One of the most common questions we're asked in our YouTube comments is: “What size power station do I need to run my fridge?” It feels like at least a few people ask us this every single day, and it is a fair question. After all, everyone has a fridge, and with grocery prices being as high as they are, nobody wants their food to spoil during a power outage.
The problem? There’s a ton of misinformation floating around online about how many watts a fridge uses and how long you can expect a power station to keep one running. To help you get the information you actually need, we’re going to cut through the noise, break down the real numbers, and recommend power stations that can actually power your fridge.
Whether you just need your fridge to run for 12 hours during a short blackout or full week during a major power outage, we’ll list the best power stations for each type of scenario.
Before we start throwing around recommendations, let’s go over the basics. In a previous guide we put together titled, How Much Power Does a Fridge Actually Use?, we tested three regular household fridges in three different homes. Surprisingly, they all used roughly 1,300 watt-hours (Wh) per day.
That means, if you want your fridge to run for one day without power, you’ll need a power station that can store and deliver at least 1,300Wh of usable electricity. You’ll also need a little extra power for something called idle consumption, but we’ll discuss that below.
While the most important message for right now is just the simple fact that the average fridge uses 1,300Wh of power per day, let’s take a few seconds to explain why. The reality is refrigerators use a lot less power than most people think.
Typically, they draw about 100 to 200 watts while running, but this is only when the compressor kicks on. Fridges don’t actually need to run continuously, as most of their job is just maintaining the cooler interior temperature. So, unless you’re plugging a fridge in for the first time, or you’re leaving the door open for long enough for all of that cold air to escape, your fridge is only going to kick on for a few minutes over the course of an hour.
It also means that you don't really need a hugely powerful unit to meet the wattage requirements of a fridge. Sure, a small unit with a low output, like an Anker C300X, will probably struggle, but most mid-sized power stations can handle the job.
If you're a visual learner, you can learn more about fridge power requirements with our video: How Many Watts Does a Refrigerator Use?
If you haven’t heard of idle consumption, it’s the hidden drain that few power station reviewers and manufacturers bother talking about. Basically, every power station uses some amount of power just to stay on, even if you aren’t actively pulling power from it.
This background power drain is known as idle consumption, and when you’re trying to run a specific load over a set period of time, it can make or break your power station’s runtime.
Just like a car engine or gas generator will burn fuel when it’s idling, your power station consumes a small amount of stored battery power when it’s switched on. This is because the power station’s display screen, power inverter, and other internal mechanisms require electricity to operate.
So, when you’re calculating the battery capacity that you’ll need to run something like a refrigerator for a set number of hours or days, you’ll need to account for the fridge’s energy draw and the power station’s idle rate.
Here’s the simple formula:
Fridge Consumption (Wh) + (Power Station Idle Rate (W) × Run Time in Hours) = Total Required Battery Capacity
Let’s put that math to work with some example scenarios. For each situation, we’ll explain how much stored power you’d need to run your fridge, then we’ll provide a few examples of high-quality power stations that could meet those needs.
Each power station we recommend has been tested by us here at The Solar Lab, so we can vouch for their performance and idle rates.
Let’s start small by using the example of a typical power outage. Since most blackouts and outages tend to be resolved in less than half a day, let’s pretend you want to keep your fridge running for 12 hours with your power station. We won’t account for any other type of load, like charging a phone or running lights, just the fridge itself.
From what we found in the past by testing the power consumption of various refrigerators, a standard fridge running for 12 hours will use around 650Wh of stored power. After you take their idle consumption into consideration, here are some of the best power stations for the task:
The Pecron E1000 offers a total battery capacity of 1,024Wh and has an idle draw of right around 18 watts per hour. Over a 12-hour period, it would use 216Wh of stored power idling.
When you combine that with the fridge’s own 650Wh of power usage over that period, the total power requirements come out to 866Wh, leaving the Pecron power station with plenty of extra battery capacity to spare.
Given it’s available for right around $380 with our discount code, it’s one of the most affordable options out there that can comfortably power a fridge during a 12-hour power outage.
If you’d prefer a more name-brand alternative, the Anker SOLIX C1000 Gen2 comes in at a similar price point (when it’s on sale). It packs a slightly bigger 1,056Wh battery and a lower idle draw of just 14 watts per hour, or 168Wh over a 12-hour period.
When you combine the idle draw with the fridge’s power requirements, your total is just 818Wh, meaning the Anker power station easily packs enough power.
Between the two options that we’d recommend for this type of scenario, the Anker C1000 Gen 2 is the more polished option, and it would be backed by Anker’s impressive customer support, so it’s the obvious choice. However, if you don’t have time to wait for the C1000 Gen 2 to go on sale, the Pecron E1000 could still do the job and it provides incredible bang for your buck.
For a 24-hour power outage, the numbers start to add up. Over a day, a typical refrigerator will use roughly 1,300Wh, but factoring in idle power, you’ll need a power station with closer to 1,600 to 2,000Wh of usable battery capacity.
It’s also worth pointing out at this point that it’s always a good idea to give yourself some extra battery capacity if you live in a warm climate. While it’s not going to have as big of an impact over a 12-hour period, once the power outage can be measured in days, the ambient temperature of your kitchen will impact how much power your fridge needs to keep your food cold.
While you can cut down on the amount of power your fridge is using by opening it as little as possible, it’s still a good idea to give yourself a bit of wiggle room with your power station’s battery capacity.
With that said, here are the options we’d recommend if you want to be prepared for a 24-hour power outage:
Given the budget-friendly Pecron E2000 packs a 1,920Wh battery, it’s an ideal option for backing up a fridge for a day. It also has an idle draw of just 13W per hour, which means a 312Wh power drain over a full day.
Since running a fridge for a day only requires about 1,300Wh, the E2000LFP handles that with ease. It even leaves you a bit of headroom, which is perfect if you want some extra power for charging a phone, or just want to make sure you have plenty of power if the outage lasts a little longer.
At a price of just $540, it’s also a very cost-effective power station for a 24-hour outage. Plus, if you ever need more power, the storage capacity can be increased up to 8,064Wh with two EB3000 Expansion Batteries.
Another option for a one-day blackout would be the brand-new EcoFlow DELTA 3 Max, which offers a 2,048Wh battery and a 27W idle draw.
While the DELTA 3 Max’s higher idle draw means you’ll be pushing right up against the edge of its capacity after 24 hours, the trade-off is quality. The EcoFlow brand has a reputation for quality and innovation, and the DELTA 3-series power stations all perform extremely well and have a polished look.
While the EcoFlow power station is the more premium option, Pecron gives you the better deal.
Three days without power is a serious outage, and you’ll need about 3,900Wh of battery capacity to run a fridge for that length of time. That’s also before you have accounted for any sort of idle power draw.
Sure, the right move here would be to invest in some solar panels or a small gas generator, as this would allow you to top your power station up during the day while still getting all of the benefits of silent indoor operation.
However, we want to give you options that could actually last the full three days, as a gas generator or solar panels won’t be an option for everyone, like those who live in apartment buildings. Here are the power stations that we think make the most sense for a 3-day power outage:
The Pecron F3000 was built for exactly this type of situation. The unit itself packs a 3,072Wh battery, which can be increased to 9,216Wh with two expansion batteries. The idle draw is about 37 watts per hour, which will add up to 2,664 over three days.
When you combine that with the power your fridge needs, you’ll need around 6,564Wh in total battery capacity. This is something the Pecron F3000 can handle when paired with two expansion batteries. Plus, this unit comes with a 30A plug, tons of AC ports, and it’s available for a ridiculously affordable price of just $2,180 with the extra batteries.
It’s an ideal off grid fridge solution, especially if you plan to run more than just your fridge. If you want to see it in action, Mr. Health and Safety used one of these power stations to run his entire tiny home!
We don’t know why both companies used the "F3000" tagline for their power stations, but the Anker SOLIX F3000 has the same 3,072Wh base capacity as the Pecron F3000. Where the Anker version stands out is in it's ability to be expanded to have a much higher capacity with up to six expansion batteries.
With its lower idle draw of just 20W per hour, you can easily cover the 5,375Wh capacity required to handle the unit’s idle and the fridge’s requirements over three days with the unit and a single expansion battery.
This would give you a total capacity of 6,144Wh, which is more than enough power for a 72-hour outage. At roughly $2,375 for the unit and the battery, it would cost more, but you’d be paying for a more refined power station from a more reputable brand.
If you want premium customer support and a better overall power station, it’s difficult to argue against the Anker F3000.
Running a refrigerator for an entire week without grid power is where the costs start to climb fast. Over a week, a fridge alone will use around 9,100Wh, but once you include idle draw from a large power station, your total energy requirement jumps closer to 17,000Wh.
While most people are going to lean into using a gas generator and power station combination for this length of outage, there are still some reasonably priced power station options you could choose from, including the following:
The Pecron E3600 power station offers a 3,072Wh base battery and supports up to five expansion batteries, giving it the ability to scale up to 15,400Wh for long-term outages.
Its idle draw is around 37 watts per hour, which adds up to 6,216Wh over seven days. If you added four expansion batteries, the total stored energy comes in just high enough to make it through the week.
With this setup, you wouldn’t have leftover power for anything beyond the fridge, but each battery only costs $699. That means you could pick up the E3600 and the batteries for about $3,852, which makes it a highly budget-friendly multi-day fridge backup solution.
If you wanted the option for a 240V output or the flexibility of having two power stations, you could also build out a system using the Pecron E3600 240V Bundle, which we think is one of the best power station deals available right now.
For those who want a serious home backup system that can power far more than just a fridge, the Anker SOLIX F3800 Plus is in a completely different league.
It starts with a 3,840Wh base battery and can expand with up to six additional batteries, creating massive storage potential. The idle draw for its powerful 6,000W inverter is 47 watts per hour, which would equal 7,896Wh over a week, but with four batteries, you’d have a total storage capacity of 19,200Wh.
This enormous capacity would easily clear the 17kWh power needs of the fridge and the unit’s own idle with power to spare. At around $9,196 for this setup, it’s a premium solution, but one that can also deliver 240V power, integrate with your home through the Anker SOLIX Home Power Panel, and run multiple household circuits during an outage.
If a week’s worth of batteries sounds expensive, that’s because it is. It’s also something that isn’t always necessary. The smarter route is to combine a smaller power station with solar panels or a small gas generator.
Even a 1,000Wh to 2,000Wh unit paired with 800W of solar panels can keep your fridge running indefinitely off-grid (depending on sun conditions). While a compact gas generator running just one hour a day can recharge most mid-size power stations.
So, how long do fridges last without power? Typically, about 4 hours unopened, or 48 hours for a full freezer, but that’s not much peace of mind. With the right power station, you can keep your fridge cold for days or even weeks, whether that's during an outage or as part of your off grid fridge setup.
If you’re just looking to cover short-term outages, something like the Anker C1000 Gen 2 or Pecron E1000 is perfect. If you’re after a serious home backup system, the Anker F3800 Plus is one of the most powerful plug-and-play options out there.
For more details on powering your entire home (not just your fridge), check out our What Size Power Station Do You Need for Home Backup Guide. It also breaks down power requirements for furnaces, CPAPs, lights, and more.
To make sure your prepared for blackouts, you can also read our power outage prep guide: Common Power Outage Backup Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
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