Guides · Updated October 23, 2026

Power station and generator guides

Start with the question you actually have. Sizing a generator for the house, choosing between a generator and a battery, comparing power station brands or picking a quiet inverter generator each have their own guide, and every one uses manufacturer specs and the same runtime and surge rules as the calculator.

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Generator and brand guides

Best power station under $500What $500 buys in 2026: which units can start a fridge, switch fast for a router or CPAP, recharge on solar, and which are sold out.EcoFlow vs Jackery vs BLUETTI: which one should you buy?Picks by budget, outage length, CPAP/UPS switchover, solar, warranty and expansion. EcoFlow switches fastest, Jackery is lightest, BLUETTI is cheapest per Wh.What size generator do you need to run a house?Fridge, furnace and sump pump need about 5,700 W at the worst start; a 240 V well pump, 6,700–9,500 W; central AC, a 14–22 kW standby unit. Worked examples.Generator vs power stationA generator burns fuel and keeps going as long as you refuel it; a power station stores a fixed number of watt-hours and runs silently indoors. Pick a geneBest generator for home backupFor home backup, the deciding specs are running watts, starting watts for the fridge, furnace or well pump, and a 120/240 V L14-30R outlet for a transfer sWhat size generator for a 30 amp inletA 30 A, 120/240 V inlet tops out at 7,200 W, so a generator rated about 7,000–7,500 running watts with an L14-30R outlet uses the inlet fully. Typical esseQuietest inverter generatorsAmong inverter generators with a published noise figure, these are the quietest, ranked by the lowest manufacturer dBA rating. Manufacturers measure at difWhat can a 2,000-watt generator run?An 1,800 W running / 2,200 W max inverter runs a fridge, freezer, lights and router (about 794 W), a gas furnace blower, or a 1/3 hp sump. Window AC, RV AC, fuel and parallel kits worked out.

Power station buying guides

Best power station for a refrigerator in a power outageENERGY STAR full-size fridges average 41–82 W. Picks by outage length, apartment, RV and solar, with runtime tables, startup-surge rules and food-safety limits.Best power station for a CPAPCPAP power station picks for outages and camping, with runtimes that include inverter idle draw, UPS switchover times, DC converter limits and maker caveats.Best power station for campingFor a carried campsite, the EcoFlow RIVER 2 (7.7 lb, 256 Wh) and Anker SOLIX C300 (288 Wh) cover a CPAP and lights; a Danby compact fridge pushes you toward the RIVER 2 Pro, DELTA 2, or AC180 if you can spare the weight.Best power station for an RVA 13,500 BTU roof AC pulls about 1,800 W on a hot day. TT-30 outlets by station, roof-AC hours, soft starters, converter drain and a boondocking budget in watt-hours.Best power station for home backupOn stored energy alone, the EcoFlow DELTA Pro 3 (4,096 Wh) outlasts the Anker SOLIX F3800 (3,840 Wh), while the F3800 has the higher continuous output at 6,000 W. A 1,500 W Lasko heater needs at least 1,500 W continuous or a documented resistive boost.Best power station for a sump pumpThink in gallons per charge: a Zoeller M53 (1,115.5 W, 2,040 GPH at 10 ft) empties a 2 kWh station after about 3,100 gallons. Hours by measured inflow, motor-surge checks, no-extension-cord hookup, and Zoeller's DC battery-backup pump compared.

How runtimes on these pages are calculated

Every runtime uses the same published rule from our methodology: runtime = nameplate Wh × 0.85 ÷ (average load W + about 15 W). The 0.85 is our allowance for inverter loss, not a measured efficiency for any model. The 15 W is inverter self-consumption, the figure BLUETTI uses in its AC180 runtime formula; it barely matters for a 1,000 W heater but cuts a router or compact-fridge estimate by a third or more. CPAP pages also show DC-converter nights separately as a best case.

For starting a motor (fridge, sump pump, AC), a station only counts its surge figure when the maker lists it separately from a heater-only boost mode. X-Boost, Power Lifting and SurgePad are treated as resistive-only.

Generator rules every guide uses

Running watts is what a generator holds continuously; starting watts is the brief burst for a motor start. A generator clears an appliance only when running draw fits running watts and startup draw fits starting watts. When a maker does not publish startup watts, we require starting watts of at least 3× running draw and say so. Dual-fuel models are compared on their gasoline rating. Details are in the methodology.

Safety: run generators outdoors only, at least 20 feet from the home with exhaust pointed away from doors, windows and vents; use CO alarms; never backfeed through a wall outlet or dryer plug; and have a licensed electrician install a transfer switch or listed interlock. See generator safety.