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Guide: staying warm

Electric blanket vs space heater in a power outage

A 1,500 W space heater empties a 2 kWh power station in about an hour. A 55 W electric blanket runs about 28 hours on the same unit, and even a 180 W blanket lasts about 8.5 hours.

About 1 h
1,500 W heater on a 2,042.8 Wh unit
About 28 h
55 W electric blanket on the same unit

Our arithmetic from Lasko's and Jackery's stated figures, Oct 7, 2026. See source

A family plays cards by candlelight in a dark living room while rain falls outside.
On this page
  1. Key facts
  2. Estimated hours: heater vs blanket
  3. Why the gap is so large
  4. Heater safety still applies on battery
  5. A plan for a cold night
  6. Units that can run a blanket all night
  7. Staying-warm questions
  8. Sources

Key facts

  • A typical plug-in heater draws 1,500 W on high, 900 W on low (Lasko's 9-inch ceramic heater)12.
  • An electric blanket draws 55 W in Jackery's own example and 180 W in a utility chart34.
  • That is 8 to 27 times less power for the blanket, so it lasts 8 to 27 times longer.
  • Units rated below a heater's draw, such as the Explorer 300 (300 W) and Lion Summit (530 W), cannot run one at all39.

Estimated hours: heater vs blanket

Our arithmetic: stated Wh x 0.75 / watts.

Power station (output)Heater 1,500 WHeater 900 WBlanket 180 WBlanket 55 W
Jackery Explorer 300 (300 W), 293 Wh3Over its ratingOver its rating1.24.0 (Jackery says 4 H)
Lion Summit (530 W), 665 Wh9Over its ratingOver its rating2.89.1
Jackery HomePower 1000 Plus v2 (1,800 W), 1,024 Wh70.50.94.314.0
Lion Safari (3,000 W), 1,612 Wh80.81.36.722.0
Anker SOLIX S2000 (1,500 W), 2,010 Wh101.0, at its rated limit1.78.427.4
Jackery Explorer 2000 Plus (3,000 W), 2,042.8 Wh61.01.78.527.9
Explorer 2000 Plus + one Battery Pack 2000 Plus, 4,085.6 Wh112.03.417.055.7
SourceOur arithmeticRead Oct 7, 2026Our arithmeticRead Oct 7, 2026Our arithmeticRead Oct 7, 2026Our arithmeticRead Oct 7, 2026

Hours. A blanket's thermostat cycles, so on a low setting it uses less than its rating and lasts longer than shown.

Why the gap is so large

A space heater warms the air in a room, and a house loses that heat through walls and windows the whole time. A blanket warms the person under it. Both are plain resistance heat, so the watts on the label are close to what they draw: Lasko lists its 9-inch ceramic heater at 1,500 W on high and 900 W on low, 12.5 A at 120 V1, and Otter Tail Power uses 1,500 W for a portable heater2.

For the blanket, Jackery's own Explorer 300 example runs a 55 W electric blanket for 4 hours from 293 Wh3. Utilities Kingston lists an electric blanket at 180 W4, closer to a large blanket on high. Most of a cold night falls somewhere between.

The arithmetic. A 2,042.8 Wh Jackery Explorer 2000 Plus gives about 1,532 Wh at our 75 percent: 1,532 / 1,500 = about 1 hour of heater, or 1,532 / 55 = about 28 hours of blanket6.

Heater safety still applies on battery

The CPSC's rules for portable heaters: keep all sides at least three feet from beds, clothes, curtains, papers, sofas and anything else that can catch fire; set it on a stable, level surface; never leave it running unattended in a confined space; and plug electric heaters into a wall outlet, never a power strip5. On a power station, plug the heater straight into the station's AC outlet, never through a power strip.

Fuel-burning heaters make carbon monoxide. The CPSC advises battery-operated CO alarms, or alarms with battery backup, on each level of the home and outside sleeping areas, and portable generators only outside, at least 20 feet from the house5.

The limits of a portable unit. No single 120 V portable power station runs central air, a ducted heat pump or a 240 V well pump. Electric whole-house heat is out of reach for the same reason. A gas furnace is different: its blower is a modest load. See the furnace guide.

A plan for a cold night

  1. Step 1

    Pick one room

    Close its door and the curtains. A smaller space holds heat longer.

  2. Step 2

    Blanket first

    Run the electric blanket on a low setting through the night.

  3. Step 3

    Heater in short bursts

    If the station can run one, use the heater on low for a short warm-up, attended.

  4. Step 4

    Recharge in the day

    Top up from solar, a car or a generator outdoors whenever you can.

Units that can run a blanket all night

Each maker's own page has the current price and the full spec sheet.

Good for 1,800 W output and up to 600 W of solar input

Anker SOLIX C1000

See it on Anker SOLIXOpens Anker SOLIX's site. Not a referral link.

Good for 1,800 W output in a 1,024 Wh unit

EcoFlow DELTA 3 Classic and Plus

DELTA 3 Classic Portable Power Station (1024Wh)
$499 with a 20W charger
DELTA 3 Plus Portable Power Station
$669
Checked
Oct 7, 2026
See prices on EcoFlowOpens EcoFlow's site. Not a referral link.

Also on EcoFlow's site

Staying-warm questions

Can a portable power station run a space heater?

Only one rated above the heater's draw, and only briefly. A 1,500 W heater needs a unit rated at 1,500 W or more, and it empties a 2 kWh unit in about an hour. The Explorer 300 (300 W) and Lion Summit (530 W) cannot run one at all39.

How long will an electric blanket run on a power station?

Usable Wh / blanket watts. A 55 W blanket runs about 14 hours on a 1,024 Wh unit and about 28 hours on a 2,042.8 Wh unit; a 180 W blanket about 4 and 8.5 hours (our arithmetic).

Is a heater on low a good compromise?

It helps, but 900 W is still more than 16 times a 55 W blanket13. On a 2 kWh unit that is under 2 hours.

What about a propane or kerosene heater indoors?

Fuel-burning heaters make carbon monoxide. Follow the heater maker's rules for indoor use, and install battery-operated CO alarms on each level, as the CPSC advises5.

Sources

  1. Lasko 9-inch Ceramic Space Heater (model 754200)Lasko, read Oct 7, 2026
  2. Appliance energy use chartsOtter Tail Power Company, read Oct 7, 2026
  3. Explorer 300 Portable Power StationJackery, read Oct 2, 2026
  4. Electricity use and appliancesUtilities Kingston, read Oct 7, 2026
  5. CPSC Issues Winter Weather Safety Tips to Prevent Fires and Carbon Monoxide Poisoning (March 16, 2026)US Consumer Product Safety Commission, read Oct 7, 2026
  6. Explorer 2000 Plus Portable Power StationJackery, read Oct 7, 2026
  7. HomePower 1000 Plus v2Jackery, read Oct 7, 2026
  8. Lion SafariLion Energy, read Oct 7, 2026
  9. Lion SummitLion Energy, read Oct 5, 2026
  10. SOLIX S2000 Portable Power StationAnker SOLIX, read Oct 2, 2026
  11. Battery Pack 2000 PlusJackery, read Oct 7, 2026

About this page

We may be paid when you buy through links on this page.

We may be paid when you buy through links on this page.

Prices and specifications are each maker's own, as listed on the date shown, and change often during sales. The maker's page is the final word on price, availability and terms.

Runtime figures are estimates from stated capacity, not measurements. OutageReady Guide does not sell power stations and has not tested any product.