How long will a power station run my refrigerator? Every ENERGY STAR model

Search your fridge or freezer model and see how many hours a 500 to 3,000 Wh power station runs it, from its certified yearly kWh. 5,159 models.

By BuyerDecisionUpdated 17 October 2026

Calculated from ENERGY STAR certified energy use. We have not run these fridges on a power station ourselves. How we research | How links work

The short answer

A 1,000 Wh power station runs a typical full-size fridge for about 12 to 21 hours, depending on the type. The median ENERGY STAR top-freezer model averages 41 W (21 hours), a bottom-freezer 65 W (13 hours) and a side-by-side 73 W (12 hours). Across all 2,397 full-size models the range is 9 to 52 hours, so look up your own model below. The station also needs a surge rating high enough to start the compressor.

Illustration of a refrigerator plugged into a portable power station — Illustration, not a photograph of a specific product.

Look up your model

Type part of the model number from the label inside the door, or a brand. ENERGY STAR uses * as a wildcard for colour or trim letters, so search the first few characters. Nothing you type leaves your browser.

Type a model or brand to search 5,159 models

Hours by fridge type

Every ENERGY STAR refrigerator and freezer certified for the US market, grouped by type. Hours are for one appliance, nothing else plugged in, at 85% of the rated capacity.

Type	Models	Median kWh a year	Median average draw	500 Wh	1,000 Wh	2,000 Wh	3,000 Wh	Source
Compact Refrigerator	1,710	246 (106 to 470)	28.1 W	15.1 h	30.3 h	60.5 h	90.8 h	ENERGY STAR 85% factor
Bottom Freezer	1,524	566 (200 to 799)	64.6 W	6.6 h	13.2 h	26.3 h	39.5 h	ENERGY STAR 85% factor
Top Freezer	750	363 (143 to 506)	41.4 W	10.3 h	20.5 h	41.0 h	61.5 h	ENERGY STAR 85% factor
Upright Freezer	478	438 (219 to 649)	50.0 W	8.5 h	17.0 h	34.0 h	51.0 h	ENERGY STAR 85% factor
Freezerless and Single Door	277	289 (124 to 370)	33.0 W	12.9 h	25.8 h	51.5 h	77.3 h	ENERGY STAR 85% factor
Compact freezer	134	249 (137 to 408)	28.4 W	15.0 h	29.9 h	59.8 h	89.7 h	ENERGY STAR 85% factor
Side-by-Side	123	640 (420 to 805)	73.1 W	5.8 h	11.6 h	23.3 h	34.9 h	ENERGY STAR 85% factor
Compact Cooler	101	143 (42 to 200)	16.3 W	26.0 h	52.1 h	104.1 h	156.2 h	ENERGY STAR 85% factor
Cooler	53	177 (114 to 247)	20.2 W	21.0 h	42.1 h	84.1 h	126.2 h	ENERGY STAR 85% factor
Chest Freezer	9	218 (201 to 346)	24.9 W	17.1 h	34.2 h	68.3 h	102.5 h	ENERGY STAR 85% factor

Range in brackets: the lowest and highest certified figure of that type. A side-by-side at the top of its range (805 kWh) runs 9.2 hours on 1,000 Wh; the most efficient top-freezer (143 kWh) runs 52.1 hours. Download every model: CSV or JSON.

Can a power station run a chest freezer for 24 hours?

Yes, if it is rated about 650 Wh or more for the smallest certified chest freezer, and about 1,120 Wh for the largest. ENERGY STAR certifies only 9 chest freezers for the US, listed here with the station size each needs for one day, at 85% of rated capacity.

Brand	Model	Size (cu ft)	kWh a year	Wh a day	Station size for 24 h	Hours on 1,000 Wh	Source
Whirlpool	WZC3209LW	9.0	201	551	650 Wh	37.0 h	ENERGY STAR
Danby	DCF100A5WDB	10.0	211	578	690 Wh	35.3 h	ENERGY STAR
Frigidaire	EFRF1005-BLACK-ID-6COM	10.1	213	584	690 Wh	35.0 h	ENERGY STAR
Frigidaire	EFRF1005-D-ID-6COM	10.1	213	584	690 Wh	35.0 h	ENERGY STAR
GE	FCM11PH****	10.6	218	597	710 Wh	34.2 h	ENERGY STAR
GE	FCM16DL****	15.7	277	759	900 Wh	26.9 h	ENERGY STAR
Crosley	XCM22DM****	21.7	346	948	1,120 Wh	21.5 h	ENERGY STAR
GE	FCM22DL****	21.7	346	948	1,120 Wh	21.5 h	ENERGY STAR
Hotpoint	HCM22QW*WW	21.7	346	948	1,120 Wh	21.5 h	ENERGY STAR

A freezer cycles, so on a station near the limit, keep the lid shut: the figures come from the federal lab test, and a warm garage or frequent opening uses more. Station size is rounded up to the next 10 Wh.

Method

Energy. Each model's certified annual energy use (kWh a year) comes from the ENERGY STAR datasets for residential refrigerators and freezers, filtered to models sold in the US.
Average draw. kWh a year x 1,000 / 8,760 hours. A fridge's compressor switches on and off, so its running watts are higher than this, but the average is what empties the battery.
Usable energy. Rated Wh x 85%. That is the factor Jackery publishes for its own runtime estimates; inverter and battery losses vary by station, so you can change it.
Runtime. Usable Wh / average draw.
Starting. Not calculated. The compressor needs a short burst of power to start, ENERGY STAR does not publish it, and the station's surge rating must cover it. Test before an outage.

Models that are not ENERGY STAR certified are not in this data. For those, read the kWh a year from the EnergyGuide label and enter your own numbers: hours = Wh x 0.85 / (kWh x 1,000 / 8,760).

Changes

2026-10-17: Added the chest freezer section: station size for 24 hours for each of the 9 certified chest freezers.
2026-10-17: Published. 5,159 ENERGY STAR refrigerator and freezer models sold in the US, from the datasets updated 16 October 2026.

Next step

Note your fridge's average draw from the lookup, add anything else you want to run in an outage, and pick a station whose usable capacity covers the hours you need. Then check its surge rating against your fridge's manual.

Common questions

How long will a 1,000 Wh power station run a refrigerator?

For the median ENERGY STAR top-freezer model, about 21 hours. For the median bottom-freezer model, about 13 hours, and for the median side-by-side, about 12 hours. That uses 85% of the rated capacity, the factor Jackery publishes, and assumes nothing else is plugged in.

Where do I find my fridge’s yearly kWh?

On the yellow EnergyGuide label, or by searching the model number in the tool above. ENERGY STAR lists the certified annual energy use for every certified model.

Will the power station start my fridge?

Only if its surge rating covers the compressor’s start draw. ENERGY STAR does not publish start draw, so check your fridge manual or the maker, and try the station on the fridge before you need it in an outage.

Is the ENERGY STAR figure what my fridge really uses?

It is the result of the federal lab test, so it is the same yardstick for every model. A warm room, frequent door openings or a full defrost cycle can push real use higher.