Backup Power Calculator (Wh, Charge & Home Outage)
Plan portable power station capacity (Wh), continuous and surge watts, and recharge paths for camping, RV, jobsite, and home outage plug-in loads. This hub aggregates sizing, charge-time, and load-list tools—not UPS kVA bridge minutes and not whole-home generator design.
Boundary: IT blinks and rack UPS → UPS calculator hub. PV array / inverter planning → Solar calculator hub. Decide station vs UPS / generator in the guides linked below.
Backup power applications & deployment scenarios
Application cards summarize; full sizing authority lives on each scenario page and the Wh calculator.
Portable power for home outage
Description: Home storm and blackout planning focuses on selected outlets—fridge average watts, lights, and internet—not whole-home HVAC on a suitcase station. Size Wh with a documented buffer and inverter efficiency, then confirm continuous and compressor surge ratings on the nameplate. Keep a UPS on PCs or NAS for blinks while you manually plug loads into the station. Escalate to a generator and listed transfer method when multi-day fuel energy or panel circuits are required. This hub card is a summary only; the scenario page holds the Wh charts, deployment table, and buying checklist.
Typical load: 20–40 W modem/router; 80–120 W lights + laptop; 150–250 W fridge + lights + router.
Recommended runtime / capacity: ~500 Wh for phones/router; ~1000 Wh partial fridge night; ~1500–2000 Wh fuller fridge + lights (confirm surge).
Open home outage Wh guide →
Size Wh →
Portable power for camping
Description: Camping kits usually mix LED lanterns, a camping fridge or cooler compressor, phone charge, and sometimes CPAP overnight. Wh comes from Σ(W×h) with inverter efficiency and a planning buffer—not marketing peak watts. Confirm the station continuous rating covers simultaneous loads and that fridge compressor surge fits the peak rating. Quiet battery stations beat fuel generators for campsites with noise rules; multi-day off-grid still needs a recharge plan (solar or vehicle). Use the scenario page for load tables; verify with the size calculator Camping preset.
Typical load: LED 10 W; camping fridge 60–100 W avg; phone 20 W; CPAP ~30 W.
Recommended runtime / capacity: Often 300–1000 Wh for one night light kit; fridge nights commonly land near 1000–1200 Wh class after buffer.
Open camping Wh guide →
Size Wh →
Portable power for jobsite
Description: Jobsite and tailgate power mixes tool chargers, work lights, radios, and intermittent high-surge saws or compressors. Screen continuous watts for chargers and lights separately from burst tools that need a high surge rating for short duty. Fuel generators still win for whole-day high continuous loads; stations shine for quiet charge banks and light duty. Size Wh from hours of lighting/charging, then verify surge on the datasheet before buying.
Typical load: Work lights 50–150 W; chargers 60–500 W; circular saw bursts 1000–1500 W.
Recommended runtime / capacity: Commonly 500–1500 Wh for lights + charge; raise continuous/surge class when running corded tools from the inverter.
Open jobsite Wh guide →
Size Wh →
Portable power for RV
Description: RV and van day/night loads often include an RV fridge, LED lighting, TV, laptop charging, and short microwave bursts. Multi-day boondocking pushes Wh into the low-kilowatt-hour class and needs a solar or generator recharge plan—not a single overnight suitcase alone. Screen simultaneous AC inverter watts separately from energy (Wh). Shore power changes the problem; this card is for portable station / battery-backed plug-in screens.
Typical load: RV fridge 80–150 W avg; lights 20–40 W; TV 50–100 W; microwave bursts 700–1200 W.
Recommended runtime / capacity: Often 1000–3000 Wh depending on fridge duty and nights without shore power; pair with solar charge time for recharge.
Open RV Wh guide →
Size Wh →
