Will my power station run it, and for how long?
Type three numbers from your power station's label or manual, tick what you want to run, and see the runtime and whether it can handle the start-up surge.
Your power station
(1,024 Wh, 1,800 W, 3,600 W surge, from EcoFlow's product page)
An assumption: some energy is lost turning battery power into mains power. If your manual gives a figure, use it.
What do you want to run?
Fill in your power station and tick at least one thing to run.
Runtime uses average draw: a fridge's compressor switches on and off, so it averages far less than its running watts. Real runtimes vary with temperature, battery age and how hard things work.
One or more things you picked don't have a published start-up figure, so the start-up check may be too optimistic.
How it works
A power station's capacity (Wh) is how much energy its battery holds. Some is lost turning battery power into mains power, so we use 85% of it unless you change the usable energy figure.
Runtime is that usable energy divided by the average power of what you run. For a fridge we use its average draw over a day, about 52 W, rather than its running watts, because the compressor keeps switching on and off.
Then two checks: the continuous output must cover everything running at once, and the surge rating must cover the moment something with a motor starts.
Example: an EcoFlow DELTA 3 Plus running a fridge
| Capacity (EcoFlow's product page) | 1,024 Wh |
|---|---|
| Usable at 85% | about 870 Wh |
| Fridge average draw | about 52 W |
| Runtime (870 ÷ 52) | about 17 hours |
| Fridge running vs continuous output | 192 W of 1,800 W ✓ |
| Fridge start-up vs surge rating | 1,200 W of 3,600 W ✓ |
Press “Fill in an example” above and tick Refrigerator to see the same result.
Common questions
Why does a fridge run so long on a power station?
Because it doesn't draw its running watts all the time. A typical full-size fridge uses about 1.25 kWh a day, an average of about 52 W, even though it draws 132–192 W while the compressor is on.
Can a power station run a space heater?
Only one with enough continuous output, and not for long. A 1,500 W heater on a 1,024 Wh power station would use the usable energy in about 35 minutes.
Where do I find my power station's numbers?
On the label, in the manual or on the maker's website. Look for capacity in Wh, continuous or rated AC output in W, and surge or peak output in W.