Sizing guide
What size power station or battery do I need?
Short answer: to keep a fridge, a fan, a few lights, the TV, router and phones going through an evening outage (about 8 hours), plan on roughly 2–2.5 kWh of battery and at least 1,500 W of output (a fridge needs a start-up surge). Our ~2 kWh / 2,400 W power station covers most evening outages; for longer ones, add a solar panel to recharge in the day. The calculator below starts with that list, so adjust it for your home.
Two numbers that matter
- Watt-hours (Wh) = how long it lasts. A 2,000 Wh battery can run a 100 W load for roughly 17 hours after conversion losses.
- Watts (W) = how much it can run at once. Add up everything running together. Fridges and pumps also need a short start-up surge of 2–3× their running watts.
Outage calculator
Appliance (typical watts)How manyHours
The result allows for about 15% inverter losses and keeps 10% in reserve. Fridge figures are average running watts (the compressor cycles on and off).
Typical appliance power
| Appliance | Running watts (typical) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fridge (average over a day) | ~60–100 W | Start-up surge ~600–1,200 W. Needs pure sine wave |
| Chest freezer (average) | ~50–80 W | Keep the lid shut in an outage |
| Standing / ceiling fan | 40–75 W | Solar DC fans use less |
| LED bulb | 8–12 W | |
| TV (40–55") | 60–120 W | |
| Wi-Fi router + modem | 10–20 W | |
| Laptop | 45–90 W | |
| Phone charging | 5–20 W | |
| CPAP machine (no humidifier) | 30–60 W | Humidifier can double it. Check your machine |
| Water pump (½ hp) | ~400–750 W | Big start-up surge. Ask us before relying on a station |
| Microwave / kettle / iron | 1,000–1,800 W | Short use only; drains a battery fast |
Not recommended on a power station: AC units, electric water heaters and stoves. They draw too much for too long. For whole-home backup, you need a home battery with a solar inverter.
Which S.E.T. product fits?
| Your need | Good fit |
|---|---|
| Fans, lights, router, phones, CPAP overnight | Compact ~600 Wh power station |
| Fridge + fans + TV + lights through an outage | ~2 kWh / 2,400 W power station |
| Recharge during multi-day outages | Hurricane bundle (2 kWh station + 200W solar panel) |
| Home solar system with a LuxPower or Deye inverter | 51.2V 5 kWh wall or rack battery (stackable) |
| Replace a 12V lead-acid battery (off-grid, boat, shop) | 12.8V 100Ah lithium battery |