The most common reason people buy a power station is a freezer full of food and a memory of a bad week.
So this guide answers one question precisely: how many hours of refrigeration does each size of battery actually give you, calculated from measured capacity rather than the rating on the box.
First, how long you have without one
Before buying anything, know the baseline. US food-safety guidance is that a refrigerator holds a safe temperature for about 4 hours if you keep the door closed, and a full freezer for about 48 hours (24 hours if half full).
The single most effective thing you can do during an outage is not open the door. That is free, and it beats any battery.
What a fridge actually draws
Not what the label says. A refrigerator's compressor cycles on and off, so the figure that matters is the running average.
A typical full-size household fridge rated at 150 W therefore consumes roughly 52 watt-hours per hour. A 12 V compressor camp fridge averages about 45 W.
Two caveats. Duty cycle rises in a warm house — during a summer outage with no air conditioning, expect closer to 45–50% and size accordingly. And the compressor draws several hundred watts for a fraction of a second when it starts, so the unit's surge rating matters even though the running draw is small.
Hours per battery size
Calculated from my measured usable capacity at a 52 W average — assumptions here.
| Unit | Measured usable | Household fridge | Camp fridge | List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EcoFlow Delta Pro 3 Longest | 3,772 Wh | 71 h 51 | 83 h 49 | $3,699 |
| Anker SOLIX F3800 Plus | 3,448 Wh | 65 h 41 | 76 h 37 | $2,400 |
| Bluetti Elite 200 V2 | 1,902 Wh | 36 h 14 | 42 h 16 | $1,199 |
| Jackery Explorer 2000 v2 | 1,702 Wh | 32 h 25 | 37 h 49 | $999 |
| Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 | 905 Wh | 17 h 14 | 20 h 07 | $559 |
| Bluetti Elite 100 V2 | 892 Wh | 16 h 59 | 19 h 49 | $899 |
| Anker SOLIX C1000 Gen 2 Best value | 884 Wh | 16 h 50 | 19 h 39 | $500 |
| EcoFlow Delta 3 | 862 Wh | 16 h 25 | 19 h 09 | $699 |
| Bluetti AC70 | 684 Wh | 13 h 02 | 15 h 12 | $359 |
| EcoFlow River 2 Pro | 615 Wh | 11 h 43 | 13 h 40 | $529 |
| Anker SOLIX C300 | 232 Wh | 4 h 25 | 5 h 09 | $330 |
Swipe for 1 more column →
- Measured usable
- 3,772 Wh
- Household fridge
- 71 h 51
- Camp fridge
- 83 h 49
- List
- $3,699
- Measured usable
- 3,448 Wh
- Household fridge
- 65 h 41
- Camp fridge
- 76 h 37
- List
- $2,400
- Measured usable
- 1,902 Wh
- Household fridge
- 36 h 14
- Camp fridge
- 42 h 16
- List
- $1,199
- Measured usable
- 1,702 Wh
- Household fridge
- 32 h 25
- Camp fridge
- 37 h 49
- List
- $999
- Measured usable
- 905 Wh
- Household fridge
- 17 h 14
- Camp fridge
- 20 h 07
- List
- $559
- Measured usable
- 892 Wh
- Household fridge
- 16 h 59
- Camp fridge
- 19 h 49
- List
- $899
- Measured usable
- 884 Wh
- Household fridge
- 16 h 50
- Camp fridge
- 19 h 39
- List
- $500
- Measured usable
- 862 Wh
- Household fridge
- 16 h 25
- Camp fridge
- 19 h 09
- List
- $699
- Measured usable
- 684 Wh
- Household fridge
- 13 h 02
- Camp fridge
- 15 h 12
- List
- $359
- Measured usable
- 615 Wh
- Household fridge
- 11 h 43
- Camp fridge
- 13 h 40
- List
- $529
- Measured usable
- 232 Wh
- Household fridge
- 4 h 25
- Camp fridge
- 5 h 09
- List
- $330
Matching a battery to your outages
| If your outages last | You need about | Which is |
|---|---|---|
| Under 4 hours | Nothing | A closed door covers it |
| 4–12 hours | 400–650 Wh usable | Bluetti AC70 class |
| Overnight, 12–18 hours | 650–950 Wh usable | 1 kWh class |
| A full day and a half | 1,700–1,900 Wh usable | 2 kWh class |
| Two to three days | 3,700 Wh+ usable | Delta Pro 3 class |
Note that these are usable figures, not ratings. To convert to a rating to shop by, divide by about 0.85 — or better, use a unit with a published measurement.
The mistake: sizing for the fridge alone
The fridge is rarely the only thing you want during an outage. Add the realistic rest of it and the numbers change sharply:
| Load set | Average draw | Hours on 884 Wh | Hours on 3,772 Wh |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fridge only | 52 W | 16 h 50 | 71 h 51 |
| Fridge + lights | 82 W | 10 h 47 | 46 h 00 |
| Fridge + lights + router + phones | 250 W | 3 h 32 | 15 h 05 |
| Add a space heater | 1,500 W | 0 h 35 | 2 h 31 |
Freezers
A chest freezer is generally easier than a refrigerator, not harder. It is better insulated, opened less, and its duty cycle is often lower once at temperature — typically 40–60 W average for a domestic chest freezer.
The catch is the starting surge, which is usually larger than a fridge's. Check the unit's surge rating, and be aware that surge claims are not always reliable — one independent test recorded a shutdown at 3,140 W against a 3,900 W claim.[1]
Practical points
Plug in before the outage, not during. Several units here specify UPS switchover between 10 and 30 ms, and the Bluetti AC70's was independently measured at 14 ms.[2] With the fridge permanently plugged into the power station and the power station plugged into the wall, an outage causes no interruption at all.
Do not run it through the wall. Connecting a battery to house circuits needs a transfer switch and, in most US jurisdictions, a licensed electrician. An extension lead to the fridge is a purchase; backfeeding a panel is an installation.
Recharge matters as much as capacity. If power returns briefly, a unit that refills in 54 minutes recovers a full charge where one taking three hours recovers a third.[3]
Keep it charged. A backup at 40% is not a backup.
FAQ
How long will a power station run a refrigerator?
Roughly 17 hours for a 1 kWh unit, 33–36 hours for a 2 kWh unit, and about 72 hours for a 4 kWh unit — assuming a full-size fridge averaging 52 W. All calculated from my measured usable capacity.
How long does food stay safe without power?
About 4 hours in a closed refrigerator and about 48 hours in a full freezer, per US food-safety guidance. Keeping the door shut is the single most effective thing you can do.
What size power station do I need for my fridge?
Multiply 52 W by the hours you want to cover, then divide by 0.85 to correct for conversion loss. Twelve hours needs about 734 rated watt-hours; twenty-four hours needs about 1,470.
Can a power station run a fridge and other things?
Yes, but for much less time. A 1 kWh unit runs a fridge alone for about 17 hours, or a fridge with lights, router and phones for about 3.5. Size against the full load, not the fridge on its own.
Will it start my fridge's compressor?
Almost certainly — a compressor surge is typically several hundred watts and every unit here has a surge rating well above that. Treat published surge ratings as approximate; at least one has been measured cutting out below its claim.[1]
For the full ranking by measured capacity see the best power stations, or work out your own total with the sizing guide.
Sources
- APH Networks. Bluetti Elite 200 V2 Review. Independent lab test · accessed 5 September 2026
- StorageReview. Bluetti AC70 and AC2A Portable Power Station Review. Independent lab test · accessed 5 September 2026
- OutdoorGearLab. EcoFlow Delta 3 Review. Independent lab test · accessed 5 September 2026