Home Power Facts How big a power station do you need?
For a fridge, internet, a few lights and phone charging, you need about 2,256 Wh of usable battery a day and an inverter of at least 366 W (more to start the fridge). The cheapest setup we track that covers one day is the Jackery HomePower 3000 ($1,499 list, 2,458 Wh usable); for a three-day outage without recharging, the DJI Power 1000 + 4 × Power Expansion Battery 2000 ($4,875).
Cheapest setup for each combination
| What you run | Energy a day | Cheapest for 1 day | Cheapest for 3 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essentials: fridge, internet, 4 lights, 2 phonesRefrigerator 24 h, Wi-Fi router / modem 24 h, 4 × LED light bulb (each) 6 h, 2 × Phone charger 2 h; 366 W if all on at once | 2,256 Wh | Jackery HomePower 3000$1,499 list · 2,458 Wh usable (est.) | DJI Power 1000 + 4 × Power Expansion Battery 2000$4,875 list · 7,327 Wh usable (est.) |
| Essentials + CPAP with heated humidifier (8 h a night)Refrigerator 24 h, Wi-Fi router / modem 24 h, 4 × LED light bulb (each) 6 h, 2 × Phone charger 2 h, CPAP with heated humidifier 8 h; 456 W if all on at once | 2,976 Wh | BLUETTI AC200L + 1 × B300K Expansion Battery$2,098 list · 3,892 Wh usable (est.) | BLUETTI AC200L + 2 × B500K Expansion Battery$4,897 list · 9,872 Wh usable (est.) |
| Essentials + chest freezerRefrigerator 24 h, Wi-Fi router / modem 24 h, 4 × LED light bulb (each) 6 h, 2 × Phone charger 2 h, Chest freezer 24 h; 666 W if all on at once | 2,846 Wh | BLUETTI AC200L + 1 × B300K Expansion Battery$2,098 list · 3,892 Wh usable (est.) | BLUETTI AC200L + 2 × B500K Expansion Battery$4,897 list · 9,872 Wh usable (est.) |
| Essentials + TV and laptop (4 h each)Refrigerator 24 h, Wi-Fi router / modem 24 h, 4 × LED light bulb (each) 6 h, 2 × Phone charger 2 h, TV (LED, 32-55 inch) 4 h, Laptop charger 4 h; 494 W if all on at once | 2,768 Wh | BLUETTI AC200L + 1 × B300K Expansion Battery$2,098 list · 3,892 Wh usable (est.) | BLUETTI AC200L + 2 × B500K Expansion Battery$4,897 list · 9,872 Wh usable (est.) |
| Essentials + home oxygen concentrator (24 h)Refrigerator 24 h, Wi-Fi router / modem 24 h, 4 × LED light bulb (each) 6 h, 2 × Phone charger 2 h, Oxygen concentrator (home, 5 L/min) 24 h; 716 W if all on at once | 10,656 Wh | BLUETTI Apex 300 + 4 × B300K Expansion Battery$6,495 list · 11,060 Wh usable (est.) | None we track |
Energy a day = each appliance's average draw × the hours shown, which are our assumptions for a typical outage day; change them in the calculator. A setup qualifies when its inverter can run every load at once (including the largest startup surge) and its usable capacity covers the energy without recharging. Setups include official expansion batteries; price = station + batteries at brand-store list prices. Solar can stretch any of these: see how many panels. Medical devices: keep a backup plan and ask your supplier; don't rely on one estimate.
Adding a pump or furnace blower
These cycle on and off, so how much energy they use depends on the weather and your house. Each hour one actually runs adds its running watts in watt-hours. The table shows the cheapest station that can start one while the essentials are running.
| Appliance | Each hour of running adds | Stations that can start it | Cheapest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sump pump (1/3 hp) | 650 Wh | 24 of 27 | BLUETTI AC180$499 list |
| Sump pump (1/2 hp) | 925 Wh | 24 of 27 | BLUETTI AC180$499 list |
| Gas furnace blower (1/2 hp) | 550 Wh | 24 of 27 | BLUETTI AC180$499 list |
| Well pump (1/2 hp, 240 V)Needs a 240 V outlet | 875 Wh | 5 of 27 | BLUETTI Apex 300$1,699 list |
| Garage door opener | 720 Wh | 24 of 27 | BLUETTI AC180$499 list |
Most well pumps and furnace blowers are hardwired, so they need a transfer switch or inlet installed by an electrician. Full method: methodology.