Home Backup BasicsKeep the fridge cold, the phones charged and the lights on when the power goes out.
Plain-English help for families choosing backup power, from a pocket power bank to whole-home systems. No jargon, no scare tactics, just the numbers made simple.
What will it run, and for how long? →Watts vs. watt-hours, in one minute
Watts (W) is how hard something pulls power right now, like how fast water flows from a tap. Watt-hours (Wh) is how much is stored in the battery, like how much water is in the bucket.
Runtime ≈ battery Wh × 0.85 ÷ watts used. The 0.85 covers energy lost turning battery power into wall-outlet power. Example: a 1,000 Wh battery running a 60 W fridge lasts about 1,000 × 0.85 ÷ 60 ≈ 14 hours.
A phone sips power; heaters gulp it. That is why a small battery can charge phones for days but run a space heater for less than an hour.
Start here
- Will a power station run my fridge, Wi-Fi and lights? Try the calculator
- How long will a power station keep a fridge cold?
- What size do I need for a weekend outage?
- Whole-home backup: battery or gas standby? (with installer checklist)
- Backup power for a CPAP at night
- Compare power stations, generators and power banks side by side
Side-by-side guides
Anker SOLIX C1000X vs Bluetti AC180 for keeping a fridge cold
Side-by-side: how long the Anker SOLIX C1000X and Bluetti AC180 can keep a refrigerator running during an outage, with runtime charts and specs.
Read the guide →Best power station for a CPAP: EcoFlow RIVER 3 Plus vs Bluetti AC180
How many nights a CPAP can run on the EcoFlow RIVER 3 Plus and the Bluetti AC180, with and without the humidifier, in plain English.
Read the guide →EcoFlow DELTA 3 Max vs Jackery HomePower 2000 Plus v2: a weekend of essentials
Two 2,048 Wh power stations compared for a longer outage: fridge, lights, Wi-Fi and phones, with runtime charts.
Read the guide →Whole-home backup: battery vs. gas standby generator (plus an installer checklist)
A calm, plain-English look at whole-home battery backup and gas standby generators, what each is best for, and 14 questions to ask an installer.
Read the guide →Compare power stations
See capacity, output, warranty, weight and price for popular models on one page: compare power stations →