Add up all your appliances and devices to find your total power consumption. Browse 50+ common appliances with real-world wattage ratings, adjust quantities and usage hours, and get personalized power station size recommendations with safety buffer built in.
Select appliances to see your recommended power station size.
Daily Wh = Running Watts × Hours Per Day. Recommended size includes 20% safety buffer and 85% inverter efficiency.
Scroll through our list of 50+ common appliances or use the category tabs to narrow down by type: kitchen, electronics, lighting, HVAC, camping gear, or medical devices. Each appliance shows both running wattage (continuous use) and starting/surge wattage (brief startup spike for motor-driven devices).
For each appliance you want to power, set the quantity (how many of that device you have) and the number of hours per day you expect to use it. Some appliances (like fridges) run 24 hours a day but cycle on and off — we use average wattage that already accounts for cycling, so you can still set 24 hours.
As you add devices, watch the totals update instantly. Total running watts tells you the continuous draw — your power station needs at least this much continuous output. Peak surge watts is the maximum draw at startup — your station needs a peak/surge rating that covers this. Daily watt-hours tells you how much total energy you use per day.
Based on your total daily consumption, the calculator recommends a battery size with a 20% safety buffer and 85% inverter efficiency factored in. This gives you a realistic target when shopping for a portable power station. If your total exceeds what a single station can provide, you may need a larger unit or multiple units in parallel.
Our wattage numbers are averages — your actual devices may differ. For the most accurate results, measure each device with a plug-in watt meter (like a Kill-A-Watt). This is especially important for fridges, well pumps, and other motor-driven devices where actual consumption varies widely by model and age.
Understanding the difference between running watts and starting watts is crucial for choosing the right portable power station. Get this wrong, and your station might not even turn on your device — or worse, it could trip a breaker or damage the inverter.
The continuous power a device needs to operate normally once it is running. This is the number you use to calculate runtime and daily energy consumption.
The extra power needed for 1–3 seconds when a motor or compressor first starts up. Can be 2–5x higher than running watts. Your station's peak rating must cover this.
| Device Type | Running Watts | Surge Watts | Surge Multiple |
|---|---|---|---|
| Refrigerator (full-size) | 100–200W | 500–800W | 3–5× |
| 12V car cooler | 40–80W | 80–150W | 2–3× |
| Air conditioner (window) | 500–1200W | 1500–3000W | 3–4× |
| Well pump | 500–1000W | 1500–3000W | 3–4× |
| Vacuum cleaner | 500–1500W | 1000–3000W | 2–3× |
| Space heater | 750–1500W | 800–1600W | 1.1× (minimal) |
| Microwave | 600–1500W | 700–1700W | 1.1× (minimal) |
| LED light bulb | 5–15W | 6–18W | 1.1× (negligible) |
| Laptop / phone charger | 20–100W | 25–120W | 1.2× (small) |
Important: If you run multiple motor-driven devices, their surges do not all happen at the same time unless you turn them all on simultaneously. For most people, the single largest surge (usually the fridge) is what matters. If you are concerned, turn on devices one at a time — wait 5–10 seconds between turning on motor-driven devices so each surge happens separately.
The easiest way to make your portable power station last longer is to use less power in the first place. Here are proven strategies for cutting your energy use without sacrificing comfort.
LED bulbs use 75–85% less energy than incandescents and last 25 times longer. A 10W LED = 60W incandescent brightness. For camping, string lights and LED lanterns are incredibly efficient.
Set your fridge to 37–40°F (3–4°C) and freezer to 0–5°F (-18 to -15°C). Every degree colder uses more energy. Keep the fridge full — it stays cold longer and the compressor runs less. Limit how often you open the door.
Unplug devices when not in use — TVs, game consoles, chargers, and anything with a standby light or clock draws 1–15W even when "off." Use power strips to easily cut power to groups of devices. ECO mode on your power station also helps.
Whenever possible, use DC output (USB, 12V car port) instead of AC. Skipping the DC-to-AC inverter conversion saves 10–15% of energy. Many devices have 12V versions — car coolers, LED lights, CPAP machines, even some laptops.
Open curtains and blinds instead of turning on lights during the day. Position your workspace near windows. For camping, plan activities that need light during daylight hours and save battery-powered lights for evening.
Instead of using electric heat or AC, add or remove layers. Use blankets, sleeping bags, or propane heaters for warmth. Use fans and ventilation instead of AC. Heating and cooling are the biggest energy hogs by far.
Pro tip: Even small reductions add up fast. Cutting 100W of continuous use saves 2.4 kWh per day — that is 20% of a 12 kWh battery. The biggest wins are: replacing incandescent lights with LEDs, optimizing fridge settings, and eliminating phantom/standby loads. Start with the biggest users and work your way down.
Common questions about appliance wattage and power consumption.
To calculate total appliance wattage, add up the running wattage of each device you want to power. You can find wattage on the device's label, in the manual, or by using a plug-in watt meter. For our calculator, simply select appliances from our 50+ preset list and adjust quantities and daily usage hours. The calculator automatically sums total watts, daily watt-hours, peak surge watts, and recommends a power station size with a 20% safety buffer and 85% inverter efficiency factored in.
Running watts (or rated watts) is the continuous power a device uses while operating normally. Starting watts (or surge watts) is the extra power needed briefly when a device with a motor or compressor first turns on. Devices like refrigerators, air conditioners, and well pumps can draw 2–5x their running wattage for 1–3 seconds at startup. Your power station must handle both — the continuous output rating must cover running watts, and the peak/surge rating must cover startup surges. Resistive devices like heaters and light bulbs have negligible surge.
The average US home uses about 10,700 kWh per year, or roughly 900 kWh per month — that is about 1,200W average continuous draw. However, this varies hugely depending on home size, climate, number of occupants, and appliance types. During a power outage, most people only run essential loads: fridge, lights, phone charging, maybe a TV — typically 300–800W total. Portable power stations can handle essential loads; whole-home backup with heating/cooling requires a much larger system (5,000W+ continuous and 10–30 kWh of battery).
The biggest electricity users in most homes are: heating and air conditioning (40–60% of total use), water heater (15–20%), refrigerator (5–10%), washer/dryer (5–10%), and lighting (5–10%). For portable power station use during outages, the fridge is usually the biggest continuous load (100–200W average). Electric space heaters, AC units, and ovens draw so much power (1000–5000W) that they are generally impractical for portable stations — use propane or gas alternatives instead for cooking and heating.
Appliance labels typically list the maximum wattage, not the average real-world consumption. Many devices use significantly less than their labeled wattage in normal use. For example, a fridge labeled 200W might only use 60–80W average because the compressor cycles on and off. A laptop labeled 90W might use only 20–30W when browsing the internet. For the most accurate measurement, use a plug-in watt meter (a Kill-A-Watt or similar device) to measure real consumption over 24 hours.
For basic emergency backup (phones, lights, radio, laptop): 200–500W continuous, 300–1000Wh capacity. For essentials including a full-size fridge: 800–1500W continuous, 1500–3000Wh capacity (about one day of fridge use). For more comfort (add TV, microwave, small medical devices, multiple fridges): 2000–3000W continuous, 3000–6000Wh capacity. Use our calculator above to add up your specific devices and get a personalized recommendation with a safety buffer.
Yes — LED bulbs use 75–85% less energy than incandescent bulbs and last 15–25 times longer. A 10W LED produces the same light as a 60W incandescent. If you have 20 light bulbs in your home, switching from incandescent to LED saves about 1,000W of draw — enough to run most refrigerators. For camping or backup power, LED lighting is essential for maximizing runtime on a portable power station. LEDs also produce less heat, which means less load on cooling in warm weather.
Top ways to reduce power consumption: switch to LED lighting, use energy-efficient appliances, unplug vampire loads (devices on standby), use DC instead of AC when possible, set refrigerators to 37–40°F (3–4°C), use a programmable thermostat, air-seal your home, use natural light during the day, and cook with propane/gas instead of electric. Even small reductions add up — cutting 100W of continuous use saves 2.4 kWh per day, which is significant on a portable power station. Start with the biggest energy users and work your way down.
A typical full-size refrigerator uses 100–200W average running, with 500–800W starting surge. To run a fridge for 24 hours, you need roughly 2,400–4,800Wh of battery capacity with inverter efficiency losses factored in. We recommend at least a 2,000Wh power station for one day of fridge use, or 4,000Wh+ for two days. For longer outages, add 200–400W of solar panels to recharge during the day. Always verify your specific fridge's actual draw with a watt meter — energy star models use significantly less than older units.
Phantom loads (also called vampire power or standby power) are the small amounts of electricity devices use even when they are "off" or in standby mode. Common culprits include TVs, game consoles, cable boxes, phone chargers, microwave displays, and anything with a remote control or LED clock display. These typically draw 1–15W each and can add up to 50–100W of continuous waste across a whole house. ECO mode on power stations helps by automatically shutting off outputs with very low load, but the best solution is to unplug devices or use smart power strips.