Guide
What size power station do I need?
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Two numbers decide it. Output in watts (W) is how much it can run at once. Capacity in watt-hours () is how long it lasts.
Step 1: what's the biggest thing you'll run?
Check the label on the appliance. The station's continuous output must be above it, and above the total of everything running together. Fridges and power tools also need a brief surge at start-up.
Step 2: how long for?
Multiply each appliance's average watts by the hours you'll use it, add them up, then divide by 0.85 to allow for losses. A laptop (50 W) for 6 hours plus a camping fridge (25 W average) for 24 hours is 900 Wh, so you'd want about 1,050 Wh.
Rough sizes
| Use | Typical size |
|---|---|
| Phones, laptop, lights for a weekend | 250-500 Wh |
| Camping with a cool box, or a short power cut | 500-1,000 Wh |
| Fridge-freezer and essentials through a long power cut | 1,000-2,000 Wh |
| Home backup, tools, or running a kettle | 2,000 Wh and up, 3,000 W output |
Bigger stations are heavy: over 2 kWh most weigh 17 kg or more. The What will it run? tool does the sums for you.
Power stations worth a look
2,042 Wh · 2,200 W · 24 h power-cut cover
From £807
3,072 Wh · 3,600 W · 37 h power-cut cover
From £1,499
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?