Know how long your backup will run
Pick the appliances you would keep on in an outage and see which power stations cover it.
Open the calculator
Pick your outage load. See what lasts.
Choose the appliances you would keep running and set an outage length. PowerPantry works out the battery size you need and shows which power stations cover it.
Your outage load
Example values below. Change watts and hours to match your own appliances.
ApplianceWattsHrs/day
What you need
Includes about 15% inverter loss.
2,243Wh
Battery capacity
555W
Peak output
- EcoFlow Delta 21,024 Wh, 1,800 WRuns about 11 hours
- Jackery Explorer 1000 V21,070 Wh, 1,500 WRuns about 11 hours
- Anker SOLIX F38003,840 Wh, 6,000 WCovers 1 day
Fridge startup adds a surge, so 300 W is added to peak output when it is selected. Real fridge use varies with age and room heat.
Power stations we are comparing first
Specs are the figures listed for each model. Read the full guide for how to choose and what each one can run.
Mid-size
EcoFlow Delta 2
- Capacity
- 1,024 Wh
- Output
- 1,800 W
Fast wall charging and expandable from 1 to 3 kWh. Handles most household appliances at once.
Check price at EcoFlow
Long-life battery
Jackery Explorer 1000 V2
- Capacity
- 1,070 Wh
- Output
- 1,500 W
LiFePO4 cells aimed at long service life. A common choice for fridge, router and phone backup.
Check price at Jackery
Whole-day backup
Anker SOLIX F3800
- Capacity
- 3,840 Wh
- Output
- 6,000 W
Large capacity for multi-day outages or heavier loads. Heavy and a bigger purchase.
Check price at AnkerPantry basics for the first 72 hours
FEMA and the Red Cross both recommend every household keep a 72-hour kit. Start with water, then food that needs no cooking.
1gal / person / day
Water first
Three gallons per person covers 72 hours for drinking, cooking and basic hygiene.
3days of food
No-cook food
Choose non-perishable, calorie-dense items everyone in the house will eat, including any dietary needs.
$150-400family of 4
Build it slowly
A solid kit costs about this much. Add water, first aid and light first, then the rest over a few months.