Ongoing series
Power It Up
One device per post: how many watts it pulls, how many watt-hours it needs overnight or for a day, and the smallest power station that can carry it.
Published · Updated
Put your own numbers in the Power Planner as you read.
running a CPAP overnight on a power station
How many watt-hours a CPAP needs for an 8-hour night, with and without the humidifier, and the smallest power station that covers it.
keeping a full-size refrigerator running
Turn your fridge's EnergyGuide kWh per year into a daily watt-hour need and see which power station carries it overnight or for a day.
running a chest freezer through an outage
Chest freezers use less energy than fridges. See how far a portable power station goes with one, using the EnergyGuide label.
can a power station run a space heater?
A 1,500 W space heater drains a 1kWh power station in well under an hour. Here's the math and better options for staying warm.
running a gaming PC on a power station
Watt and watt-hour math for a gaming session, why the PSU rating isn't the draw, and which station handles the load and the switchover.
running a window air conditioner on battery
Work out a window AC's watts from its BTU and efficiency rating, then see how long a power station lasts.
backing up a sump pump with a power station
Sump pumps have big start-up surges and run in short bursts. Here's how to size a power station for one during a storm outage.
keeping Wi-Fi and the modem online
Routers and modems draw very little. See how long even a small power station keeps the internet up during an outage.
