What size power station do you need?

Pick your scenario below. Every number is pre-computed from our 20-product database — 85% inverter efficiency, a 20% reserve buffer, runtimes as 80–90% efficiency ranges. Prices checked October 2026.

Scenarios

1. Refrigerator for 24 hours
2. Outage essentials for 12 hours
3. Chest freezer for 24 hours
4. CPAP overnight (8 hours, no humidifier)
5. Work-from-home for 8 hours
6. Wi-Fi router for 24 hours
7. Sump pump through the worst 2 hours of a storm
8. Whole-home light backup for 24 hours

Refrigerator for 24 hours

Keeping the fridge cold through a one-day outage — the single most common sizing question.

Outage essentials for 12 hours

Fridge + Wi-Fi router + two phone chargers + three LED bulbs. The core stay-comfortable-and-connected kit for a half-day outage.

Chest freezer for 24 hours

Holding a full chest freezer through a one-day outage.

CPAP overnight (8 hours, no humidifier)

One night of CPAP without the heated humidifier. Capacity math only — not medical advice.

CPAP selected — capacity math only. This sizes energy and power; it can’t tell you any setup is medically safe. Read our CPAP backup power sizing guide before relying on battery power overnight.

Work-from-home for 8 hours

Router + laptop + two phone chargers through a workday outage.

Wi-Fi router for 24 hours

Just the router, all day — stay connected through a day-long outage on the smallest unit that makes sense.

Sump pump through the worst 2 hours of a storm

A 1/3 HP sump pump running 2 hours at the storm’s peak. Motor loads need surge headroom — we’ve filtered for it.

Motor load surge: 2,000W (Sump pump (1/3 HP)). Motors pull a brief startup surge far above running watts. Every product below was checked against its manufacturer surge rating.

Not suited: BLUETTI AC200L — surge rating not published — can’t confirm it handles your Sump pump (1/3 HP)’s 2,000W surge · BLUETTI EB3A — needs 800W continuous — this unit tops out at 600W; can’t handle your Sump pump (1/3 HP)’s 2,000W surge (rated 1,200W) · EcoFlow RIVER 3 — needs 800W continuous — this unit tops out at 300W; can’t handle your Sump pump (1/3 HP)’s 2,000W surge (rated 600W) · Jackery Explorer 500 — needs 800W continuous — this unit tops out at 500W; can’t handle your Sump pump (1/3 HP)’s 2,000W surge (rated 1,000W)

Whole-home light backup for 24 hours

Fridge + freezer + router + phones + lights + laptop + box fan. Near the maximum for a single portable station.

No products in our database match. You’d need 9,640 Wh and 460 W continuous. That’s bigger than our largest reviewed unit (4,096 Wh) — you’d need multiple units or a larger system.

How these numbers are calculated

• Energy needed: Σ (watts × quantity × hours × duty cycle) ÷ 85% efficiency × 1.20 reserve.
• Fridges and freezers cycle on and off — we use a 35% duty cycle, the standard planning figure.
• Runtimes are ranges at 80–90% inverter efficiency, rounded to whole hours. Real-world draw varies — treat these as estimates, not guarantees.
• Motor loads (like sump pumps) are filtered against each manufacturer’s published surge rating.
• For the full walkthrough, read what size power station you need for a refrigerator and power station vs. gas generator.