What size portable power station do I need for a home outage?

For a fridge, lighting, router, and phone charging, the 1 kWh class covers a short outage and the 2 kWh class covers most of a day. Heating and cooling loads do not fit either class and need a fixed system.

How long do they last?

Lithium iron phosphate cells are typically rated for 3000 to 6000 cycles to 80 percent of original capacity. Used a few times a month, that is well over ten years of service; the electronics usually set the practical limit.

Can I run one while it is charging?

Yes, most units support pass through, charging the pack and supplying loads at the same time. This is useful with solar input, where the panels cover the load during the day and the surplus recharges the pack.

Are they allowed on aircraft?

No. Airlines limit lithium batteries in cabin baggage to 100 Wh, and up to 160 Wh with approval. Units in the 1 kWh and 2 kWh classes are far above that and cannot be carried by air.

Where can I buy one in Kosova or Albania?

EXBATT supplies portable power stations in the 1 kWh and 2 kWh classes with local support in Kosova and Albania. Send the appliance list and required autonomy and we confirm the right class and availability.

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What is a portable power station?

5 min readLast reviewed: August 2026

Short answer

A portable power station is a self contained lithium battery combined with an inverter, a charger, and AC, USB, and DC outputs in one moveable case. It stores energy from the mains or from solar panels and releases it silently, without fuel or exhaust, which is why it replaces small petrol generators for household backup, outdoor use, and light professional loads.

Portable power stations became common the moment lithium iron phosphate cells got cheap. They are simple to buy badly: most disappointment comes from confusing energy with power, and from expecting a heating load to run off a battery the size of a suitcase.

What is inside one

Four parts: a lithium battery pack, almost always lithium iron phosphate; a battery management system that protects the cells against overcharge, deep discharge, and temperature extremes; an inverter that converts the pack DC into pure sine wave AC at 230 V; and a charger with mains input and a solar charge controller for DC input. Outputs typically include AC sockets, USB A and USB C, and a 12 V DC output.

Energy and power are two different numbers

Energy, in watt hours or kilowatt hours, is how much the unit holds and therefore how long it lasts. Power, in watts, is how much it can deliver at any instant and therefore what it can run at all. A unit can hold plenty of energy and still refuse a kettle, because the kettle exceeds the inverter rating. Check both numbers against your list of appliances before buying.

Indicative run time by load, for units in the 1 kWh and 2 kWh classes.
Load	Typical draw	1 kWh class	2 kWh class
Router and LED lighting	60 W	About 15 hours	About 30 hours
Laptop and phone charging	90 W	About 10 hours	About 20 hours
Household fridge	100 to 200 W cycling	5 to 8 hours	10 to 16 hours
Power tools	800 W intermittent	About 1 hour of use	About 2 hours of use
Kettle or heater	1500 W and above	Minutes, if supported	Minutes only

How to size one by load

List the appliances you want to keep running and their wattage. Add the watts to find the peak, and confirm the inverter rating covers it with margin for motor start up. Multiply the average watts by the hours of autonomy you want to find the watt hours, then add around 15 percent for conversion losses and reserve. That number is the capacity to buy, rounded up to the next class.

Portable station, UPS, or home battery

A portable station is manual and moveable: after an outage you plug loads into it. A UPS is wired in and transfers within milliseconds, so servers, tills, and control systems never see the gap. A fixed home battery system is installed in the panel, holds 5 to 20 kWh, switches automatically, and pairs with solar for daily self consumption. The three overlap in technology and not in purpose.

Safety and care

Lithium iron phosphate is the most thermally stable of the common lithium chemistries, and there is no combustion, so indoor use is normal. Keep the unit dry, ventilated, out of direct sun and closed cupboards while charging, and away from heat sources. Store it around half charged if it will be unused for months, and cycle it a few times a year so the management system keeps an accurate state of charge.

Frequently asked

What size portable power station do I need for a home outage?: For a fridge, lighting, router, and phone charging, the 1 kWh class covers a short outage and the 2 kWh class covers most of a day. Heating and cooling loads do not fit either class and need a fixed system.
How long do they last?: Lithium iron phosphate cells are typically rated for 3000 to 6000 cycles to 80 percent of original capacity. Used a few times a month, that is well over ten years of service; the electronics usually set the practical limit.
Can I run one while it is charging?: Yes, most units support pass through, charging the pack and supplying loads at the same time. This is useful with solar input, where the panels cover the load during the day and the surplus recharges the pack.
Are they allowed on aircraft?: No. Airlines limit lithium batteries in cabin baggage to 100 Wh, and up to 160 Wh with approval. Units in the 1 kWh and 2 kWh classes are far above that and cannot be carried by air.
Where can I buy one in Kosova or Albania?: EXBATT supplies portable power stations in the 1 kWh and 2 kWh classes with local support in Kosova and Albania. Send the appliance list and required autonomy and we confirm the right class and availability.