integrity drops to the critical threshold, it stops supplying store power. At ZERO integrity, it explodes and ends your run. Yay.
Scrap Metal can repair it, while Electronic Parts upgrades reduce the nightly deterioration and improve adjacent battery charging. Fully upgraded, the reactor can provide up to 4 kJ per night to surrounding batteries.
Hypertech Power Cell
The Hypertech Energy Cell supports a machine drawing up to 12 kJ at the start, and then later on its output can be upgraded using Hypertech Electronic Parts. You can check out our Probably Stolen Hypertech guide for more details.
Can You Make Money Charging Energy Cells?
Uh, heck yes! In fact, selling Energy Cells became my favorite side business in the game.
A standard empty Energy Cell has a base value of 10 Credits. A fully charged 100 kJ Energy Cell has a base value of 110 Credits. That means adding one kJ increases its base value by one Credit. What I do is I buy empty batteries from Dr. Jackson, position them next to PowerBlocs, and then sell them once they’re fully charged (or almost fully charged if I need Credits quickly).
But this is playing the long game (pun unintended). Charging an empty Energy cell using a single unupgraded PowerBloc takes 50 nights. With Commercial Grade Power, that becomes 25 nights. So either you’ve to upgrade early on, or charge a large number of Energy Cells simultaneously.
The strategy shows its true potential at blackouts, when you’ve been sleeping on a hoard of Energy Cells and now can sell them at a much higher price than usual for a night or two.
Why Isn’t My Power Working?
Well, there could be many reasons. I’ve found a list of possible reasons and the solutions for each:
Recharger not charging: Ensure the batteries are inside its inventory and the shop has working electricity.
PowerBloc not charging: Check the placement. The device needs to be in contact with the battery or its host machine.
Machine stopped working: Inspect the installed battery’s remaining kJ, the machine’s current power requirement, its inputs, and its output storage. The common culprit for me was empty the Energy Cell I thought had way more charge than it actually had.
Current Converter isn’t supplying power: Make sure the device is enabled and that its separate service has been paid. Also inspect the host machine’s normal processing requirements.
Best Power Setup for Early, Middle and Late Game
Early game: Don’t spend too much on strengthening your power system because at this point, your production isn’t that high to demand a high power cost. A charged Energy Cell can keep a basic machine operating while you manage rent and invest in more profitable upgrades.
Middle game: This is where a Recharger or a PowerBloc come in handy. Also, remember that Commercial Grade Power becomes extra useful when charging speed starts limiting production, so make sure to get that from Joe Wild.
Late game: Power Line Hijack removes the normal service cost. Current Converters are definitely perfect for high-consumption machines that would otherwise require constant battery swapping, but make sure to upgrade them with Electric Parts to lower the extra Credit costs.
