Power stations for whole home backup of the essentials: which are enough
Of the 54 power stations in the Enough Watts data set, none are enough for one full day at home without the grid, 31 run it but not long enough, and 23 cannot power it. The nearest is the EcoFlow DELTA Pro Ultra X: 22.1 h of this routine, about 5.3 h with everything running nonstop.
Updated
The setup in numbers
1,976W
Running, all at once
2,701W
Starting watts needed
11,335Wh
Energy a day
0 of 54
Enough for 24 h
The setup
| Appliance | How many | Running | Energy a day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Refrigerator (modern, full size) | 1 | 275 W | 1.3 kWh a day × 24/24 h = 1,300 Wh |
| Chest freezer | 1 | 300 W | 0.8 kWh a day × 24/24 h = 800 Wh |
| Gas furnace blower fan (1/2 HP) | 1 | 550 W | 550 W × 12 h = 6,600 Wh |
| Sump pump (1/3 HP) | 1 | 650 W | 650 W × 2 h = 1,300 Wh |
| Wi-Fi router and modem | 1 | 28 W | 28 W × 24 h = 672 Wh |
| LED bulb, 60 W equivalent (800 lumens) | 6 | 8.5 W | 8.5 W × 5 h × 6 = 255 Wh |
| Phone charging | 2 | 20 W | 20 W × 2 h × 2 = 80 Wh |
| TV, 55 inch LED (LCD) | 1 | 82 W | 82 W × 4 h = 328 Wh |
- Running, everything on at once
- 275 + 300 + 550 + 650 + 28 + 6 × 8.5 + 2 × 20 + 82 = 1,976 W
- Starting watts needed
- 1,976 - 275 + 1,000 = 2,701 W
- Watt hours a day
- 1,300 + 800 + 6,600 + 1,300 + 672 + 255 + 80 + 328 = 11,335 Wh
- Goal
- one full day at home without the grid (24 h)
- Assumes the motor runs the whole time; real use is often less.
- Watts vary by model and age. Check the label on your own appliance and enter it for an exact answer.
None of the 54 stations is enough
The 54 power stations in the data set, ranked smallest capacity first (the closest fit), then lower price, then lighter. Whether a link can earn us money never changes the order.
No station in the data is enough for one full day at home without the grid. The groups below show how close each one gets.
Runs it, but not long enough: 31 of 54 stations
They pass the output, surge and voltage checks but run out before the goal. Longest runtime first.
| Power station | Capacity | Runtime of this routine | Everything nonstop |
|---|---|---|---|
| EcoFlow DELTA Pro Ultra X | 12,288 Wh | 22.1 h | 5.3 h |
| EcoFlow DELTA Pro Ultra | 6,144 Wh | 11.1 h | 2.6 h |
| Jackery Explorer 5000 Plus | 5,040 Wh | 9.1 h | 2.2 h |
| OUPES Guardian 6000 V2 | 4,608 Wh | 8.3 h | 2.0 h |
| EcoFlow DELTA Pro 3 | 4,096 Wh | 7.4 h | 1.8 h |
| Goal Zero Yeti PRO 4000 | 3,994 Wh | 7.2 h | 1.7 h |
| BLUETTI Elite 400 | 3,840 Wh | 6.9 h | 1.7 h |
| Anker SOLIX F3800 | 3,840 Wh | 6.9 h | 1.7 h |
| Anker SOLIX F3800 Plus | 3,840 Wh | 6.9 h | 1.7 h |
| ALLPOWERS R4000 | 3,456 Wh | 6.2 h | 1.5 h |
| ALLPOWERS R3500 | 3,168 Wh | 5.7 h | 1.4 h |
| EcoFlow DELTA 3 Ultra | 3,072 Wh | 5.5 h | 1.3 h |
| Anker SOLIX F3000 | 3,072 Wh | 5.5 h | 1.3 h |
| EcoFlow DELTA 3 Ultra Plus | 3,072 Wh | 5.5 h | 1.3 h |
| Pecron E3600LFP | 3,072 Wh | 5.5 h | 1.3 h |
| BLUETTI Elite 300 | 3,014 Wh | 5.4 h | 1.3 h |
| BLUETTI Apex 300 | 2,765 Wh | 5.0 h | 1.2 h |
| Anker SOLIX F2600 | 2,560 Wh | 4.6 h | 1.1 h |
| Jackery HomePower 2000 Plus v2 | 2,048 Wh | 3.7 h | 53 min |
| EcoFlow DELTA 3 Max | 2,048 Wh | 3.7 h | 53 min |
| Pecron E2400LFP | 2,048 Wh | 3.7 h | 53 min |
| Anker SOLIX C2000 Gen 2 | 2,048 Wh | 3.7 h | 53 min |
| EcoFlow DELTA 3 Max Plus | 2,048 Wh | 3.7 h | 53 min |
| DJI Power 2000 | 2,048 Wh | 3.7 h | 53 min |
| Jackery Explorer 2000 v2 | 2,042 Wh | 3.7 h | 53 min |
| ALLPOWERS R2500 V2 | 1,920 Wh | 3.5 h | 50 min |
| Jackery Explorer 1500 v2 | 1,536 Wh | 2.8 h | 40 min |
| Goal Zero Yeti 1500 | 1,505 Wh | 2.7 h | 39 min |
| Jackery Explorer 1000 Plus | 1,265 Wh | 2.3 h | 33 min |
| Anker SOLIX C1000 Gen 2 | 1,024 Wh | 1.8 h | 26 min |
| DJI Power 1000 | 1,024 Wh | 1.8 h | 26 min |
Cannot power it: 23 of 54 stations
Show the 23 stations and the number each one fails on
- BLUETTI Elite 10 Mini Needs 1,976 W running at once; this station gives 200 W. Needs 2,701 W to start; this station peaks at 300 W.
- Jackery Explorer 240 v2 Needs 1,976 W running at once; this station gives 300 W. Needs 2,701 W to start; this station peaks at 600 W.
- EcoFlow RIVER 3 Plus Needs 1,976 W running at once; this station gives 600 W. Needs 2,701 W to start; this station peaks at 1,200 W.
- BLUETTI Elite 30 V2 Needs 1,976 W running at once; this station gives 600 W. Needs 2,701 W to start. Its surge rating is not published, and its 600 W continuous rating is lower.
- Jackery Explorer 300 v2 Needs 1,976 W running at once; this station gives 300 W. Needs 2,701 W to start; this station peaks at 600 W.
- Goal Zero Yeti 300 Needs 1,976 W running at once; this station gives 350 W. Needs 2,701 W to start; this station peaks at 600 W.
- Goal Zero Yeti 500 Needs 1,976 W running at once; this station gives 500 W. Needs 2,701 W to start; this station peaks at 1,000 W.
- DJI Power 500 Needs 1,976 W running at once; this station gives 1,000 W. Needs 2,701 W to start. Its surge rating is not published, and its 1,000 W continuous rating is lower.
- Jackery Explorer 600 v2 Needs 1,976 W running at once; this station gives 500 W. Needs 2,701 W to start; this station peaks at 1,000 W.
- Goal Zero Yeti 700 Needs 1,976 W running at once; this station gives 600 W. Needs 2,701 W to start; this station peaks at 1,000 W.
- BLUETTI Elite 100 mini Needs 1,976 W running at once; this station gives 700 W. Needs 2,701 W to start; this station peaks at 1,050 W.
- BLUETTI Elite 100 V2 Needs 1,976 W running at once; this station gives 1,800 W.
- EcoFlow DELTA 3 Classic Needs 1,976 W running at once; this station gives 1,800 W.
- EcoFlow DELTA 3 Needs 1,976 W running at once; this station gives 1,800 W.
- EcoFlow DELTA 3 Plus Needs 1,976 W running at once; this station gives 1,800 W.
- Pecron E1000LFP Needs 1,976 W running at once; this station gives 1,800 W.
- Anker SOLIX C1000 Needs 1,976 W running at once; this station gives 1,800 W. Needs 2,701 W to start; this station peaks at 2,400 W.
- Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 Needs 1,976 W running at once; this station gives 1,500 W.
- BLUETTI AC180 Needs 1,976 W running at once; this station gives 1,800 W. Needs 2,701 W to start; this station peaks at 2,700 W.
- ALLPOWERS R1500 Needs 1,976 W running at once; this station gives 1,800 W.
- Jackery Explorer 1500 Ultra Needs 1,976 W running at once; this station gives 1,800 W.
- OUPES Mega 2 Pro Needs 2,701 W to start. Its surge rating is not published, and its 2,500 W continuous rating is lower.
- BLUETTI Elite 200 V2 Needs 2,701 W to start. Its surge rating is not published, and its 2,600 W continuous rating is lower.
What to know
Whole home backup with a battery means the circuits that keep a house safe and fed, not every outlet. This list holds the refrigerator, a chest freezer, the gas furnace blower, a 1/3 HP sump pump, the internet, six lights, two phones and the TV. Central air, an electric range, an electric water heater and a dryer stay off; most of them need 240 V and several times this energy.
Together the loads use 11,335 Wh a day and need 1,976 W with everything on, plus 2,701 W when a motor starts. The furnace blower is 58% of the energy. 15 of the 54 stations fail the start check, and none lasts the full day.
A furnace and often a sump pump are wired in, so a station reaches them through a transfer switch or an inlet that an electrician installs. Never connect a station to house wiring without one. Larger stations with expansion batteries and a home panel kit are built for this job, and their pages say which ones take extra batteries.
The question below takes the furnace off the list, for a home heated another way. The 3 day outage setup is the lean version, and the fridge runtime study shows how long each station runs a refrigerator alone.
Read more: Watts vs watt hours, explained, Why you get less than the rated capacity, Starting watts explained and Can a power station run a refrigerator?.