Fridge, Wi-Fi and Lights: Prioritising Loads in a Blackout
Most households try to keep everything on during a blackout and end up keeping nothing on long enough. The smarter approach is a priority list: pick the loads that genuinely matter, match backup capacity to those specific loads, and ignore the rest until the essentials are covered.
- Priority 1: Medical equipment, CPAP machines, phone charging. Low wattage, highest consequence if lost.
- Priority 2: Modem and router. 10–30W combined — a $76 UPS keeps your internet on through almost any outage.
- Priority 3: Fridge. The big one. Needs 1,000Wh+ to run overnight. A full-size fridge is fine unopened for 4–6 hours without power.
- Priority 4: Lights and fan. LED lights are 5–15W each — almost free on any power station.
- Air conditioning is not on the list — a 2.5kW split system drains a 1,000Wh station in under 30 minutes.
Start with the consequence, not the wattage
The right order for a priority list is not "biggest appliance first." It is "what fails worst if it goes off first."
| Load | Priority | Why | Typical draw |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPAP / medical device | 1 — critical | Health consequence if it stops | 30–80W |
| Phone charging | 1 — critical | Emergency communication | 10–20W |
| Modem + router | 2 — high | Internet, contactless payments, NBN phone calls | 10–30W |
| Fridge (full-size) | 3 — high | Food safety after 4–6 hours | 100–200W running, 300–600W surge |
| LED lighting | 4 — useful | Safety at night | 5–15W per light |
| Fan | 4 — useful | Comfort in summer | 30–60W |
| Laptop / work | 4 — useful | Work continuity | 45–100W |
| TV | 5 — optional | Entertainment | 80–150W |
| Air conditioning | Not viable | Drains 1,000Wh station in under 30 minutes | 800–3,500W |
Priority 2: Keep the internet on with almost no battery
Your modem and router together draw 10–30W. That is one of the easiest loads to solve — and one of the most valuable during an outage when you need to check outage status, contact utilities, or make calls over NBN.
The right tool is a UPS, not a power station. A UPS switches to battery power instantly with zero interruption — your devices never register the loss of grid power.
CyberPower UT 650VA / 360W — $76.00, 4.4 ★ (28 ratings). Plug-in UPS sized for a modem, router and a few small devices. Gives roughly 20–35 minutes of modem and router backup — long enough for most outages or until the grid comes back. Compact, no installation required.
Priority 3: The fridge is the hard problem
A full-size fridge draws 100–200W running and surges to 300–600W on start-up. Running it for 8 hours overnight requires roughly 1,200–1,600Wh — beyond any 300Wh station.
The good news: a fridge that is not opened stays cold for 4–6 hours without power. If the outage is short, do nothing. If it runs overnight, you need a proper power station.
ALLPOWERS R600 299Wh / 600W output — $319.00, 4.3 ★. Handles a bar fridge (50–80W) for 3–4 hours alongside phone charging and lights. Cannot run a full-size fridge overnight. Good if a bar fridge is your only cold storage priority.
EcoFlow DELTA 2 1024Wh — $869.00 (was $1,099.00), 4.6 ★. The minimum practical station for full-size fridge backup. Runs a mid-size fridge for 5–8 hours overnight while keeping phones charged and the modem on. 1-hour fast charging means you can top it up between outages. If the fridge is the priority, this is the station to buy.
Priority 4: Lights cost almost nothing
Three LED lights running at 10W each draw 30W total. A 300Wh station runs them for 8+ hours. Solar-charged garden lights placed near entry points and stairs work independently of any power station and need no charging during the outage.
If you already have a power station for the fridge or CPAP, lighting is effectively free — just plug in USB lamps or portable LED panels.
The combined setup most households need
| Load | Product | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Modem + router | CyberPower UPS 650VA | $76 |
| CPAP + phone charging + lights | ALLPOWERS R600 (300Wh) | $319 |
| Full-size fridge + everything above | EcoFlow DELTA 2 (1,024Wh) | $869 |
You don't need all three. Start with the modem UPS ($76 — almost everyone benefits from this) and add a power station sized to your next priority.
- Households with a CPAP user who cannot miss a night of use
- Renters who cannot install fixed backup — all these products are plug-in, no installation
- Anyone in a storm-prone area who has lost the fridge contents before
- Home-office workers who need internet continuity through brief outages
- Anyone expecting to run air conditioning — no portable station can do this
- Anyone wanting whole-home backup — that requires fixed installation by a licensed electrician
- Anyone planning to wire a power station into the switchboard — do not do this
Sort your loads by consequence, not size. Modem UPS first ($76). CPAP and phone next (any 300Wh station). Fridge last — only if you need 5–8 hours of coverage and are ready to spend $869+.
Browse Backup Power picks to compare UPS units and portable power stations at current prices.