Which power station do I need?
You need a power station whose battery holds at least the watt-hours your devices use per day, divided by inverter efficiency and multiplied by the days you'll go without recharging, and whose continuous output covers everything you run at once. Add your devices below and this tool works that out from manufacturer specs, then lists the power stations in our data that fit, smallest battery first.
How the station finder works
- For each device, watts × hours per day gives the energy it uses in a day. Fridges use the maker's watt-hours per day figure instead, so they start at 24 hours.
- Battery energy is higher than device energy because of conversion losses: we divide by 85% for the AC outlet and 90% for the 12V car port.
- That daily total × days without recharging is the battery size you need. A station fits when its rated capacity is at least that.
- We add up the running watts of every device as if they all run at once. That total has to be within the station's continuous AC rating, and 12V devices have to stay within the car port's amp limit.
- If you add solar panels, we show roughly how many watt-hours a day they'd put back: panel watts, capped at the station's solar input limit, × 75%, × peak sun hours. Solar doesn't change the list, since "days without recharging" means days without sun too.
The same formulas run our runtime tables. Read the methodology for the details and rounding rules.
What the results don't tell you
- Surge. Most device makers don't publish a startup draw, and some station makers don't publish a surge rating. Where either is missing, the surge isn't checked. Stations without a published surge rating say "surge unverified". More in Surge watts on a power station, explained.
- Rated vs typical draw. Many figures are a maximum (a laptop charger's rating, a heater on high), so real use is often lower. Each device's label says which kind of figure it is.
- No margin. We use rated capacity as published. Cold weather and an ageing battery give you less, so a station that only just fits may come up short.
Why heated blankets aren't in the list
The Berkshire heated blanket manual says not to use the blanket with generators, power converters or inverters. A power station’s AC outlet is an inverter, so heated blankets are left out of this tool. Can you run an electric blanket on a portable power station?