Guides

Total your appliances in watts and watt-hours: running watts, starting surge, duty cycle and hours — a step-by-step method with typical values and a calculator.

Battery power stations and portable generators compared on runtime, noise, safety, fuel, cost and what each cannot do — so you can choose, or combine them.

Every formula Wattstanding uses for runtime, starting watts, solar recharge, fuel burn and price per kWh — with the assumptions and their limits stated plainly.

Size a portable generator by running watts and starting watts, with worked examples for essentials, a sump or well pump and a transfer-switch setup — and how fuel changes the answer.

A Florida-specific plan for hurricane-season power: outage length, flood-zone placement, fuel supply, condo and HOA limits, solar sun hours and the loads that matter in the heat.

What an inverter generator does that an open-frame generator doesn't — cleaner power, usually lower noise and fuel use at light loads — and where open-frame units win on watts per dollar.

A pre-season routine for a portable generator: test runs under load, oil and filter checks, fuel stabilizer, safe storage and what to do with old gasoline.

How to keep a power station ready for an outage: storage charge level, temperature limits, periodic top-ups and test runs — following the maker's manual.

A plain-language glossary of the figures on a power station's specification page: watt-hours, AC output, surge, X-Boost modes, pass-through charging, UPS switchover and cycle life.

A short, practical checklist for the first hours of an outage and the hours after power returns: food safety, generator and battery use, surge protection and when to call for help.

The idea behind series and parallel panel connections — voltage adds in series, current adds in parallel — and why the station's input limits decide what is allowed.

What an extra battery does and doesn't do: it adds watt-hours without adding output watts, works only with listed base units, and changes weight, cost and charge time.

How whole-home standby generators, portable generators and home battery systems differ on automation, runtime, installation, fuel and cost drivers — and when each makes sense.

How to choose a cord for generator loads: match amperage and plug type, keep it short, use a heavy gauge, keep cords out of water — and never use a male-to-male cord.

If someone in your home depends on powered medical equipment, the right backup is chosen with the device maker and prescriber. These are the questions to ask and the limits of any product list.

Planning for straight-line wind storms and spring severe weather that can take out power for days: sump and well pumps, refrigeration, fuel supply and safe generator placement.

What changes when the outage comes with a hard freeze: battery temperature limits, heating loads, generator placement and the loads worth protecting — with the math shown.

How to plan backup power for utility wildfire shutoffs: planned outages that can repeat, why batteries and solar fit, and how to use any generator without adding fire risk.

Plan for heavy snow and ice-storm outages in the Northeast: furnace blowers, well and sump pumps, generator placement in snow, and battery limits in cold.

Why a battery power station fits an apartment or condo: no exhaust, no fuel storage, no installation — what it can run, what to avoid and how to recharge it.

Keep a home office online through an outage: the watts of a router, modem, laptop and monitors, the battery size that covers a workday and why a UPS function matters.

The trade-offs between gasoline, propane and natural gas for a dual-fuel or tri-fuel generator: availability, storage, reduced watts and runtime — and how to read the maker's per-fuel ratings.

How to use a portable generator without poisoning your household: outdoor placement, carbon monoxide alarms, fuel handling, wet conditions and why backfeeding a house is dangerous.

What a manual transfer switch, an interlock kit and an inlet box do, how they differ, what must match — and why a licensed electrician installs them.

What it takes for a battery power station to carry a house: watts, watt-hours, 240 V, transfer hardware and an electrician — with the arithmetic and the limits.

How many sunny days solar panels need to refill a power station, why real output is lower than the rating, and what to check — voltage, connector and input limits — before buying.

A practical power checklist for hurricane season: size the load, choose battery or generator, plan fuel and solar, test early and stay safe — written for Florida and Gulf Coast households.

A buyer's method for portable power stations: size the watt-hours and watts, check surge and recharge limits, weigh chemistry, weight and warranty, and avoid the common mistakes.

What the battery chemistry listed on a power station means: LiFePO4 (LFP) versus NMC lithium-ion on stated cycle life, weight, cost and standby use — and what the numbers don't prove.

Battery capacity, AC output, chemistry, weight and price per kWh for 82 portable power stations in one table, sorted by capacity.

Running and starting watts, fuel types, stated noise and price per watt for 157 portable generators in one table.

Rated watts, open-circuit voltage, weight and price per watt for 76 solar panels in our catalog.

Type, amperage and circuits for 136 transfer switches, interlock kits, inlet boxes, cords and adapters — a reference for talking to your electrician.

Lowest, median and highest listed price per kWh of battery storage, per running watt of generator and per watt of solar panel across the products Wattstanding covers.

A refrigerator typically runs on 150 W and starts on 600 W. See which power stations and generators can run it and for how long.

A chest freezer typically runs on 100 W and starts on 400 W. See which power stations and generators can run it and for how long.

A sump pump typically runs on 800 W and starts on 1,500 W. See which power stations and generators can run it and for how long.

A well pump typically runs on 1,000 W and starts on 2,100 W. See which power stations and generators can run it and for how long.

A gas furnace blower typically runs on 750 W and starts on 1,500 W. See which power stations and generators can run it and for how long.

A window air conditioner typically runs on 600 W and starts on 1,800 W. See which power stations and generators can run it and for how long.

A cpap with heated humidifier typically runs on 70 W. See which power stations and generators can run it and for how long.

A home oxygen concentrator typically runs on 300 W. See which power stations and generators can run it and for how long.

A wi-fi router and modem typically runs on 25 W. See which power stations and generators can run it and for how long.

A led television typically runs on 100 W. See which power stations and generators can run it and for how long.

A led lighting typically runs on 100 W. See which power stations and generators can run it and for how long.

A laptop and charger typically runs on 60 W. See which power stations and generators can run it and for how long.

A phones and tablets charging typically runs on 40 W. See which power stations and generators can run it and for how long.

A ceiling or box fan typically runs on 75 W and starts on 150 W. See which power stations and generators can run it and for how long.

A microwave oven typically runs on 1,500 W. See which power stations and generators can run it and for how long.

A coffee maker typically runs on 900 W. See which power stations and generators can run it and for how long.

A garage door opener typically runs on 550 W and starts on 1,100 W. See which power stations and generators can run it and for how long.

A washing machine typically runs on 500 W and starts on 1,300 W. See which power stations and generators can run it and for how long.

A electric space heater typically runs on 1,500 W. See which power stations and generators can run it and for how long.

A central air conditioner typically runs on 3,500 W and starts on 10,500 W. See which power stations and generators can run it and for how long.