Understanding Real-World Power Station Runtime
A 1,000 Watt-hour (Wh) battery will never provide 1,000 continuous Watt-hours to your wall-plugged appliances. Understanding two loss factors ensures your emergency plans remain accurate:
- Depth of Discharge (DoD): Power stations leave 5% to 10% buffer capacity in the battery cells to prevent destructive deep-discharge wear.
- Inverter Conversion Loss: Transforming low-voltage DC lithium power into 120V AC wall current dissipates 10% to 15% of your power as heat. If powering phones, tablets, or 12V fridges, using native USB-C or 12V cigarette ports bypasses the inverter and extends runtime by up to 20%.
Runtime = (Battery Wh × 0.90 DoD × Inverter Efficiency) ÷ (Watts × Duty Cycle)
Blackout Essentials Reference
During an outage, cycling appliances like standard household refrigerators (150W peak) do not consume power non-stop. They cycle their compressors on and off to maintain cold temperatures, drawing an average continuous equivalent of only 40W to 55W per hour.