Appliances › Outage Essentials

What size power station runs a refrigerator (modern)?

The #1 outage load. The 150 W running figure is the compressor on; the 1,200 W surge is the moment it kicks in.

150 Wrunning watts

1,200 Wstartup surge

35%duty cycle

707 Whfor 12 h

Need to run it alongside other things? Add it to the full sizing tool with the rest of your load.

What size you need for 12 h

You need about 707 Wh — and 24 units fit. The smallest sufficient is the Bluetti EB70S; we never push more capacity than your load can use. Surge to clear: 1,200 W.

The math
Running watts (everything on at once) = 150 W
Surge watts (worst single startup + the rest running) = 1,200 W
Average draw (cyclic loads counted by their duty cycle) = 53 W
Watt-hours = 53 W × 12 h ÷ 90% usable reserve = 707 Wh

Bluetti EB70Ssmallest that fits

716 Wh 800 W cont · 1,400 W surge ~12 h on this load $$

A rugged 700 Wh workhorse for camping and outage essentials.

LiFePO4 · ~3.5 h AC; up to 200 W solar · 21 lb

Check price at Bluetti → Full specs

Bluetti AC70

768 Wh 1,000 W cont · 2,000 W surge ~13 h on this load $$

A 1,000 W inverter and 768 Wh — handles a fridge and most kitchen bursts.

LiFePO4 · ~45 min to 80% AC; up to 500 W solar · 23 lb

Check price at Bluetti → Full specs

EcoFlow RIVER 2 Pro

768 Wh 800 W cont · 1,600 W surge ~13 h on this load $$

The largest RIVER — runs a fridge cyclically and small loads for a long evening.

LiFePO4 · ~1 h AC; up to 220 W solar · 17 lb

Check price at EcoFlow → Full specs

Anker SOLIX C800

768 Wh 1,200 W cont · 1,600 W surge ~13 h on this load $$

A 1,200 W inverter in a 768 Wh body — runs a fridge and most kitchen bursts.

LiFePO4 · ~58 min AC; up to 600 W solar · 25 lb

Check price at Anker SOLIX → Full specs

Goal Zero Yeti 1000 Corestep-up

983 Wh 1,200 W cont · 2,400 W surge ~17 h on this load $$

A 1 kWh / 1,200 W unit for outage essentials at a friendlier price.

NMC · ~9 h AC; up to 600 W solar · 32 lb

Check price at Goal Zero → Full specs

EcoFlow DELTA 2

1,024 Wh 1,800 W cont · 2,700 W surge expandable ~17 h on this load $$

The benchmark 1 kWh / 1,800 W outage unit — fridge + CPAP + lights, expandable to 3 kWh.

LiFePO4 · ~50 min to 80% AC; expandable to 3 kWh · 27 lb

Check price at EcoFlow → Full specs

🔗 The "Check price" buttons are brand-direct affiliate links. Once our brand affiliate programs are approved these will earn a commission — at no extra cost to you, and it never changes which unit we recommend. Disclosure.

⚡ Duty cycle matters here. A fridge compressor only runs ~1/3 of the time, so its all-day energy is far below its running watts × 24. We size watt-hours on the duty-weighted average (53 W), not the peak — so we don't oversell you capacity.

Can a specific unit run a refrigerator (modern)?

27 of the units we track deliver enough watts to run a refrigerator (modern). Check a specific one for the runtime and the full verdict:

677 Wh · 1,000 W cont

768 Wh · 1,000 W cont

runs it

Anker SOLIX C800

768 Wh · 1,200 W cont

runs it

Goal Zero Yeti 1000 Core

983 Wh · 1,200 W cont

runs it

EcoFlow DELTA 2

1,024 Wh · 1,800 W cont

runs it

Anker SOLIX C1000

1,056 Wh · 1,800 W cont

runs it

Jackery Explorer 1000 v2

1,070 Wh · 1,500 W cont

runs it

Bluetti AC180

1,152 Wh · 1,800 W cont

runs it

Common questions

What size power station do I need to run a refrigerator (modern)?

A refrigerator (modern) draws about 150 W running, with a startup surge near 1,200 W. So you want a unit with at least 150 W continuous output and 1,200 W+ surge. For 12 h of runtime that's roughly 707 Wh of capacity — the Bluetti EB70S is the smallest unit that clears all of it.

How many watts does a refrigerator (modern) use?

About 150 W while running, spiking to roughly 1,200 W on startup. It only draws power about 35% of the time, so over an outage its energy use is well below 150 W × the hours — which is why a modest battery lasts longer than you'd expect. A fridge compressor only runs ~1/3 of the time, so its all-day energy is far below its running watts × 24.

Sources: Refrigerator (modern) wattage — Standard appliance-wattage / generator-sizing charts (representative values; verify your nameplate); station specs — manufacturer published specifications (compiled 2026-06-15; approximate). Informational only — a computed sizing estimate from published appliance-wattage charts and manufacturer station specs. It is not an electrical guarantee. For hardwired or whole-home backup, transfer switches, or any permanent install, consult a licensed electrician.