A median ENERGY STAR top-freezer fridge uses about 995 Wh a day, a bottom-freezer or French-door fridge about 1,523 Wh. Through a power station's inverter that is 1,170 and 1,792 Wh of capacity per day of outage.
PeakLoadout finding
Across 4,889 ENERGY STAR certified refrigerators pulled on 23 October 2026, a median top-freezer model uses 995 Wh a day, so one day of outage needs about 1,170 Wh of power station; 17 of the 27 stations of 500 Wh or more we track clear one full day.
For one day of outage, on median ENERGY STAR figures through the AC outlet:
Less than most people guess, and more than a small station holds. The ENERGY STAR certified-refrigerator dataset lists the certified annual energy of 4,889 models. By type, the medians run from 246 kWh a year for a compact fridge (674 Wh a day) to 640 kWh for a side-by-side (1,753 Wh a day). A fridge does not draw that evenly: the compressor cycles on and off, which is why a station needs both the energy for the day and the output to start the compressor.
From the label, in three steps. The yellow EnergyGuide label on every US fridge gives its kWh a year; divide by 365 for a day, then divide by 0.85 for the station's inverter losses. That 85% is our stated assumption for converting the battery's DC to household AC, not a figure any maker publishes for these units; the same assumption runs through our CPAP guide.
1. Read the kWh/year on the fridge's yellow EnergyGuide label (or look it up in the ENERGY STAR product finder). 2. Wh per day = kWh/year x 1,000 / 365. 3. Station Wh needed = Wh per day x days / 0.85. 4. Median ENERGY STAR figures, one day: compact 793 Wh, top-freezer 1,170 Wh, bottom-freezer / French door 1,792 Wh. 5. Check the station's AC output and surge rating against the amps on the fridge's nameplate before an outage. 6. Keep the doors shut: FoodSafety.gov gives a closed fridge up to 4 hours and a full freezer about 48 hours.
Under a day for most units below 1.5 kWh, and two to four and a half days for the largest. The Pecron F5000LFP runs a median top-freezer fridge about 4.4 days. Per dollar, the Pecron F3000LFP buys a day of top-freezer backup for about $342 at its 20 October price; our home-backup guide compares the same units per watt-hour.
Four hours in a closed fridge. FoodSafety.gov, citing the USDA, says a refrigerator keeps food safe for up to 4 hours during an outage, that perishable food should be discarded after 4 hours without power, and that a full freezer holds a safe temperature for about 48 hours (24 if half full) with the door closed. A power station's job is to cover the hours beyond that, so size it to the outage you expect, not to a single evening.
Days at 85% AC efficiency on the median certified figure for each type; your fridge's own label will move these numbers. Prices are each maker's own US store on 20 October 2026.
| Power station | Rated capacity | Maker price, 20 Oct 2026 | Compact | Top-freezer | Bottom-freezer / French door | Side-by-side |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pecron F5000LFP also on Amazon | 5,120 Wh | $2,199 | 6.5 | 4.4 | 2.9 | 2.5 |
| Jackery Explorer 5000 Plus also on Amazon | 5,040 Wh | $3,149 | 6.4 | 4.3 | 2.8 | 2.4 |
| Goal Zero Yeti PRO 4000 | 3,994 Wh | $4,000 | 5.0 | 3.4 | 2.2 | 1.9 |
| Pecron E3800LFP also on Amazon | 3,840 Wh | $1,299 | 4.8 | 3.3 | 2.1 | 1.9 |
| Jackery HomePower 3600 Plus also on Amazon | 3,584 Wh | $1,709 | 4.5 | 3.1 | 2.0 | 1.7 |
| Pecron E3600LFP also on Amazon | 3,072 Wh | $999 | 3.9 | 2.6 | 1.7 | 1.5 |
| Pecron F3000LFP also on Amazon | 3,072 Wh | $899 | 3.9 | 2.6 | 1.7 | 1.5 |
| EcoFlow DELTA 3 Ultra Plus also on Amazon | 3,072 Wh | $1,599 | 3.9 | 2.6 | 1.7 | 1.5 |
| EcoFlow DELTA 3 Ultra also on Amazon | 3,072 Wh | $1,349 | 3.9 | 2.6 | 1.7 | 1.5 |
| Pecron E2400LFP also on Amazon | 2,048 Wh | $649 | 2.6 | 1.8 | 1.1 | 1.0 |
| EcoFlow DELTA 3 Max also on Amazon | 2,048 Wh | $899 | 2.6 | 1.8 | 1.1 | 1.0 |
| EcoFlow DELTA 3 Max Plus also on Amazon | 2,048 Wh | $1,199 | 2.6 | 1.8 | 1.1 | 1.0 |
| Jackery HomePower 2000 Plus v2 also on Amazon | 2,048 Wh | $1,069 | 2.6 | 1.8 | 1.1 | 1.0 |
| Jackery Explorer 2000 v2 also on Amazon | 2,042 Wh | $899 | 2.6 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 1.0 |
| Pecron E1500LFP | 1,536 Wh | $549 | 1.9 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 0.7 |
| Jackery Explorer 1500 Ultra | 1,536 Wh | $1,079 | 1.9 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 0.7 |
| Goal Zero NEW Yeti 1500 also on Amazon | 1,505 Wh | $1,500 | 1.9 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 0.7 |
| Pecron E1000LFP also on Amazon | 1,024 Wh | $399 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 0.5 |
| Jackery HomePower 1000 v2 also on Amazon | 1,024 Wh | $549 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 0.5 |
| EcoFlow DELTA 3 Classic also on Amazon | 1,024 Wh | $499 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 0.5 |
| EcoFlow DELTA 3 Plus | 1,024 Wh | $649 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 0.5 |
| Goal Zero NEW Yeti 1000 | 998 Wh | $1,200 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 0.5 |
| Goal Zero Yeti 1000 Core | 983 Wh | $900 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Pecron F1000LFP | 960 Wh | $399 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| EcoFlow RIVER 2 Pro also on Amazon | 768 Wh | $379 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Goal Zero Yeti 700 | 677 Wh | $700 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.3 |
| Pecron E500LFP | 576 Wh | $269 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.3 |
Refrigerator energy is the certified annual figure for every model in the ENERGY STAR Certified Residential Refrigerators dataset, downloaded on 23 October 2026 (4,889 models) and grouped by the dataset's own type field; wine and beverage coolers are left out. Days = station rated Wh x 0.85 / (median kWh a year x 1,000 / 365). Station capacity and price come from each maker's own US store, 20 October 2026. We did not run a fridge on these stations; the figures are arithmetic on published ratings, and a real fridge uses more when opened often or kept in a warm room.
On ENERGY STAR's median figures and 85% inverter efficiency, a 2,048 Wh station runs a top-freezer fridge about 1.8 days and a bottom-freezer or French-door fridge about 1.1 days. Your fridge's EnergyGuide label gives its own kWh a year.
Across 4,889 ENERGY STAR certified models, the median is about 674 Wh a day for a compact fridge, 995 Wh for a top-freezer, 1,523 Wh for a bottom-freezer or French door and 1,753 Wh for a side-by-side.
For part of a day. A 1,024 Wh station runs a median ENERGY STAR top-freezer fridge about 0.9 days (21 hours) and a compact fridge about 1.3 days, at 85% inverter efficiency.
FoodSafety.gov, citing the USDA, says up to 4 hours in a closed refrigerator, and about 48 hours for a full freezer (24 hours if half full) with the door closed.
About 1,792 Wh per day of outage, on the median ENERGY STAR bottom-freezer figure of 556 kWh a year and 85% inverter efficiency.
Read the kWh on your fridge's label, divide by 365 and by 0.85: that is the station capacity per day of outage. For a median top-freezer fridge it is about 1,170 Wh; for a French-door fridge, about 1,792 Wh.