The home backup power reference
Know what you can run when the grid can't.
Watts, watt-hours, runtime and compatibility for power stations, generators, transfer switches and solar panels — worked out from published specifications, with every figure's source shown and every link going to the exact model.
Slide a battery size. See what it runs.
Wattstanding calculation: capacity × 85% ÷ average draw, typical appliance watts. Your appliances and battery will differ. Bars show up to 3 days. Use your own appliances →
Start with the load
Measure first. Then shop.
Most backup-power regrets come from one missing number: the starting watts of a pump, the hours a refrigerator really needs, or a generator outlet that doesn't match the transfer switch. Start with your own load.
Appliance load & runtime
Pick your appliances and hours; see the watts, the watt-hours and every product that covers them.
Generator ↔ transfer switch
What an outlet can carry and what must match from the cord to the inlet to the switch.
Solar recharge time
How many sunny days your panels need to refill a power station, by region.
Generator fuel runtime
Gallons per hour, outage fuel and refills from a generator's tank and stated runtime.
Equipment reference
Every part of a backup-power plan
Each category lists every product we cover in a sortable table, with the figures that matter for that part of the plan.
Power Stations
Battery power stations and expansion batteries, from phone-and-router size to refrigerator-and-pump size, with capacity, output, chemistry and refrigerator runtime for each.
157 productsGenerators
Portable and inverter generators by running watts, fuel types, stated noise and runtime — with a transfer-switch-outlet filter.
136 productsTransfer Switches & Hookups
Transfer switches, interlock kits, inlet boxes, cords and adapters by amperage — the equipment a licensed electrician uses to connect a generator to a home.
76 productsSolar Panels
Portable and rigid solar panels by watts, voltage and price per watt, with energy per day by region.
9 productsHome Batteries
Whole-home battery systems and home-backup kits with capacity, output and price per kWh.
Find your situation
Six common outage plans
Pick the situation closest to yours. Each path ends in rule-based lists with the math shown.
Keep the refrigerator and router running
Power stations ranked by calculated refrigerator runtime on one charge.
Flood and heavy rainRun a sump pump through a storm
Every power station and generator that can start and run a typical sump pump.
Whole-house essentialsPower selected circuits with a transfer switch
Generators with 30 A or 50 A outlets, ranked by watts — installation by a licensed electrician.
Storm seasonHurricane prep for Florida and the Gulf Coast
What to size, buy and test before the storm — and what to avoid when it arrives.
Apartments and no-fuelNo fuel, no fumes: a battery you can store for years
LiFePO4 power stations ranked by capacity per dollar, for apartments and quiet backup.
Decide firstBattery or generator?
The honest tradeoffs: runtime, noise, safety, fuel, cost and what each one cannot do.
Popular starting points
Power stations and generators
EcoFlow RIVER 2 Max 500 Portable Power Station
499 Wh · 500 W AC
EcoFlow DELTA 3 Portable Power Station
1,024 Wh · 1,800 W AC
EcoFlow DELTA 2 Max Portable Power Station
2,048 Wh · 2,400 W AC
Anker SOLIX F3800 Plus Portable Power Station (A1790112)
3,840 Wh · 6,000 W AC
A-iPower AiPower GXS1500i 1500-Watt Gasoline Portable Inverter Generator
1,200 W running · Gas
WEN 56380i 3800-Watt RV-Ready Portable Inverter Generator
3,400 W running · Gas
Westinghouse Outdoor Power iGen5000c Inverter Generator
5,000 W running · Gas
FIRMAN Tri Fuel Inverter Portable Generator 6850W Electric Start With CO Alert (WT05571)
5,000 W running · Gas/Pro/Nat
Guides
Plan it properly
Best-of lists
Rules stated, math shown
How Wattstanding works
A reference, not a review blog
Every figure is sourced
Specifications come from the maker's store or product page where one exists, otherwise from the retailer's listing. Each is labelled with its source tier and retrieval date.
Our math is labelled
Runtime, recharge time, cost per kWh and compatibility checks are Wattstanding calculations with the formula and assumptions printed beside them.
Exact-model links only
Buttons go to the product page for that exact model — never a search or category page. We may earn a commission; it never decides coverage. Disclosure