Home outage essentials: Wh sizing
Keep lights, phones, internet, and a fridge (or freezer) alive — not whole-home HVAC. Whole-house transfer switches are out of scope for this portable-station guide.
WattNeeds defaults: inverter efficiency η=0.90, DoD=0.90, buffer=0.15.
One-liner: nameplateWh = (whPerDay × days × 1.15) / (0.90 × 0.90).
Always re-check continuous watts and surge against the station inverter.
Example essential day
| Load | Planning energy |
|---|---|
| Modem + router | 10–20 W × 24 h ≈ 240–480 Wh |
| LED lamps | 15 W × 6 h ≈ 90 Wh |
| Phones / laptops | 100–200 Wh |
| Fridge (avg, door discipline) | 1000–1500 Wh/day (full-size; highly variable) |
Without the house fridge, a ~500–1000 Wh station often covers router + lights + devices for a day. With fridge, plan ~2 kWh+ nameplate or accept shorter autonomy / dual stations.
Worked light essentials (router 15 W×24 + lights 90 + devices 150 = 600 Wh/day):
nameplate ≈ 600 × 1.15 / 0.81 ≈ 852 Wh for 1 day
Never backfeed a panel with a portable inverter. Use discrete extension cords to appliances only.
Calculator · Best under ~2 kWh (tier guide)
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