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Power Sizing Calculator

List what you need to run in an outage. Multiply watts by hours to get watt-hours a day, add them up, and see how big a battery station you would need on paper. Everything is worked out on your device. Nothing you type is saved or sent.

The starting rows are example numbers from our sizing article, not measurements of any device. Replace them with the watts on your labels, or with a reading from a plug-in meter.1

  • 50 Wh a day

  • 60 Wh a day

  • 20 Wh a day

  • 288 Wh a day

The wattage printed on a label is usually the maximum draw, not what a device pulls all day. Something that cycles on and off, like a refrigerator, does not run at label watts around the clock. For those, leave a plug-in electricity meter on it for 24 hours, then enter the watt-hours it shows divided by 24 as the watts, with 24 hours.

Starts at 78, the real-world figure our backup power guide uses (about 830 usable watt-hours from a 1,070 watt-hour station). It is a planning number, not a measurement of your unit. A station loses some energy turning battery power into household AC, so check your exact model's manual, or measure.

Optional. Leave at 0 to skip solar.

Look yours up for the weakest month you expect to need the system, using the free PVWatts calculator.2

Your planning numbers

Energy you use in a day
418 Wh
For 1 day
418 Wh
Station size to look for (rated capacity)
536 Wh
Output needed if the marked devices run together
57 W

Capacity (Wh) is how much energy a station holds. Output (W) is how much it can deliver at one moment. Both matter. Motors and compressors can need a startup surge above their running watts, so check continuous output, surge capacity and the outlets in your exact model's documentation before you buy. This is a paper estimate.

Medical equipment: if someone in your home depends on powered medical equipment, talk to your medical provider and equipment supplier about a power outage plan before you shop.1 A product listing is not evidence that a station will run your device for the time you need.

Two catalog stations, checked against your numbers

On paper only. We have not tested either unit, and we make no runtime claim for your devices.

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Affiliate Disclosure

Last updated: April 9, 2026

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  • Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 (paid link)

    Holds 1,070 watt-hours and puts out up to 1,500 watts. LiFePO4 battery.5

    Capacity: covers your list on paper. Output: covers the devices you marked.

    Downside: Heavy, so give it a permanent spot. Cannot run whole-house heating or cooling. Jackery does not recommend it for medical or life-support equipment.

  • EcoFlow DELTA 3 Classic (1024Wh) (paid link)

    Holds 1,024 watt-hours. EcoFlow lists up to 1,800 watts of total AC output and up to 500 watts of solar input. LiFePO4 battery.4

    Capacity: covers your list on paper. Output: covers the devices you marked.

    Downside: About 12 kilograms (roughly 27 pounds), so give it one spot. Panels are not included with the base model. Cannot run whole-house heating or cooling.

Not every list needs a station. If yours is phones, a radio and a light, power banks you already own and a hand-crank or solar radio may cover it. Our backup power guide compares the two stations in full.

Next steps

Sources

Each link goes to the exact page cited. Pages opened and checked October 11, 2026.

  1. Ready.gov (FEMA). Power Outages. Take an inventory of the items you need that rely on electricity and plan alternate power for them; talk to your medical provider about a power outage plan for medical devices. Accessed October 11, 2026.
  2. National Laboratory of the Rockies (U.S. Department of Energy). PVWatts Calculator. Free location-specific solar estimates, month by month. Use it to find your sun hours. Accessed October 11, 2026.
  3. National Laboratory of the Rockies. PVWatts Version 5 Manual. The default system-loss allowance of 14 percent, covering things like soiling, shading, wiring and connections. Accessed October 11, 2026.
  4. EcoFlow. DELTA 3 Classic Portable Power Station (US product page). 1,024 Wh capacity, LFP cells, 1,800 W total AC output, 500 W maximum solar input. Catalog figures; not tested by us. Accessed October 11, 2026.
  5. Jackery. Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 Portable Power Station (product page). 1,070 Wh capacity and 1,500 W output. Catalog figures; not tested by us. Accessed October 11, 2026.