Best portable power stations for power outages
Pick a power station by how many watt-hours (Wh) your devices use in a day and how many watts they draw at once. Use the Department of Energy formula, watts times hours, then choose a LiFePO4 model with more capacity than that total and check with your device's maker that it can run on battery power, as the CDC advises.
A battery power station makes no exhaust, while the CPSC estimates about 85 people in the US die each year from carbon monoxide made by gasoline portable generators.
Our picks at a glance
| Product | Best for | Key specs | |
|---|---|---|---|
| EcoFlow DELTA 3 Plus | Best all-rounder | 1,024 Wh LFP, 1,800 W AC (3,600 W surge), 4,000 cycles to 80%, 1,000 W solar, about 27.6 lb | Check price |
| Anker SOLIX C1000 Gen 2 | Fastest recharge | 1,024 Wh, 2,000 W AC (3,000 W peak), 4,000 cycles to 80%, 600 W solar, 10 ms UPS, 24.9 lb | Check price |
| Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 | Lightest 1 kWh | 1,070 Wh LiFePO4, 1,500 W AC (3,000 W surge), 4,000 cycles to 70%, 400 W solar input, about 23.8 lb | Check price |
| BLUETTI Elite 200 V2 | Fridge for a day | 2,073.6 Wh LiFePO4, 2,600 W AC, 1,000 W solar input | Check price |
| Anker SOLIX F3800 Plus | 240 V home backup | 3,840 Wh LFP, 6,000 W AC, 3,000+ cycles, 3,200 W solar, 20 ms UPS, 136.7 lb | Check price |
EcoFlow DELTA 3 Plus
EcoFlow lists a switchover under 10 ms, so a CPAP or modem keeps running when the grid drops, and up to 1,000 W of solar input to refill it in a long outage.
Key specs: 1,024 Wh LFP, 1,800 W AC (3,600 W surge), 4,000 cycles to 80%, 1,000 W solar, about 27.6 lb
Watch out for: About 1 kWh is not enough to run a typical fridge for a full day by itself.
Check price on AmazonAnker SOLIX C1000 Gen 2
Anker says it can recharge fully from the wall in 49 minutes with UltraFast charging turned on, which helps when power comes back for short spells. 2,000 W continuous is high for its size.
Key specs: 1,024 Wh, 2,000 W AC (3,000 W peak), 4,000 cycles to 80%, 600 W solar, 10 ms UPS, 24.9 lb
Watch out for: Anker says charging is much slower below 68°F, which matters in a winter outage.
Check price on AmazonJackery Explorer 1000 v2
Jackery lists LiFePO4 cells and a sub-20 ms switchover in a unit about 24 pounds, easy to carry from room to room.
Key specs: 1,070 Wh LiFePO4, 1,500 W AC (3,000 W surge), 4,000 cycles to 70%, 400 W solar input, about 23.8 lb
Watch out for: Lower output and solar input than the EcoFlow and Anker at a similar size.
Check price on AmazonBLUETTI Elite 200 V2
About twice the capacity of the 1 kWh picks, with LiFePO4 cells and 2,600 W continuous output. Enough to cover a day of fridge use plus phones and lights.
Key specs: 2,073.6 Wh LiFePO4, 2,600 W AC, 1,000 W solar input
Watch out for: Bluetti's page does not list cycle life, weight or switchover time, so check before you buy.
Check price on AmazonAnker SOLIX F3800 Plus
Anker lists 120 and 240 volt output through an L14-30R port, so with an electrician's transfer setup it can run well pumps and other 240 V loads. You can add expansion batteries.
Key specs: 3,840 Wh LFP, 6,000 W AC, 3,000+ cycles, 3,200 W solar, 20 ms UPS, 136.7 lb
Watch out for: At about 137 pounds it is a wheeled box, not something you carry.
Check price on Amazon- Work out what you need
- What to look for
- If you use a CPAP or other medical device
- How to use it safely
- Gear
Work out what you need
The Department of Energy formula is watts × hours used per day = watt-hours per day. Compare that to the station's Wh rating.
| Device | Where the number comes from | Rough daily need |
|---|---|---|
| Refrigerator | A DOE example EnergyGuide label shows 630 kWh a year, about 1.7 kWh a day. Check the yellow label on yours. | About 1,700 Wh a day for that fridge |
| CPAP (ResMed AirSense 11) | ResMed's user guide lists typical power use of 56.1 W and peak of 73.2 W. | About 450 Wh for 8 hours at the typical figure |
The DOE notes that fridges cycle on and off rather than run flat out all day, which is why the label's yearly figure is a better guide than the wattage sticker. Treat these numbers as best cases and round down. For a fridge, a 1 kWh station buys you hours, not days. Our food safety in a power outage page explains how long food stays safe with the door shut.
What to look for
| Spec | What it means |
|---|---|
| Capacity (Wh) | How much energy it holds. Match it to your daily total above. |
| Continuous output (W) | The most it can power at once. Must be higher than everything you plug in together. |
| Surge (W) | Short burst for motors like a fridge compressor starting up. |
| Battery chemistry | Most of our picks use LiFePO4 (LFP) cells, and their makers rate them for 3,000 to 4,000 charge cycles. |
| Solar input (W) | How fast panels can refill it in an outage that lasts days. |
| UPS or switchover time | How fast it takes over when the grid drops. Matters for a CPAP or computer. |
| UL 2743 certification | UL says UL 2743 is the safety standard for portable power packs used when grid power is out. Products over 20 kWh need UL 9540 instead. |
None of the maker pages we checked listed a UL certification on the page itself. UL says you can look a product up in its free Product iQ database, or ask the seller for the certificate.
If you use a CPAP or other medical device
- The CDC says check your device's manual or call the maker to confirm it works with batteries or a generator before you rely on one.
- Write down the model and serial number of each device in your plan (CDC).
- Charge battery-powered devices and backup power sources fully before a storm is forecast (CDC).
See also medicines in a disaster.
How to use it safely
These tips are from the South Carolina State Fire Marshal on lithium-ion batteries:
- Buy devices listed by a qualified testing laboratory.
- Do not charge on a bed or couch. Charge on a flat, dry spot away from children and direct sunlight.
- Do not keep charging after it is full.
- Do not charge below 32°F or above 105°F. Keep it at room temperature when you can.
- Stop using it if you notice an odor, color change or too much heat. If it is safe, move it away from anything that can burn and call 911.
Common mistakes
- Buying on capacity alone. Check continuous watts too, or the station will shut off when the fridge and microwave run together.
- Expecting a 1 kWh station to keep a full-size fridge cold for days.
- Not checking with the CPAP maker that the machine is fine on battery power, as the CDC advises.
- Charging it on a bed or couch, or in a freezing garage.
Gear for this
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Portable solar panel matched to your station
Lets you refill the station during an outage that lasts days. Check the station's solar input watts and voltage range first.
Heavy-duty indoor extension cord
To reach the fridge from where the station sits. Match the cord to the load.
Battery-powered CO alarm
If anyone nearby is also running a fueled generator, the danger does not stop at their property line.
Questions people ask
Can a portable power station run a refrigerator?
Yes, for a while. A DOE example fridge uses about 1.7 kWh a day, so a 1 kWh station covers part of a day and a 2 kWh station roughly a day. Check your fridge's EnergyGuide label.
How long will a power station run a CPAP?
ResMed lists typical use of 56.1 W for the AirSense 11, about 450 Wh for an 8 hour night using the DOE formula. A 1,000 Wh station should cover roughly two nights. Confirm battery use with your device maker.
Is a power station safe to use indoors?
It makes no exhaust, unlike a fuel generator. Follow lithium-ion safety rules: buy one listed by a testing lab, do not charge it on a bed or couch, and stop using it if it smells or gets too hot.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Energy: Estimating Appliance and Home Electronic Energy Use
- DOE Building America Solution Center: EnergyGuide label example
- ResMed: AirSense 11 user guide
- CDC: #PrepYourHealth for Power Outages
- UL: Q&A on Portable Power Packs
- South Carolina State Fire Marshal: Lithium-Ion Battery Safety
- CPSC: New Report on Carbon Monoxide Fatalities
- EcoFlow: DELTA 3 Plus
- Anker SOLIX: C1000 Gen 2
- Jackery: Explorer 1000 v2
- BLUETTI: Elite 200 V2
- Anker SOLIX: F3800 Plus
Related entries
- G-01Best portable generators with CO shutoffGenerators that switch themselves off when carbon monoxide builds up. What the safety standards mean and 6 picks.
- P-02What to do when the power goes outThe first steps, food and medicine rules, and the carbon monoxide mistakes that kill people in outages.
- F-01How long food lasts in the fridge and freezer when the power goes out4 hours in the fridge. 48 hours in a full freezer. What to keep and what to throw out.
- A-04Medicines in a disaster: backup supply, emergency refills and storageBuild a backup supply, know your emergency refill rights, and what to throw out after a flood.
- P-06What size generator do I need? (simple worked example)Add up the running watts, add the biggest starting watts, done. A worked example with a fridge, sump pump and furnace fan.
General safety information only, not medical or professional advice. Rules can change, so check the linked sources and follow your local officials. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.