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1. EcoFlow DELTA 3 Plus: best overall for most homes
- Best for
- Households that want a 1 kWh unit now with the option to add batteries up to 5 kWh later
- Price from
- $719 at EcoFlow ($799 regular)
The DELTA 3 Plus stores 1,024Wh, puts out 1,800W from six AC outlets and switches to battery in under 10 ms when the grid drops, according to EcoFlow. Its big advantage for home backup is room to grow: EcoFlow says it expands up to 5 kWh with a compatible extra battery. It refills from the wall in 56 minutes and carries a 5-year warranty. On 16 October 2026 EcoFlow’s page said it ships mid-November and showed the basic option as sold out.
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2. Anker SOLIX F3800 Plus: best for whole-home and 240V backup
- Best for
- Homeowners who want to run a well pump, dryer or several circuits through a transfer switch
- Price from
- $2,999.99 at Anker; with Smart Home Power Kit $4,799.99
The F3800 Plus is a different class of machine: 3,840Wh, 120/240V output up to 6,000W from an L14-30R outlet, and up to 3,200W of solar input. Anker says it expands to 53.8 kWh with up to six expansion batteries. It weighs 136.7 lb, so it rolls on wheels rather than being carried. Anker sells it with a Smart Home Power Kit or a 10-circuit manual transfer switch for connecting to your home’s wiring, which an electrician should install.
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3. Jackery Explorer 2000 v2: best 2 kWh value
- Best for
- Buyers who want twice the storage of a 1 kWh unit to run a fridge and lights overnight, without an expansion system
- Price from
- $899 at Jackery ($999 regular)
The Explorer 2000 v2 stores 2,042Wh and puts out 2,200W (4,400W peak) from three AC outlets. At $899 it was the lowest cost per watt-hour on our list on 16 October 2026. Jackery gives 3 years of warranty plus 2 more when you buy on its own site. The trade-offs: only three AC outlets, a 400W solar limit and no way to add batteries later. It weighs 39.5 lb.
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4. Jackery Explorer 1000 v2: best budget 1 kWh pick
- Best for
- Apartments and small homes that need to keep a fridge, router, phones and lights going for a few hours
- Price from
- $499 in black at Jackery ($559 regular); $519 in Dune White
The Explorer 1000 v2 stores 1,070Wh, slightly more than the other 1 kWh units here, and weighs 23.8 lb. It puts out 1,500W (3,000W peak), recharges from the wall in about 1.6 hours (1 hour with the app’s emergency charge) and switches over in under 20 ms. It has the fewest outlets of the 1 kWh group (three AC) and the lowest continuous output, but the 3+2 year warranty and price make it the easy budget pick.
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5. Anker SOLIX C1000 Gen 2: best for fast recharging between outages
- Best for
- People who lose power in short, repeated bursts and want the battery full again fast
- Price from
- Single-unit price not shown on Anker's page on 16 October 2026; a 2-pack was $1,399.99
Anker says the C1000 Gen 2 recharges from 0 to 100% in 49 minutes at 1,600W with UltraFast Charging switched on in its app. It stores 1,024Wh, puts out 2,000W (3,000W surge), the highest continuous output of the 1 kWh units here, and switches over in 10 ms. It cannot take extra batteries, and Anker’s page did not state a warranty term in years or a single-unit price when we checked.
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6. BLUETTI Elite 100 V2: best budget pick for solar recharging
- Best for
- Buyers with solar panels, or plans for them, who want a cheap 1 kWh unit that takes a lot of solar power
- Price from
- $499 at BLUETTI
The Elite 100 V2 stores 1,024Wh and puts out 1,800W, and BLUETTI lists up to 1,000W of solar input, the most of any 1 kWh unit on this list. It reaches 80% from the wall in 45 minutes and switches over in 10 ms or less. Drawbacks: BLUETTI’s page did not state the warranty length, gave two different surge figures, and listed only a total of 11 ports with no breakdown.
The best portable power station for home backup is the one that stores enough energy for what you need to run, for as long as your outages last. For most homes that means a 1 to 2 kWh unit: our pick is the EcoFlow DELTA 3 Plus because it can grow to 5 kWh later, with the Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 as the budget choice. If you want to back up circuits or a 240V well pump, step up to the Anker SOLIX F3800 Plus.
We built this list from the makers’ own product pages, read on 16 October 2026. We have not run these units ourselves, so the page is labeled as researched. See how we research and rate products for what that means.
How we chose these home backup power stations
A power station’s box shows a big wattage number, but home backup depends on several things at once. For each unit we recorded:
- Capacity in watt-hours (Wh): how much energy it stores, which decides how long it runs your devices.
- Continuous AC output in watts (W): how much it can power at the same moment.
- Switchover time: how fast it takes over when the grid drops, so a router or computer stays on.
- Recharge time from the wall and the maximum solar input, for long outages.
- Expansion: whether you can add batteries later.
- Warranty, weight and price on the maker’s own site that day.
Home backup power stations compared: capacity, output and price
| Power station | Price checked 16 Oct 2026 | Capacity | AC output (continuous) | Switchover | Wall recharge | Weight | Warranty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EcoFlow DELTA 3 Plus | $719 ($799 regular) | 1,024Wh | 1,800W | Under 10 ms | 56 min | 27.6 lb | 5 years |
| Anker SOLIX F3800 Plus | $2,999.99 | 3,840Wh | 6,000W (120/240V) | 20 ms | Not stated as one figure | 136.7 lb | 5 years |
| Jackery Explorer 2000 v2 | $899 ($999 regular) | 2,042Wh | 2,200W | Under 20 ms | 1.75 hours | 39.5 lb | 3 + 2 years |
| Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 | $499 black ($559 regular) | 1,070Wh | 1,500W | Under 20 ms | About 1.6 hours | 23.8 lb | 3 + 2 years |
| Anker SOLIX C1000 Gen 2 | Not shown (2-pack $1,399.99) | 1,024Wh | 2,000W | 10 ms | 49 min (UltraFast) | 24.9 lb | Not stated |
| BLUETTI Elite 100 V2 | $499 | 1,024Wh | 1,800W | 10 ms or less | 45 min to 80% | 25 lb | Not stated |
Jackery’s extra 2 years of warranty apply when you buy from Jackery’s own website. Prices are in US dollars and change often, so check the seller’s page before you buy.
Price per watt-hour
Dividing the price by the capacity shows what you pay for each unit of stored energy:
- Jackery Explorer 2000 v2: $899 / 2,042Wh = about $0.44 per Wh
- Jackery Explorer 1000 v2: $499 / 1,070Wh = about $0.47 per Wh
- BLUETTI Elite 100 V2: $499 / 1,024Wh = about $0.49 per Wh
- EcoFlow DELTA 3 Plus: $719 / 1,024Wh = about $0.70 per Wh
- Anker SOLIX F3800 Plus: $2,999.99 / 3,840Wh = about $0.78 per Wh
The cheaper units per watt-hour give up something: fewer outlets, no expansion or a shorter warranty. The F3800 Plus costs more per watt-hour because you are also paying for 240V output and a large solar input.
How to choose the best portable power station for home backup
List what you must keep running. Write down each device and its wattage from its label or manual: fridge, router, phone chargers, lights, a fan, a medical device. Add the watts of everything that runs at the same time. That total must be below the station’s continuous output.
Work out the watt-hours. Multiply each device’s watts by the hours you need it, then add them up. For example, a 60W load for 10 hours is 600Wh. Plan for less than the full rated capacity, because the inverter that makes household AC power uses some energy itself. We leave a 15% margin in our own sums, so a 1,024Wh unit is planned as about 870Wh.
Check the startup surge. Fridges, freezers and pumps draw several times their running watts for a moment when the motor starts. Every pick here lists a surge or peak figure of 2,700W or more, but check it against your appliance.
Decide how you will recharge. If outages last a day or more, solar input matters. The Jackery units top out at 400W of solar, the BLUETTI at 1,000W and the F3800 Plus at 3,200W.
Plan for growth. If you think you will want more storage later, choose an expandable unit (DELTA 3 Plus or F3800 Plus) now. The Jackery 1000 v2 and 2000 v2 and the Anker C1000 Gen 2 cannot take extra batteries.
For the two most popular 1 kWh choices side by side, read our Jackery 1000 v2 vs EcoFlow DELTA 3 Plus comparison and our Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 review. If keeping food cold is your main worry, see the runtimes on our list of the best portable power stations for a refrigerator.
Home backup beyond the outlets: transfer switches and 240V
A portable power station runs whatever you plug into it. To power circuits in your home, such as a furnace fan or a hard-wired well pump, you need a way to connect it to your home’s wiring. Anker sells the F3800 Plus with a Smart Home Power Kit ($4,799.99) or with an expansion battery and a 10-circuit manual transfer switch ($5,859.99). EcoFlow lists the DELTA 3 Plus on its home backup pages but its product page made no transfer switch claim for this model.
Never connect a power station to a wall outlet to “backfeed” your house. Any connection to home wiring should go through a proper transfer switch or kit installed by a licensed electrician. Our Anker SOLIX F3800 Plus review explains its three connection options. Note also Anker’s own FAQ: the F3800 Plus cannot use its 240V output while it is charging from a 120V outlet.
Who should skip a portable power station for home backup
If your outages regularly last several days and you have no solar panels, a 1 to 2 kWh battery will run flat on day one. A fuel generator or a much larger system with solar will serve you better. Also skip the big systems if you rent: the F3800 Plus only reaches its full value when it is wired to your home’s circuits.
Frequently asked questions about portable power stations for home backup
What size portable power station do I need for home backup?
For a fridge, Wi-Fi, phones and a few lights through an evening, a 1 to 2 kWh unit is the usual starting point. Add up the watts of what you will run and multiply by the hours. A device using 150W for 8 hours needs 1,200Wh before losses, which is more than a 1 kWh unit holds.
Can a portable power station power a house?
Not a whole house on its own. A 1 to 2 kWh unit runs a few essentials from its outlets. Larger systems like the Anker SOLIX F3800 Plus (3,840Wh, 240V, expandable to 53.8 kWh) can feed home circuits through a transfer switch or home power kit, installed by an electrician.
Is a portable power station better than a generator for a power outage?
It depends on how long your outages last. A power station is quiet, makes no fumes and can run indoors, but it stores a fixed amount of energy and must be recharged. A fuel generator keeps running as long as you add fuel but must stay outdoors.
Can I leave my power station plugged in all the time?
The units on this list are built for it: each lists a UPS or switchover feature, so devices plugged into it keep running when the grid drops. Switchover times range from 10 ms or less (EcoFlow, Anker C1000 Gen 2, BLUETTI) to under 20 ms (Jackery, Anker F3800 Plus).
Which battery type is best for a home backup power station?
All six picks use LFP (lithium iron phosphate, also written LiFePO4) batteries. Makers rate them for 3,000 to 4,000 cycles, which is far longer than older lithium-ion power stations. Check the cycle rating’s end point: Jackery quotes 70% capacity left, EcoFlow, Anker and BLUETTI quote 80%.
