Guide
Keeping the essentials on in a power cut
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For a UK power cut most homes want four things kept on: the fridge-freezer, the Wi-Fi router, a couple of lamps and phone charging. Together they average about 71 W. A 1 kWh power station covers that for about 12 hours; a 2 kWh one for a day.
How we work out "power cut cover"
Every power station page shows hours of cover for that same set of essentials: a fridge-freezer averaging 30 W (it runs in bursts), a router at 15 W, two 8 W LED lamps and 10 W of phone charging. We assume 85% of the stored energy reaches the sockets. Your own appliances may differ, so the What will it run? tool lets you pick your own.
UPS: switching over without a flicker
Many stations can sit between the wall and your equipment and take over when the mains drops. Makers quote a switch-over time. 10 ms or less keeps most routers, computers and CPAP machines running without a restart; 20-30 ms suits most things but not all. If a machine matters medically, ask its maker or your clinic what it needs.
The boiler question
A gas boiler needs electricity for its controls and pump, so it stops in a power cut. Most are wired into a fused spur rather than a plug. Don't rewire it yourself: a Gas Safe engineer or electrician can tell you whether a safe connection to a power station is possible.
What it won't do
Kettles, heaters, ovens and showers draw 2-10 kW. Only the largest stations run a 3 kW kettle, and a heater empties a 2 kWh station in under an hour.
Power stations worth a look
3,072 · 3,600 W · 37 h power-cut cover
From £1,499
2,042 Wh · 2,200 W · 24 h power-cut cover
From £807
Questions buyers ask before buying
It's a lot of money for something I'll hardly use.
Price it against what it protects: a freezer full of food, a working router when you work from home, a CPAP machine through the night. A 1 kWh station that covers fridge, router, lights and phones for about half a day starts at £419. It also earns its keep outside power cuts: camping, the garden or a van. Who gets value.
Power cuts hardly ever happen where I live.
Most are short. The ones that matter come with winter storms and can last a night or more, and they are hard to plan for. A station sits in a cupboard charged and ready, needs a top-up every few months, and doubles as a camping or garden battery the rest of the year.
Will it actually run my things?
That is the right question, and the box rarely answers it. Pick your appliances in What will it run? and you will only see stations with enough output and battery for them, with the hours each one lasts.
Aren't lithium batteries a fire risk?
Almost every current model uses (lithium iron phosphate) cells, which are far more stable than the lithium-ion in older gadgets. Buy from the maker's UK store or a big UK retailer, keep the vents clear and charge it indoors. Fire risk explained.
Won't the battery be dead in a few years?
LFP stations are rated for 3,000 to 10,000 charge cycles. Used once a week, even 3,000 cycles is over 50 years, and five-year warranties are now common. How long they last.
I'm not technical. Is it complicated?
No wiring and no fuel. You charge it from a wall socket, then plug things into it like a normal socket. Many switch on by themselves when the mains drops. If weight worries you, filter by it: some 1 kWh models are about 11 kg and smaller ones under 6 kg.
Ready to choose?