Power station or generator?
Updated
What each one does
| What differs | Power station | Fuel generator |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | Fixed by the battery, then it needs a recharge | Keeps going while it has fuel |
| Where it runs | Indoors or out: no fuel, no exhaust | Outside only, 20 feet or more from openings |
| Recharge or refuel | Wall outlet, solar panels or a car | Fuel |
| When the grid drops | 45 of the 54 state a switch over time (see backup mode) | Someone has to start it |
| Numbers we publish | Capacity, output, surge and more for 54 stations | None: we do not list generators |
We size power stations only. The generator column describes how generators work in general, not any model, so read a generator maker's figures before you compare one.
Where a power station runs out
Energy is the hard limit. Many stations can deliver 1,500 W: 43 of the 54 in our data have the output for a 1,500 W heater. Keeping it on is the problem. Heat and cooling run for hours. Eight hours of the heater and the RV unit need more than any station here holds. Eight hours of the window unit fit only the largest, the EcoFlow DELTA Pro Ultra X.
- Electric heat. 8 hours of a 1,500 W space heater take 12,000 Wh. The largest station in our data, the EcoFlow DELTA Pro Ultra X, has 10,445 Wh usable. A 2,042 Wh station such as the Jackery Explorer 2000 v2 heats for about 1.2 h.
- Air conditioning. A 13,500 BTU RV air conditioner needs about 3,150 W to start and 13,712 Wh for 8 hours of compressor run time. A 10,000 BTU window unit takes 8,400 Wh for the same 8 hours. 33 of the 54 stations can run the RV unit at all.
- 240 V appliances. An electric dryer needs 5,600 W at 240 V, and a 1 HP well pump 3,000 W to start at 240 V. 8 of the 54 stations supply 240 V on their own, 2 more with a second unit linked. 6 can run the dryer.
A space heater and an RV air conditioner work out every station for these loads. Neither page finds one that lasts the day.
Where a power station fits better
Small and medium loads that matter most in an outage suit a battery: the refrigerator, the internet, phones, lights, a CPAP machine, a laptop. A station runs them inside the home, without fuel, and many models switch over by themselves when the grid drops.
Outage essentials works out a fridge, the router, two phones and three bulbs for a full day. A CPAP for two nights and a home office day show how far a mid size station goes on electronics alone.
Solar panels add a way to refill without fuel. A station that takes in more energy each sunny day than its loads use can keep going for days, which no fixed battery can do on its own. The solar guide works out the panel watts.
Safety rules that differ
A generator burns fuel and gives off carbon monoxide. Ready.gov's power outage advice is to run a generator outside only, 20 feet or more from any window, door or attached garage, to plug appliances into it with heavy duty extension cords, and to fit a working carbon monoxide alarm on each floor of the home.
A power station gives off no exhaust, so it can sit next to the fridge it powers. It still has rules of its own: keep it within the temperatures in the maker's manual, which each station page lists where the maker publishes them, and do not cover it while it charges or runs a heavy load.
House wiring is a job for an electrician
Neither a station nor a generator goes into a wall outlet to feed the house. Powering house circuits takes a transfer switch or an inlet that an electrician installs. 8 of the 54 stations have an L14-30 outlet, the kind such a setup connects to, and each station page says which.
Using both
Some households keep a generator for the heavy loads and a station for the quiet ones: the station runs the router and a CPAP through the night while the generator stays off. A station charges from AC, so a generator can refill it in the yard while the station runs things inside. Check in the station maker's manual that it accepts generator power before you plan on it.