How long will your power station really run?
Enter your capacity and devices, or tell us how long you need power for — Power Station Tools calculates runtime or the capacity you need, instantly and privately.
Select your devices
Total load: 0 WKitchen & Food
Climate & Comfort
Entertainment & Gaming
Electronics & Office
Medical
Lighting
Laundry
Add a custom device
Enter your power station’s capacity in Wh to see a runtime estimate.
This is an estimate. Real-world runtime can be lower than the theoretical figure due to inverter efficiency losses, fluctuating (not constant) device draw, ambient temperature, battery age/health, and other factors. Always check your power station’s official specifications before relying on it for critical use.
Three steps to a reliable estimate
Enter your capacity or hours
Type your power station’s capacity in Wh (or, in "What capacity do I need?" mode, how many hours you need power for).
Pick your devices
Select from 20 common devices with orientative wattages, tap a quick-calc shortcut, or add your own custom device with its exact watts.
Get an instant estimate
See your runtime or recommended capacity update live, with a full breakdown and a comparison across common battery sizes.
Jump straight to your use case
Power outage at home
Fridge, router, lights and phone chargers during a blackout.
Running a refrigerator
How long a full-size fridge runs on battery power.
A weekend of camping
Lights, phone charging and a fan for a camping trip.
CPAP through the night
Sleep apnea machines during travel or a power cut.
Gaming on PS5/Xbox
Console + TV gaming sessions off-grid.
RV & van life basics
Fridge, fan, lighting and electronics while boondocking.
Typical device power consumption
Orientative running-watt figures used as calculator defaults. Every value is editable once you select a device.
"Average running watts" is what this site uses for every calculation — not the nameplate/rated figure, which for cyclic and variable devices can be much higher than what they draw on average. See how we define these terms.
| Device | Category | Avg. running watts | Power type | Startup surge | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Refrigerator | Kitchen & Food | 150 W | Cycles on/off | ~3× | Compressor cycles on/off — this is an averaged running estimate, not nameplate wattage. |
| Mini Fridge / Cooler | Kitchen & Food | 70 W | Cycles on/off | ~3× | Portable 12V/AC cooler, averaged running estimate. |
| TV (LED, 40-55") | Entertainment & Gaming | 100 W | Varies with use | — | Varies with screen brightness and content; OLED panels typically draw more than LED at the same size. |
| Laptop | Electronics & Office | 65 W | Varies with use | — | — |
| Gaming PC (desktop) | Electronics & Office | 350 W | Varies with use | — | Mid-to-high-end build under active gaming load; varies with CPU/GPU load. |
| PS5 / Xbox Series X | Entertainment & Gaming | 200 W | Varies with use | — | Active gameplay average; drops sharply in rest/standby mode. |
| Wi-Fi Router / Modem | Electronics & Office | 10 W | Continuous | — | — |
| Phone Charger | Electronics & Office | 10 W | Continuous | — | — |
| Fan (standing/box) | Climate & Comfort | 50 W | Continuous | — | — |
| Portable Air Conditioner | Climate & Comfort | 1200 W | Cycles on/off | ~3× | Compressor cycles on/off; running watts shown, not nameplate. Startup surge varies significantly by unit — check your model's rated surge/LRA before relying on this. |
| Microwave | Kitchen & Food | 1000 W | Continuous | — | Steady draw while actively cooking, at whatever power level is selected. |
| Coffee Maker | Kitchen & Food | 800 W | Cycles on/off | — | Heating element cycles to hold temperature after brewing. |
| Electric Kettle | Kitchen & Food | 1200 W | Continuous | — | Full power for the few minutes it takes to boil, then off. |
| CPAP Machine | Medical | 40 W | Continuous | — | Without a heated humidifier — check your specific machine's label, wattage varies by model and settings. |
| Light Bulb (LED) | Lighting | 10 W | Continuous | — | — |
| LED Strip / Camping Lights | Lighting | 20 W | Continuous | — | — |
| Electric Blanket | Climate & Comfort | 60 W | Cycles on/off | — | Thermostat-controlled heating element cycles on/off. |
| Hair Dryer | Electronics & Office | 1500 W | Continuous | — | — |
| Washing Machine | Laundry | 500 W | Varies with use | ~2× | Wash-cycle average; the spin cycle's motor draws more than filling/washing. Excludes water heating. |
| Dishwasher | Laundry | 1200 W | Varies with use | ~2× | Draw varies across the cycle — water heating draws far more than the wash motor/pump alone. |
Nominal power, average consumption, duty cycle and startup surge
Manufacturers, retailers and calculators don't always mean the same thing by "watts." This site is precise about which figure it's using and why:
- Nominal / rated power
- The maximum wattage printed on a device's nameplate or spec sheet. For motor- or compressor-driven devices, real-world average draw is often well below this figure — nameplate wattage is a ceiling, not a typical value.
- Average running watts
- What this calculator actually uses for every runtime/capacity result. For a device that cycles or varies, this is the wattage averaged over time — the number that determines how much energy it actually consumes per hour.
- Duty cycle
- The fraction of time a cyclic device (like a fridge's compressor) is actually drawing power rather than idle between cycles. It's already baked into the average running watts above — you don't need to calculate it separately.
- Startup / inrush surge
- A brief spike in current draw — often several times the running wattage — when a motor or compressor first starts. This determines whether a power station's inverter can start a device at all; it does not affect how long the device runs once started. Always check your power station's rated surge (or "peak") watts separately from its continuous rating.
Figures throughout this site are general, orientative estimates for planning purposes — not manufacturer specifications for any specific device or power station model.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a 1000 Wh power station last?
It depends entirely on what you plug into it. At 85% efficiency, a 1000 Wh power station gives you about 850 Wh of usable energy. Divide that by your total device wattage: a 100 W load runs for roughly 8.5 hours, a 300 W load for about 2.8 hours, and a 1000 W load for about 51 minutes. Use the calculator above — pick your devices and it will do this math for you instantly.
How do you calculate power station autonomy (runtime)?
Two steps. First, find your usable energy: Usable Energy (Wh) = Battery Capacity (Wh) × Efficiency — efficiency accounts for losses in the inverter and battery management system, typically 80–90%. Second, divide by your load: Runtime (hours) = Usable Energy (Wh) ÷ Total Power Consumption (W). That runtime is then converted into a readable "Xh Ym" figure.
How many Wh do I need for my devices?
Switch the calculator above to "What capacity do I need?", select your devices and enter how many hours you need them to run. The tool calculates Required Capacity = (Total Watts × Hours) ÷ Efficiency and rounds up to a practical number, then shows you where that lands against common power station sizes (500, 1000, 1500, 2000 and 3000 Wh).
Can a power station run a refrigerator?
Yes. A typical refrigerator draws around 150 W on average (compressors cycle on and off, so this is an average, not constant draw). A 1000 Wh power station at 85% efficiency would run a fridge alone for roughly 5.6 hours; a 2000 Wh unit for around 11 hours. See our dedicated refrigerator power station calculator for a preconfigured breakdown.
Can a power station run a CPAP machine?
Electrically, CPAP is a light load — machines without a heated humidifier typically draw around 30–60 W, so runtime is often measured in multiple nights rather than hours. That said, this is an electrical estimate, not medical guidance: confirm your exact machine's wattage on its own label, and talk to your equipment provider or clinician about what backup power plan is appropriate for your situation. See our CPAP power station calculator.
Can a power station run a PS5 or Xbox?
Yes — a PS5 or Xbox Series X draws roughly 150–200 W during active gameplay. A 1000 Wh power station at 85% efficiency would give you somewhere around 4–5 hours of gameplay on the console alone (less once you add a TV). Try the preconfigured PS5 / Xbox power station calculator.
What is the difference between W and Wh?
Watts (W) measure the rate of power draw right now — how fast a device uses energy. Watt-hours (Wh) measure a quantity of stored energy over time — how much a battery holds, or how much a device consumes if run for an hour. A 100 W device run for 5 hours consumes 500 Wh. Your power station's capacity is in Wh; your devices' draw is in W — the calculator converts between the two for you.
Why is real-world autonomy often lower than the calculated estimate?
The formula assumes a constant, steady load and a fixed efficiency — real life is messier. Inverter efficiency can dip under partial loads; many devices (fridges, air conditioners, kettles) draw a brief high-current "surge" at startup that is higher than their running watts; ambient temperature affects battery chemistry and performance; and battery health degrades with age and charge cycles. Treat every result here as a planning estimate, not a guarantee — build in a safety margin for anything critical.