What size power station runs a refrigerator?

A new ENERGY STAR top-freezer fridge needs about 1,289 Wh of power station capacity per day. It also needs an inverter that can handle the compressor's start-up surge of up to 1,200 W.

The numbers

ENERGY STAR puts a certified top-freezer fridge at about 360 kWh a year, bottom-freezer at about 560 and side-by-side at about 630. Spread over 8,760 hours, that's an average of 41.1 W, 63.9 W and 71.9 W. The compressor cycles on and off, so it draws much more than that while it runs. Champion's chart gives 150–400 W running and 800–1,200 W starting. We size the inverter on the upper ends (400 W and 1,200 W).

Refrigerator, top-freezer (ENERGY STAR, ~18 cu ft): 41.1 W × 1 × 24 h = 986.4 Wh → ÷ 0.85 = 1,160.5 Wh from battery Capacity: 1,160.5 Wh × 1 day ÷ 0.9 usable = 1,289 Wh Continuous: 400.0 W Surge: 1,200.0 W (Refrigerator, top-freezer (ENERGY STAR, ~18 cu ft) starting)

Scenario	Wh/day from battery	Min capacity Wh	Cont. W	Surge W
Top-freezer, 24 h	1,160	1,289	400	1,200
Top-freezer, 12 h (overnight only)	580	645	400	1,200
Top-freezer, 3 days, no recharge	1,160	3,868	400	1,200
Bottom-freezer, 24 h	1,804	2,005	400	1,200
Side-by-side, 24 h	2,030	2,256	400	1,200
Top-freezer + chest freezer, 24 h	1,852	2,058	900	1,700

Assumptions: 85% inverter efficiency, 90% of rated capacity usable, no extra margin. Both are planning values, not measurements, and you can change them in the calculator.

Models in our table that fit one day of a top-freezer fridge

Fits (cheapest first):

Jackery Explorer 2000 v2: 2,042 Wh, 2,200 W / 4,400 W surge, $899 (checked 2026-10-21). Runtime at this load ≈ 38.0 h.
Anker SOLIX C2000 Gen 2: 2,048 Wh, 2,400 W / 4,000 W surge, $999.99 (checked 2026-10-21). Runtime at this load ≈ 38.1 h.
EcoFlow DELTA 2 Max: 2,048 Wh, 2,400 W / 4,800 W surge, $1,049 (checked 2026-10-21). Runtime at this load ≈ 38.1 h.
Anker SOLIX F3800: 3,840 Wh, 6,000 W / 9,000 W surge, $2,199.99 (checked 2026-10-21). Runtime at this load ≈ 71.5 h.
EcoFlow DELTA Pro 3: 4,096 Wh, 4,000 W / 8,000 W surge, $2,799 (checked 2026-10-21). Runtime at this load ≈ 76.2 h.

Closest that fall short:

BLUETTI AC180: 1,152 Wh, 1,800 W / 2,700 W surge, $499 (checked 2026-10-21). Runtime at this load ≈ 21.4 h. Short on capacity.
Jackery Explorer 1000 v2: 1,070 Wh, 1,500 W / 3,000 W surge, $519 (checked 2026-10-21). Runtime at this load ≈ 19.9 h. Short on capacity.
Anker SOLIX C1000: 1,056 Wh, 1,800 W / 2,400 W surge, $599.99 (checked 2026-10-21). Runtime at this load ≈ 19.7 h. Short on capacity.

What changes the answer

Your fridge's own label. The yellow EnergyGuide label lists kWh/year. Divide by 365 to get kWh/day. Older fridges use more: ENERGY STAR says an old fridge uses about 20% more than a certified one.
Room temperature and door openings. The annual figure comes from a DOE test procedure, not from your kitchen.
Surge. If the station's surge rating is below the compressor's start draw, the station can shut off even though the running watts fit.

Open this in the calculator. Change the hours, efficiency or days there.

Sources: ENERGY STAR: top-freezer ~360 kWh/yr (360 kWh/yr); Champion wattage chart (Refrigerator 150–400 W running, 800–1,200 W starting); ENERGY STAR: side-by-side ~630 kWh/yr (630 kWh/yr); Champion wattage chart (150–400 W / 800–1,200 W).