Battery backup for home: portable power stations and solar generators

How long outages last

The EIA reports that US electricity customers averaged 11 hours of interruptions in 2024; major events such as Hurricanes Beryl, Helene and Milton made up 80% of those hours, while outages outside major events average about two hours a year. So size for the storm, not the average: a battery that rides out a two-hour outage won't carry a fridge through a multi-day one. Ready.gov says a closed refrigerator keeps food cold for about four hours and a full freezer holds its temperature for about 48 hours, which tells you when the fridge needs power first.

A day of essentials

Typical watts (check your own labels; the fridge is a 700 kWh/yr EnergyGuide label, see the refrigerator guide):

• Full-size fridge (700 kWh/yr label): 80 W × 24 h = 1,920 Wh
• Phone charging: 10 W × 8 h = 80 Wh
• Laptop: 60 W × 6 h = 360 Wh
• TV: 100 W × 4 h = 400 Wh
• CPAP (no humidifier): 40 W × 8 h = 320 Wh

Total: 3,080 Wh a day. With 85% of the battery usable, that is about 0.6 days on 2,000 Wh, 1.0 days on 3,600 Wh, 1.4 days on 5,000 Wh and 2.8 days on 10,000 Wh. Add your own list in the size calculator.

What to check on a home-backup station

• Rated output. Everything on at the same time must stay under it. Motors (fridge, sump or well pump) also need a startup surge above their running watts.
• 120/240 V. 17 of our 40 home-backup models list 120/240 V output. Wiring a station into your home's circuits is a job for a licensed electrician; ask them what your panel needs.
• UPS switchover. 16 mention UPS mode or a switchover time: the station stays plugged in and takes over when the grid drops, within the switchover time the listing gives.
• Expansion. 24 take extra batteries; 16 state how far, up to 57,600 Wh. See which battery fits which station.
• Medical devices. Ready.gov advises talking to your medical provider about an outage plan for power-dependent devices and refrigerated medicines.

Home-backup power stations

Every power station of 3,000 Wh and up in our catalog, most popular first. "Essentials" is how many of the 3,080 Wh days above each one holds; 120/240 V, UPS and expansion are as each listing states them.

With 120/240 V output

For 240 V circuits: these 17 list 120/240 V output.

Solar for longer outages

A battery alone runs out; panels refill it during the day. We list 30 home-backup stations sold with a panel; see the best solar generator picks and the refill math in portable solar panels. Comparing with a gas generator? See power station vs generator.