Refrigerator backup

Plan battery backup for the fridge—and the startup surge.

A refrigerator does not draw its running wattage every minute of the day, but its compressor can need much more power for a moment when it starts.

Calculate fridge + other essentials

For a tighter estimate, measure the refrigerator’s actual energy use over 24 hours with a plug-in energy meter, then verify the power station’s continuous and surge output.

Three numbers

What to check on your refrigerator.

Running watts while the compressor is on.
Startup watts when the compressor starts.
Energy over time, ideally measured over a full day.

The main calculator starts with an editable planning value and cycling assumption. Replace those defaults when you have better information for your appliance.

Food safety

Battery runtime is only part of the plan.

FoodSafety.gov says an unopened refrigerator generally keeps food cold for about four hours during an outage. A full freezer can hold temperature for about 48 hours, or about 24 hours if half full.

Use current food-safety guidance alongside any backup-power estimate.