Outage Ready: a 12-hour outage

Plan power for an overnight outage: the essentials list, the battery size it takes, and whether you need solar or a generator.

Published October 30, 2026 · Updated November 2, 2026

Quick answer

For our example essentials (fridge, Wi-Fi, lights, phones, laptop) a 12-hour outage takes about 1,160 Wh, or around 1,600 Wh of rated battery. A single 1kWh-class station gets close; keep the fridge closed for a few hours and skip the laptop and it fits.

Key points

About 1,160 Wh usable for 12 hours of essentials.
A 1kWh-class station covers it with a little load trimming.
No solar or generator needed for one night.

What a typical home keeps running

Our example essentials list. Swap in your own devices in the Power Planner.

Device	Example draw	Wh/day
Refrigerator (EnergyGuide 550 kWh/yr example)	≈63 W average	1,507
Wi-Fi router + modem	15 W	360
LED lights, 4 × 10 W for 5 h	40 W	200
Phones (2), charging	10 W for 2 h	20
Laptop	60 W for 4 h	240
Total		2,327

Battery size for 12 hours

Energy needed: 2,327 Wh/day × 12 h ÷ 24 ≈ 1,164 Wh usable. Divide by 0.736 (our estimate: 80% usable depth from Victron LiFePO4 data × 92% inverter efficiency from the NREL PVWatts manual; an estimate for power stations) to get about 1,581 Wh of rated capacity with no recharging.

One 1kWh-class station (≈750–850 Wh usable, estimated) won't run every item for all 12 hours. Let the fridge coast for a few hours with the door shut and it fits.

Option	Rated Wh	Covers the plan?
One 1kWh-class station	1,024–1,152	Yes, with some trimming
RIVER 3 alone	245	Wi-Fi, lights and phones only

Solar or a generator?

For one night, neither. Charge the station from the wall before storms and recharge it when power returns.

Food and safety checklist

FoodSafety.gov: an unopened fridge keeps food safe for about 4 hours; a full freezer about 48 hours (24 if half full).
Keep a flashlight and a battery radio that don't depend on the power station.
Run any generator outdoors, far from doors and windows. The CDC warns that generator exhaust can kill.
Never connect anything to home wiring without a transfer switch or interlock fitted by a licensed electrician.

Picks for this plan

BLUETTI AC180 (1,152Wh)

The most estimated usable Wh of the 1kWh-class units we cover.

Check price on Amazon

EcoFlow RIVER 3 (245Wh)

Covers Wi-Fi, lights and phones on its own.

Check price on Amazon

FAQ

Do I need a generator for a 12-hour outage?

Usually not for essentials. A charged 1kWh-class station covers most of one night if the fridge stays closed.

Where do I go next?

Try the power planner to put numbers to your own situation, or see the product picks on the deals page.

Terms used here

Watt (W): Rate of power use or production.
Watt-hour (Wh): Energy: one watt for one hour.
Kilowatt-hour (kWh): 1,000 watt-hours.
Depth of discharge (DoD): Share of a battery's capacity that is used.
LiFePO4 (LFP): Lithium iron phosphate battery chemistry.
Inverter: Converts DC battery power to AC household power.
Derate: Factor for real-world losses in solar output.
Transfer switch: Device that isolates home circuits from the grid during backup.

Sources

This guide is informational and based on published specifications and general references, not hands-on testing. Check the manufacturer's current specs before you buy.