How Many Watts Does a Refrigerator Use? Battery Hours

How we picked: the FTC's EnergyGuide label rule, Briggs & Stratton's guidance on motor starting watts, the watt math (capacity × 0.85 ÷ average watts) and the published specs of the power stations in our catalog. We don't run hands-on tests. Our method

Step 1: read the EnergyGuide label

Under the FTC's Energy Labeling Rule, refrigerators and freezers sold in the US carry a yellow EnergyGuide label with their estimated annual energy consumption in kWh. That number already averages the compressor cycling on and off, so it is a better base than the watts on the nameplate, which are what the fridge draws while the compressor runs. kWh per year × 1,000 ÷ 8,760 hours = average watts.

Label (kWh/yr)	Avg watts	Wh per day	1,000 Wh	2,000 Wh	3,000 Wh	5,000 Wh
300	34 W	822	25 h	50 h	74 h	124 h
400	46 W	1,096	19 h	37 h	56 h	93 h
500	57 W	1,370	15 h	30 h	45 h	74 h
600	68 W	1,644	12 h	25 h	37 h	62 h
700	80 W	1,918	11 h	21 h	32 h	53 h

Runtime uses 85% of the battery for inverter losses. A warm room, a door that opens often or a defrost cycle can raise the draw on a given day, so leave some margin.

Step 2: check the startup surge

A fridge's compressor is a motor, and Briggs & Stratton puts the start of a motor at about two to three times its running wattage. Take the running watts from the nameplate (or amps × 120) and multiply by 3: a fridge running at 200 W needs a station that can handle about 600 W at the start. That is rarely the problem: 125 of our 218 power stations are rated 1,000 W or more, and 134 also list a higher surge rating. A small station rated 300 W or less may not start a full-size fridge even with a charged battery.

Step 3: choose the size

With the 500 kWh example, 80 of our 218 power stations hold a full day of the fridge on one charge. Popular models from the mid-size class up, with the hours each gives that fridge:

Model	Capacity	Output	Cells	Weight	Wh/lb	500 kWh fridge	Amazon link
Jackery Explorer 1000 V2 (1,024 Wh)	1,024 Wh	1,500 W	LiFePO4	23.4 lb	44	15 h	Check price on Amazon
Bluetti AC180	1,152 Wh	1,800 W	LiFePO4	37.4 lb	31	17 h	Check price on Amazon
Anker SOLIX C1000 Gen 2 (1,024 Wh)	1,024 Wh	2,000 W	LiFePO4	24.9 lb	41	15 h	Check price on Amazon
EcoFlow Delta 3 Max	2,048 Wh	2,400 W	LiFePO4	44.8 lb	46	30 h	Check price on Amazon
Anker SOLIX S2000	2,010 Wh	1,500 W	LiFePO4	35.7 lb	56	30 h	Check price on Amazon
Jackery Explorer 2000 V2	2,042 Wh	2,200 W	LiFePO4	39.5 lb	52	30 h	Check price on Amazon
Jackery Homepower 3600 Plus	3,584 Wh	3,600 W	LiFePO4	77.2 lb	46	53 h	Check price on Amazon
EcoFlow Delta Pro	3,600 Wh	3,600 W	LiFePO4	99 lb	36	54 h	Check price on Amazon
PECRON F3000	3,072 Wh	3,600 W	LiFePO4	63.3 lb	49	46 h	Check price on Amazon

For a mini fridge, a fridge plus a chest freezer or a longer outage, add your devices in the size calculator. To keep a fridge going for days, look at stations that take an extra battery or kits with a solar panel: the panels have to put back the fridge's Wh per day.

Keeping the fridge running longer

Keep the door closed. Every opening lets cold air out, and the compressor runs longer to recover it.
Charge the station before a storm. Many can stay plugged in and switch over when the power drops; check the product page for that feature.

In an apartment? See the apartment guide.

Questions people ask

How many watts does a refrigerator use?

While the compressor runs, a few hundred watts: the Virginia Tech extension chart lists 725 W for a 16 cubic foot frost-free model. It cycles on and off, so the average is much lower: the kWh per year on its EnergyGuide label divided by 8.76. A 500 kWh/year fridge averages about 57 W.

How long will a portable power station run a refrigerator?

Divide the kWh per year on the fridge's EnergyGuide label by 8.76 to get its average watts, then hours = capacity × 0.85 ÷ those watts. A fridge labeled 500 kWh a year averages about 57 W, so a 1,000 Wh station runs it about 15 h and a 2,000 Wh one about 30 h.

Can a 1,000W power station run a refrigerator?

Usually on output: the compressor needs about 2–3× its running watts to start, so 1,000 W covers a fridge that runs at up to about 330 W (check the nameplate). Runtime is the limit: with a 1,000 Wh battery, a 500 kWh/year fridge runs about 15 h.

What size solar generator do I need to run a refrigerator and a freezer?

Add both labels. A 500 kWh fridge plus a 400 kWh freezer is 900 kWh a year, about 2,466 Wh a day, so about 2,901 Wh of battery per day without sun. To keep going on solar, the panels have to put back that much each day.