How we check specifications and prices

Power stations

Every specification and price comes from the brand's own US website: its store's product page, spec sheet, manual or help centre. We copy the exact words that state each figure, and each figure links to that page with the date we read it. We never use retailers, reviews or other third-party sites for a specification or a price. A figure we couldn't verify is left out and said to be unverified, never guessed.

We track power stations with AC outlets and at least 200 Wh, sold new on each brand's US store. Continuous watts is the brand's rated continuous AC output. Surge is the brand's stated surge or peak AC output. Some brands also advertise a higher figure for a special mode meant for heaters and kettles (EcoFlow X-Boost, BLUETTI Power Lifting and similar), which lowers the voltage: we don't use those figures.

Units with both 120 V and 240 V output are rated for the whole unit: that total is what we compare with your list, which fits a home connection that spreads your appliances across both halves. A single 120 V outlet or circuit gives less (often half). Their surge figures are usually for the whole unit too, so we use one only when it's stated for 120 V; otherwise we say none is published. When a brand's own pages give two different figures for the same model, we use the lower one.

Prices are each brand's regular list price for the unit alone (no solar panels or extra batteries) on its US store. When a sale is on, we use the regular price the store shows next to it. Brands discount often, so the price you pay may be lower: the link takes you to the brand's current price.

How runtimes are worked out

Usable energy = rated capacity x 85%. Turning battery power into household power loses some energy, and brands rarely publish the figure, so 85% is our estimate. Real results vary with the load and the temperature.
Appliance watts: where a source gives a range (a fridge: 150 to 400 W running), the planner uses the top of it. That is the safe side when choosing a power station; your own appliance may use less, and its label says how much.
Running load = everything on your list running at once. This is on the safe side: in practice not everything runs at the same moment.
Starting load = the running load plus the biggest extra a single motor needs to start (its starting minus its running watts). Motors rarely start at the same instant.
Energy a day = running watts x the hours a day you set, or, for appliances that cycle on and off (fridges, freezers), the official yearly energy use divided by 365.
Runtime = usable energy / the average draw over a day.
Rankings use one rule for everyone: the measure you choose (list price by default). A brand paying us a commission never moves a product up.

Appliance figures

The planner's appliance figures are typical values from published sources, named next to each figure:

Refrigerator (full-size): 150 to 400 W running (Champion Power Equipment), 800 to 1,200 W starting (Champion Power Equipment), about 986 Wh a day (ENERGY STAR)
Chest freezer: 100 to 500 W running (Champion Power Equipment), 500 to 1,000 W starting (Champion Power Equipment), about 589 Wh a day (ENERGY STAR)
Upright freezer: 100 to 500 W running (Champion Power Equipment), 500 to 1,000 W starting (Champion Power Equipment), about 1,082 Wh a day (ENERGY STAR)
Mini fridge: 50 to 100 W running (Champion Power Equipment), 400 to 600 W starting (Champion Power Equipment)
Microwave: 600 to 1,200 W running (Champion Power Equipment)
Coffee maker (4-cup): 600 W running (Honda)
Electric kettle (1.7 L): 1,500 W running (Hamilton Beach)
Toaster: 1,200 W running (Generac)
Induction burner (single, portable): 1,200 to 1,800 W running (Champion Power Equipment)
Sump pump (1/3 HP): 500 to 800 W running (Champion Power Equipment), 1,000 to 1,600 W starting (Champion Power Equipment)
Sump pump (1/2 HP): 800 to 1,050 W running (Champion Power Equipment), 1,300 to 2,150 W starting (Champion Power Equipment)
Well pump (1/2 HP): 750 to 1,000 W running (Champion Power Equipment), 1,500 to 2,000 W starting (Champion Power Equipment)
Well pump (1 HP): 1,000 to 2,000 W running (Champion Power Equipment), 2,000 to 4,000 W starting (Champion Power Equipment)
Window air conditioner (5,000 BTU): 450 to 600 W running (Champion Power Equipment), 900 to 1,200 W starting (Champion Power Equipment)
Window air conditioner (10,000 BTU): 900 to 1,200 W running (Champion Power Equipment), 1,800 to 2,400 W starting (Champion Power Equipment)
Space heater (electric): 750 to 1,500 W running (Champion Power Equipment)
Furnace fan / blower (gas furnace, 1/2 HP): 300 to 800 W running (Champion Power Equipment), 800 to 1,600 W starting (Champion Power Equipment)
Ceiling fan: 15 to 75 W running (Champion Power Equipment)
Box fan: 50 to 200 W running (Champion Power Equipment)
Wi-Fi router + modem: 10 to 20 W running (Champion Power Equipment)
Laptop (charging / in use): 20 to 100 W running (Champion Power Equipment)
Desktop computer: 600 to 800 W running (Honda)
LED TV (32" to 55"): 80 to 400 W running (Champion Power Equipment)
Phone charging: 10 W running (Generac)
Satellite internet (Starlink Standard dish): 75 to 100 W running (Starlink)
LED light bulb: 8 to 15 W running (Champion Power Equipment)
Oxygen concentrator (home, 5 L/min): 310 W running (Drive DeVilbiss)
Washing machine: 500 to 1,000 W running (Champion Power Equipment), 1,000 to 2,300 W starting (Champion Power Equipment)
Circular saw (7-1/4"): 1,200 to 1,800 W running (Champion Power Equipment), 2,400 to 3,600 W starting (Champion Power Equipment)
Garage door opener: 720 W running (Honda), 1,420 W starting (Honda)
Hair dryer: 1,800 W running (Honda), 1,900 W starting (Honda)
Aquarium heater (15-40 gallon tank): 100 W running (Aqueon)
CPAP: ResMed AirSense 11: 56 W running (ResMed AirSense 11 maker's typical figure)
CPAP: ResMed AirSense 10: 53 W running (ResMed AirSense 10 maker's typical figure)
CPAP: ResMed AirMini: 6 W running (ResMed AirMini maker's typical figure)

The hours a day pre-filled in the planner are our own starting guesses: change them to match your home.

What this doesn't cover

Connecting a power station to your home's wiring (a transfer switch or home panel) is a job for a licensed electrician. Nothing here is electrical or medical advice. If you rely on a medical device such as a CPAP or oxygen concentrator, check its power needs with its maker or your care provider.

Our price checker

Once a day, a program re-reads each product page to confirm the list price we show is still there. It says who it is (BackupPowerCheckBot/1.0), follows each site's robots.txt, and never works around a refusal.