Fridge backup
Power's out. The food stays cold.
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27 hours
Of fridge from 3 kWh
Bluetti Elite 300, $1,199
2,299 Wh
What a typical fridge uses a day
839 kWh a year (EIA)
4 hours
Food stays safe with the door shut
FoodSafety.gov, so you can run it in shifts
How long will it keep your fridge cold?
Pick your fridge and the outage length. For the most accurate answer, use the kWh per year on your fridge's yellow EnergyGuide label.
Your fridge uses about 2,299 Wh a day. The US average is 839kWh a year per home (EIA, 2020 household survey); the camping fridge is Dometic's figure for a CFX3 35 on a 90°F day. We assume 85% of rated capacity is usable. Keep the door shut and it does better.
Cheapest that covers it
Bluetti Elite 300
Keeps it cold about 27 hours for $1,199 when we checked.
- Bluetti AC180 $499Keeps it cold about 10 hours Check price (opens in a new tab)
- Bluetti Elite 100 V2 $499Keeps it cold about 9 hours Check price (opens in a new tab)
- Anker SOLIX C1000 Gen 2 $549.99Keeps it cold about 9 hours See it (opens in a new tab)
- Bluetti Elite 200 V2 $899Keeps it cold about 18 hours Check price (opens in a new tab)
- EcoFlow DELTA 3 Max $899Keeps it cold about 18 hours See it (opens in a new tab)
- Jackery Explorer 2000 v2 $999Keeps it cold about 18 hours See it (opens in a new tab)
- Bluetti Elite 300 $1,199Keeps it cold about 27 hours · covers itCheck price (opens in a new tab)
- Bluetti Elite 400 $1,399Keeps it cold about 34 hours · covers itCheck price (opens in a new tab)
Our picks
Best for overnight outages (in stock)
Bluetti Elite 200 V2
Keeps a typical fridge running through the night with room for the Wi-Fi and phones, and is rated for 6,000 cycles, the most of any 2 kWh unit we list. Plug it in once and forget it until the lights go out.
- Fridge: 18 hours
- 53.4 lb, 5-year warranty
Best for a full day
Bluetti Elite 300
About a day of fridge for $300 more than the Elite 200 V2, at about $398 per kWh. Add a couple of solar panels and it can keep up for days. Pre-order when we checked.
- Fridge: 27 hours
- RV (TT-30) outlet too
Best for two-day outages
Bluetti Elite 400
Nearly 4 kWh on wheels. About a day and a half of fridge on its own, or two days if you run the fridge in shifts. Pre-order when we checked.
- Fridge: 34 hours
- 85.98 lb, rolls on wheels
Cheapest that runs a fridge
Bluetti AC180
Half a day of fridge for $499: enough for most short outages, and light enough to take camping afterwards.
- Fridge: 10 hours
- 1,800 W output
Hours of fridge, side by side
| Power station | Price* | Typical fridge | Output | Weight | Stock |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluetti Elite 100 V2 (opens in a new tab) | $499 | 9 hours | 1,800 W | 25 lb | Listed for sale |
| Anker SOLIX C1000 Gen 2 (opens in a new tab) | $549.99 | 9 hours | 2,000 W | 24.9 lb | Listed for sale |
| Bluetti AC180 (opens in a new tab) | $499 | 10 hours | 1,800 W | 35.3 lb | Listed for sale |
| Jackery Explorer 2000 v2 (opens in a new tab) | $999 | 18 hours | 2,200 W | 39.5 lb | Listed for sale |
| EcoFlow DELTA 3 Max (opens in a new tab) | $899 | 18 hours | 2,400 W | 44.8 lb | Listed for sale |
| Bluetti Elite 200 V2 (opens in a new tab) | $899 | 18 hours | 2,600 W | 53.4 lb | Listed for sale |
| Bluetti Elite 300 (opens in a new tab) | $1,199 | 27 hours | 2,400 W | 57.98 lb | Pre-order |
| Bluetti Elite 400 (opens in a new tab) | $1,399 | 34 hours | 2,600 W | 85.98 lb | Pre-order |
*Prices and specifications are from each manufacturer's US website, checked , . Prices change often, sometimes daily during sales; the seller's page is the final word. Cycle ratings are the maker's own figures, measured to different end points, so treat them as rough guides.
Bluetti links are sponsored; EcoFlow, Jackery and Anker are plain links.
Myths, answered
Want the whole house, not just the fridge? Size it with the home battery sizer, or see what backup lasts in your area on your state page.
Frequently asked questions
How long will a power station run a refrigerator?
Divide the usable watt-hours by what your fridge uses an hour. The average US home's fridges use 839 kWh a year (EIA), about 96 W averaged over the day as the compressor cycles. So a 1 kWh station runs it about 9 hours, a 2 kWh station about 18 hours and a 3 kWh station about a day. A newer, smaller fridge does better: use the kWh figure on its yellow EnergyGuide label in our calculator.
What size power station do I need for a fridge?
For a fridge through one night, about 1 kWh. To keep it cold for a full day without recharging, about 2.5 to 3 kWh, such as the Bluetti Elite 300 ($1,199, 27 hours). Output matters too: the station's continuous watts must cover the fridge (usually a few hundred watts running) and its surge must cover the compressor start, which every 1 kWh-plus model here does.
Can a 1000 W power station run a refrigerator?
Usually yes. A kitchen fridge runs at roughly 100 to 200 W while the compressor is on and spikes for a moment at start-up, which a 1,000 W-plus inverter with a surge rating handles. The limit is capacity (watt-hours), not output: a 1 kWh station gives you about half a day.
Do I have to run the fridge all the time in an outage?
No. FoodSafety.gov says a closed refrigerator keeps food safe for about 4 hours and a full freezer about 48 hours. Running the fridge a few hours on, a few hours off, with the door shut, stretches any battery much further than our continuous figures.
Is a power station better than a gas generator for a fridge?
For a fridge and essentials, often yes: it is silent, needs no fuel, and is safe indoors, so it can sit right next to the fridge. A gas generator is cheaper for long, whole-house outages but must run outdoors because of carbon monoxide. Add solar panels and a station can keep going for days.
Fridge use varies with size, age, the room's temperature and how often the door opens. Our figures use the EIA US average and assume 85% of rated capacity is usable. Prices and specifications are copied from makers' US websites on the dates shown and change often. See our disclaimer.
Sources
- EIA Residential Energy Consumption Survey 2020 (refrigerator electricity use) — 839 kWh a year per household
- FoodSafety.gov: Food safety during power outages — about 4 hours in a closed refrigerator, 48 in a full freezer
- Bluetti AC180 product page — checked October 19, 2026
- Bluetti Elite 100 V2 product page — checked October 19, 2026
- Bluetti Elite 200 V2 product page — checked October 19, 2026
- Bluetti Elite 300 product page — checked October 19, 2026
- Bluetti Elite 400 product page — checked October 19, 2026
- Anker SOLIX C1000 Gen 2 product page — checked October 15, 2026
- EcoFlow DELTA 3 Max product page — checked October 15, 2026
- Jackery Explorer 2000 v2 product page — checked October 15, 2026
Keep going
Photo: Devon MacKay on Unsplash (Unsplash License).