How long will a power station run your fridge?
A refrigerator only draws power about a third of the time, so runtime beats the raw wattage. Pick your fridge and how long you need to cover, and we do the honest math — AC-delivered capacity, compressor surge, conversion losses — against every station we track.
A 2,000Wh-class station covers your 1-day need — startup surge, not running watts, is what rules out smaller units here.
- You need (battery side)
- 1,779Wh battery-side
- Running load
- 180W
- Startup surge peak
- 1200W
How we got there
| Device | Avg draw | Over 1 day |
|---|---|---|
| Refrigerator (full-size) | 63W | 1,512Wh |
| Devices total | 1,512Wh |
On top of the device total, each station is charged its real conversion losses — AC loads ÷ inverter efficiency (0.85 typical, by chemistry), DC loads ÷ 0.9 — and capacity is counted from the best number we have for that unit: lab-measured usable, else the manufacturer's usable figure, else rated × 0.9 depth-of-discharge. No vague “reserve” padding — every derate is named in the methodology.
Smallest station that passes everything — we don’t oversell.
- Runs your kit
- 1.2 days
- AC delivered (est.)
1,741 Whest.. Show source
estimated sourcebattery-side capacity × published AC-efficiency constant- Weight
- 22 kg
- capacity fits
- inverter handles the load
- surge unverified — no sourced spec
One size up, for when it runs longer than planned.
- Runs your kit
- 1.6 days
- AC delivered (est.)
2,611 Whest.. Show source
estimated sourcebattery-side capacity × published AC-efficiency constant- Extra vs right-size
- +0.4 days
- Weight
- 36 kg
- capacity fits
- inverter handles the load
- surge unverified — no sourced spec
Scenario: Fridge runtime — Full-size fridge, 1 day Duration: 1-day Energy need (battery side): 1,779Wh usable Running load: 180W Peak startup surge: 1200W Recommended minimum: 2,000Wh class, Why: startup surge, not running watts, is what rules out smaller units here.
Why a fridge lasts longer than its wattage suggests
The number on the compressor is the running draw, not the average. A full-size fridge pulls about 180 W while the compressor is on, but it cycles off most of the time — an average closer to 60 W, or roughly 1.5 kWh across a day. That duty cycle is why a 1 kWh-class station covers most of a day and a 2 kWh unit clears it with room to spare. Every wattage here is sourced per device; open any result’s detail to see the source and date.
Fridge power questions, straight answers
- How long will a power station run a refrigerator?
- Longer than the raw wattage suggests, because a fridge's compressor only runs about a third of the time. A full-size fridge draws roughly 180 W while the compressor is on but averages closer to 60 W over a day — about 1.5 kWh in 24 hours. So roughly 1 kWh AC-delivered covers most of a day, and a 2 kWh-class unit comfortably clears a full day with headroom. This tool applies output efficiency once, or uses an independent AC measurement directly.
- Does the compressor's startup surge matter?
- Yes — it's the check that trips up undersized inverters. A fridge compressor can spike to 1,000–1,200 W for a fraction of a second at startup even though it runs near 180 W. A station whose inverter is rated for the running watts but not the surge can fault out. Where we have a sourced surge spec for the unit, this tool verifies it starts your compressor and flags it when the number isn't published.
- Should I keep the fridge door closed to stretch runtime?
- Absolutely. A closed fridge holds cold for hours and the compressor cycles far less, so real runtime often beats the calculator. The figures here assume normal use with the door opened occasionally; treat them as a conservative floor. Chest freezers hold cold even longer because cold air doesn't spill out when you open the lid.
- Can solar keep my fridge running indefinitely?
- Often yes, if the panels out-harvest the daily draw. Add a panel wattage above and the tool shows whether your array covers the fridge's daily energy or just slows the drain — real harvest is well below the panel's nameplate. See our solar recharge deficit tool and pairing guide for the full picture.