What a Portable Power Station Can Run During an Outage
The answer depends on two numbers: the wattage of the appliance and the watt-hours in the battery. A 300Wh station keeps phones and lights going for hours. A 1,000Wh station can run a fridge for most of the night. A single number on the box doesn't tell you which camp you're in — you need to match the station's capacity to your actual loads.
- Fridge: 100–200W running, 300–600W surge on start-up. Needs 1,600Wh+ for an 8-hour overnight run. A 300Wh station won't last 2 hours.
- CPAP: 30–80W. A 600Wh station comfortably covers a full night's sleep.
- Modem + router: 10–30W combined. Any power station handles this easily — a small UPS is more efficient for this specific job.
- LED lights: 5–15W each. Trivial load for any station.
- The surge wattage, not the running wattage, is the number that matters for starting appliances.
How the maths actually works
A power station's capacity is measured in watt-hours (Wh). One watt-hour is one watt running for one hour. To estimate runtime:
Runtime (hours) = Station capacity (Wh) ÷ Appliance draw (W)
In practice, expect roughly 80–85% efficiency — real-world runtime is slightly less than the theoretical maximum.
| Appliance | Running watts | Surge watts (start-up) | 300Wh runtime | 1,000Wh runtime |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full-size fridge | 100–200W | 300–600W | 1–2 hours | 5–8 hours |
| Bar fridge / mini fridge | 50–80W | 150–250W | 3–5 hours | 10–15 hours |
| CPAP machine | 30–80W | Minimal | 4–8 hours | Full night+ |
| Modem + router | 10–30W | None | 10+ hours | All day |
| LED lights (3 × 10W) | 30W | None | 8+ hours | All day |
| Pedestal fan | 30–60W | Minimal | 5–8 hours | All day |
| Laptop (charging) | 45–100W | None | 3–6 hours | 8–20 hours |
| TV (55") | 80–150W | None | 2–3 hours | 6–12 hours |
| Phone charging | 10–20W | None | 15–25 charges | 50+ charges |
What a 300Wh station covers
A 300Wh station — the entry point for portable power — is not a fridge solution. Where it shines:
- Charging phones and laptops through an outage (multiple times over)
- Running a CPAP machine for 4–6 hours
- Keeping lights and a modem on simultaneously for 6–8 hours
- Camping, van travel, or outdoor use where the fridge stays on the grid
ALLPOWERS R600 299Wh / 600W output — $319.00, 4.3 ★. The most affordable entry point with genuine AC output. Can handle a CPAP, phone charging, modem and LED lights simultaneously. Cannot meaningfully run a full-size fridge overnight. Good starting point if fridge backup is not the priority.
Anker SOLIX C300 288Wh — $549.00, 4.6 ★ (1,627 ratings). LiFePO4 battery chemistry means more charge cycles over its lifetime. Fast charging gets it ready before an expected storm. Similar capacity to the ALLPOWERS — the premium is for build quality and longevity.
What a 1,000Wh+ station covers
At 1,000Wh and above, the fridge becomes viable for a meaningful portion of an outage.
EcoFlow DELTA 2 1024Wh — $869.00 (was $1,099.00), 4.6 ★. The minimum practical size for fridge backup. 1-hour fast charging from the wall means you can recharge it quickly before the next expected outage. AC output handles the fridge surge. If keeping food cold overnight is the goal, this is where to start.
What no portable station can do
A portable power station is not whole-home backup. A typical Australian household uses 15–25 kWh (15,000–25,000Wh) per day. A 1,000Wh station covers about 4–6% of that. What it can do is power the specific loads that matter most — the fridge, the CPAP, the modem, the phones — for a controlled window of time.
Neither product should be wired into your home circuit. Whole-home or circuit-level backup requires a licensed electrician and a fixed installation.
- Households with a CPAP user who cannot afford to miss a night (300Wh+ covers this)
- Anyone who wants the fridge covered for 5–8 hours during overnight outages (1,000Wh+)
- Renters who cannot install fixed battery backup
- Campers or van-lifers who want dual-purpose gear
- Anyone expecting to run the whole house through an extended outage
- Air conditioning — a 2.5kW split system will drain a 1,000Wh station in under 30 minutes
- Anyone planning to connect the station to the switchboard — this requires a licensed electrician
Match the station to the load. For phones, CPAP and lights: 300Wh is enough. For the fridge overnight: 1,000Wh minimum. Check the surge wattage before buying — not just the running watts.
Browse Portable Power Station picks for current prices and capacity comparisons.