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Guide: winter storm kit
Heat first, then the medical device, then the refrigerator. A 1 kWh power station covers a blanket, a CPAP and a lamp for a night; a 2 kWh unit adds the fridge; the furnace blower needs a unit of its own or a recharge window. Every wattage is a utility's or a maker's, with the arithmetic shown.
Our arithmetic from utility charts, ResMed's guide and the makers' pages, Oct 7, 2026. See source
Buy down this list; each step links to the full arithmetic.
Step 1
An electric blanket per bed. At 55 W it runs about 14 hours on a 1 kWh unit; a 1,500 W heater empties a 2 kWh unit in about an hour124. See blanket vs space heater.
Step 2
A CPAP draws about 11 W dry and about 28 W with the humidifier at 4 in ResMed's table, 60 W in a utility chart35. Confirm backup power with your supplier. See CPAP on a power station.
Step 3
Closed, a fridge keeps food safe up to 4 hours and a full freezer about 486. Past that, a fridge labeled 550 kWh a year averages about 63 W. See refrigerator runtime.
Step 4
Jackery's own example runs a 5 W light for 24 hours on a 293 Wh unit4. Charge phones from the USB ports, not through the inverter.
Step 5
About 350 W while running, through a transfer switch or inlet installed by an electrician3. See furnace blower runtime.
Step 6
Solar panels, the car's 12 V socket, or a fuel generator outdoors at least 20 feet from the house7. See power station or generator.
Watts x hours. Add the rows you need, then divide by 0.75 for the stated capacity to shop for.
| Load | Draw | Hours | Wh needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electric blanket (Jackery's example)4 | 55 W | 10 | 550 |
| Electric blanket (utility chart)1 | 180 W | 10 | 1,800 |
| CPAP, no humidifier (ResMed, 12 V DC)5 | 11 W | 8 | 89 |
| CPAP (utility chart)3 | 60 W | 8 | 480 |
| Refrigerator labeled 550 kWh a year6 | 63 W average | 10 | 630 |
| LED lamp (Jackery's example)4 | 5 W | 10 | 50 |
| Gas furnace blower, cold night (350 W, on 58%)3 | About 200 W average | 10 | 2,000 |
| Space heater on high (Lasko)2 | 1,500 W | 1 | 1,500 |
| Source | Utility charts, makers, ResMedRead Oct 7, 2026 | Our assumptionRead Oct 7, 2026 | Our arithmeticRead Oct 7, 2026 |
The fridge row is the EnergyGuide method from our fridge guide; the compressor itself runs at 400 to 500 W3.
Add up the night, then divide by 0.75. A 55 W blanket, a dry CPAP and a lamp for 10 hours is about 690 Wh, so about 920 Wh of stated capacity. A 1,024 Wh unit such as the Jackery HomePower 1000 Plus v2 ($629.00 on October 7) covers it with a little to spare10. The 665 Wh Lion Summit does not; it is a blanket-and-phones unit, and showed sold out that day11.
Add the fridge and you are in 2 kWh territory. With a fridge labeled 550 kWh a year the night is about 1,320 Wh, so about 1,760 Wh stated. The Jackery Explorer 2000 v2 (2,042 Wh, $864.00 on October 7) and HomePower 2000 Plus v2 (2,048 Wh, $1,014.00) clear it1314. The 1,612 Wh Lion Safari gives about 1,209 Wh usable by our arithmetic, about 110 Wh short, so the fridge runs most of the night12.
The furnace blower is a unit of its own. At about 200 W average it takes about 2,000 Wh over 10 hours, more than a single 2 kWh unit has left after the essentials: plan a second unit, a battery pack or a daytime recharge via the furnace guide and the 2 kWh hub. Buy output as well: a fridge compressor runs at 400 to 500 W and starts higher3; the 1 kWh hub and runtime guide list output per unit.
Our arithmetic: stated Wh x 0.75 / watts, to one decimal as in the furnace guide.
| Power station | Stated Wh (output) | Blanket 55 W | CPAP 60 W | Fridge 63 W avg | Blower, cold night 200 W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lion Summit11 | 665 Wh (530 W) | 9.1 | 8.3 | 7.9 | 2.5 |
| Jackery HomePower 1000 Plus v210 | 1,024 Wh (1,800 W) | 14.0 | 12.8 | 12.2 | 3.8 |
| Lion Safari12 | 1,612 Wh (3,000 W) | 22.0 | 20.2 | 19.2 | 6.0 |
| Jackery Explorer 2000 v214 | 2,042 Wh (2,200 W) | 27.8 | 25.5 | 24.4 | 7.6 |
| Jackery HomePower 2000 Plus v213 | 2,048 Wh (2,400 W) | 27.9 | 25.6 | 24.4 | 7.6 |
| Jackery Explorer 2000 Plus9 | 2,042.8 Wh (3,000 W) | 27.9 | 25.5 | 24.4 | 7.6 |
| Source | Maker product pagesRead Oct 7, 2026 | Our arithmeticRead Oct 7, 2026 | Our arithmeticRead Oct 7, 2026 | Our arithmeticRead Oct 7, 2026 | Our arithmeticRead Oct 7, 2026 |
Our arithmetic: stated capacity (Wh) x 0.75 / appliance watts. The 0.75 usable share is the highest implied by the makers' own runtime examples we read (Jackery Explorer 300: 55 W blanket for 4 hours from 293 Wh); small loads get much less. A real appliance cycles on and off, so measure it if you can. The Lion Summit's 530 W output is below a compressor's or blower's start draw311.
A dash means the page we read on October 7 did not state it.
| Power station | Charging | Discharging or operating | Storage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackery Explorer 2000 Plus9 | 32 to 113 F | 14 to 113 F (discharge) | Not stated by the source |
| Jackery HomePower 1000 Plus v210 | 14 to 113 F | 14 to 113 F (discharge) | Not stated by the source |
| Lion Summit11 | Not stated by the source | 32 to 104 F (operating) | 14 to 113 F |
| Lion Safari12 | Not stated by the source | Not stated by the source | Not stated by the source |
| Source | Maker product pagesRead Oct 7, 2026 | Maker product pagesRead Oct 7, 2026 | Maker product pagesRead Oct 7, 2026 |
Charge the station to full indoors when the Winter Storm Warning arrives (usually 12 to 24 hours ahead, per Ready.gov8) and keep it inside during the outage; a garage can drop below 32 F.
The CPSC's rules for a portable heater: keep all sides at least three feet from beds, clothes, curtains, papers, sofas and other items that can catch fire; place it on a stable, level surface; never leave it running unattended in a confined space; and plug an electric heater into a wall outlet, never a power strip7. On a power station, use the station's own AC outlet. Generators: outside only, at least 20 feet from the house, never in a home, garage, basement, crawlspace or shed, with battery-operated CO alarms, or alarms with battery backup, on each level and outside sleeping areas7. Ready.gov adds: never heat your home with a gas stovetop or oven8. A battery power station makes no exhaust, which is why it can sit beside the bed.
FoodSafety.gov: a refrigerator keeps food safe for up to 4 hours during an outage; a full freezer holds a safe temperature for approximately 48 hours, 24 if half full, with the door closed6. So the fridge is the thing to power after about four hours; a full freezer may need no power in a one-day outage. Keep both doors shut.
Nothing here needs a battery. Ready.gov's own words, read October 7, 20268.
'Gather supplies in case you need to stay home for several days without power. Keep in mind each person's specific needs, including medication. Remember the needs of your pets.'
'Have extra batteries for radios and flashlights.' 'Install and test smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors with battery backups.'
'Include jumper cables, sand, a flashlight, warm clothes, blankets, bottled water and non-perishable snacks. Keep a full tank of gas.'
'Winter Storm Warnings are usually issued 12 to 24 hours before the event is expected to begin.' Charge the station to full and fill the car. 'Learn how to keep pipes from freezing.'
No single 120 V portable power station runs central air, a ducted heat pump or a 240 V well pump. Whole-house electric heat and a 240 V range are in the same category: a fuel generator outdoors under the CPSC's rules, or a whole-home battery; see power station or generator. Jackery's Explorer 2000 Plus gives 120/240 V only with two units in parallel9; our review covers it.
Each maker's page has the price of the day and the full spec sheet; today's prices are on the deals page.
Good for blanket, CPAP, lamp and fridge for a night, with margin
Also on Jackery's site
Also on EcoFlow's site
Good for 3,000 W output for a blower or a short heater burst
Add one night's loads in watt-hours and divide by 0.75. A 55 W blanket, a dry CPAP and a lamp are about 690 Wh, so about 920 Wh stated: a 1 kWh unit. With a 550 kWh-a-year fridge it is about 1,320 Wh, so about 1,760 Wh stated: a 2 kWh unit (our arithmetic).
Only a unit rated above 1,500 W, for about an hour per 2 kWh2. Use it for a short, attended warm-up; put the night on a blanket.
Check the model: the Explorer 2000 Plus charges at 32 to 113 F, the HomePower 1000 Plus v2 at 14 to 113 F, the Lion Summit operates at 32 to 104 F91011; the Lion Safari page gave no limit12. Charging indoors avoids the question.
Usually not in a one-day outage: a full freezer holds a safe temperature about 48 hours closed, 24 if half full, per FoodSafety.gov6. The refrigerator needs power after about 4 hours.
The electric blanket, a CO alarm with battery backup and the non-electrical kit; then a 1 kWh unit for blanket, medical device and phones; then 2 kWh for the fridge. Today's prices per Wh are on the deals 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.