Whole-Home Appliance + Backup Power Buying Checklist
Outfitting a whole home means buying two things at once: the appliances themselves and a backup power plan that keeps the essential ones running when the grid fails. The checklist is simple — protect the refrigerator first (it has the most to lose in a blackout), then decide how much of the rest you want to cover. A 1,000Wh power station like the EcoFlow Delta 2 protects the fridge alone; a 2,000Wh+ unit like the Bluetti AC200L adds a freezer, lights, and electronics; and a 3,800Wh / 6,000W unit like the Anker SOLIX F3800 covers a fridge plus several large loads at once. Below is the full checklist plus the appliance-and-power pairings we recommend.
The cross-vertical comparison
The whole-home backup tiers: match how much of your appliance load you want to protect to a power-station capacity and output.
| Backup Tier | Covers | Capacity Needed | Output Needed | Recommended Station |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 — Fridge only | Refrigerator + phones | ~1,000 Wh | 600 W+ | EcoFlow Delta 2 |
| Tier 1+ — Fridge + extras | Fridge, lights, devices | ~1,200 Wh | 1,500 W+ | Jackery Explorer 1000 Plus |
| Tier 2 — Fridge + essentials | Fridge, freezer, CPAP | ~2,000 Wh | 2,400 W+ | Bluetti AC200L |
| Tier 3 — Heavy loads | Fridge + AC or pump | ~4,000 Wh | 4,000 W+ | EcoFlow Delta Pro 3 |
| Tier 3+ — Whole-home | Multiple big loads | ~3,800 Wh | 6,000 W+ | Anker SOLIX F3800 |
Our picks across verticals
Samsung RF28R7351SR
A mainstream French-door refrigerator — the one appliance every backup plan must cover, since a blackout costs you a fridge full of food first.
EcoFlow Delta 2
1,024Wh / 1,800W is the entry point: enough to keep a refrigerator cold overnight and charge phones, the cheapest unit that does the one job that matters most.
Bluetti AC200L
2,048Wh / 2,400W covers the fridge plus a chest freezer, lights, and a CPAP for a full day — the practical mid-tier for most households, expandable when you need more.
Anker SOLIX F3800
3,840Wh / 6,000W runs a fridge, freezer, well pump or window AC, and the kitchen at the same time — the closest a portable unit gets to a standby generator.
GE GNE27JYMFS
A reliable, efficient French-door fridge whose modest running watts stretch every Wh of your power station further during an outage.
Go deeper
Frequently Asked Questions
What appliances should I back up first in a power outage?+
The refrigerator, always. It has the most immediate to lose — a fridge full of food spoils within hours — and it runs at a wattage almost any power station can handle. After the fridge, prioritize a freezer, medical devices like a CPAP, lights, and phone/laptop charging. Heating, cooling, and laundry come last because they draw the most power.
How big a power station do I need for whole-home backup?+
It depends on how much you want to cover. ~1,000Wh (EcoFlow Delta 2) protects just the refrigerator. ~2,000Wh with 2,400W output (Bluetti AC200L) adds a freezer, lights, and small devices. For multiple large loads at once — fridge plus a window AC or well pump — step up to a 3,800Wh / 6,000W unit like the Anker SOLIX F3800 or an expandable EcoFlow Delta Pro 3.
Is a portable power station better than a gas generator for a home?+
For most households, yes for the essentials: power stations are silent, produce no fumes (so they run safely indoors), need no fuel, and recharge from solar. A gas generator still wins on sustained whole-house output for days, but a 2,000–3,800Wh power station covers the critical appliances cleanly and safely. See our solar-vs-gas generator comparison for the full tradeoff.
Should I buy energy-efficient appliances to make backup easier?+
It helps. An efficient refrigerator draws fewer watts, which directly stretches how long your power station runs it in an outage — an efficient fridge on a 1kWh station can outlast a thirstier model by hours. Efficiency lowers both your utility bill and the size of the backup power you need to buy.
Can I expand my backup power later instead of buying it all at once?+
Yes — units like the Bluetti AC200L and EcoFlow Delta Pro 3 accept add-on batteries, so you can start by protecting the refrigerator and scale capacity as your budget allows. That makes the tiered approach in our checklist a buy-now, grow-later plan rather than a single large purchase.
HomeGear Drip may earn a commission on purchases made through links on this page. Prices and availability are subject to change. Wattage and runtime figures are estimates to guide sizing, not guarantees.