Power station for blackouts and Queensland cyclone season: what size you need

Size a blackout station by what you need to keep running for one day, then plan how you'll top it up. For most households that's the fridge, the modem, a few lights, phones and maybe a fan, which works out at roughly 1,500 to 2,000 watt-hours a day. A station of about 1,000Wh covers most of that, and all of it if you run the fridge in shifts. We'd start there, with a LiFePO4 battery and an 1,800W inverter.

Specs on this page come from the makers' Australian product pages and manuals, and safety advice from Energex and the Queensland Fire Department. All are linked at the bottom.

Why cyclone season matters here

The Bureau of Meteorology's tropical cyclone season runs from 1 November to 30 April, and it notes cyclones have turned up in every month of the year. Add the summer storms that roll through South East Queensland and long outages aren't rare. After a big system, restoring power to every street can take days.

That's why the planning number is a day, not an hour. A station that gets you through 24 hours, plus a way to refill it, beats a bigger one you can't recharge.

Work out your daily watt-hours

Watt-hours (Wh) are watts multiplied by hours. Look at each appliance's label or adaptor for its watts, then estimate how long it runs in a day. Here's a typical budget with example numbers (check your own appliances, because yours will differ):

1. Fridge: an Energy Rating label of 400 kWh a year works out at about 1,100Wh a day (400,000 ÷ 365).
2. Modem and router: 15W for 24 hours is 360Wh.
3. Three LED globes on lamps: 8W each for 5 hours is 120Wh.
4. A pedestal fan: 30W for 8 hours is 240Wh.
5. Two phones: a full charge is roughly 15Wh each, so 30Wh.

That adds up to about 1,850Wh a day. A power station also loses some energy turning its battery into 230V AC. We allow 15%, so a 1,024Wh station gives you roughly 870Wh at the power point. Makers don't all publish an AC efficiency figure, so treat that as an estimate.

So a 1,024Wh station covers about half of that list for a full day. The fridge is the big one, which is where the next section comes in. Run your own numbers in the runtime calculator.

If you only need the basics

If the fridge can go into an esky with ice bricks, a much smaller station will do. The EcoFlow RIVER 3 Plus has a 286Wh battery and 600W of AC output, according to EcoFlow, and weighs 4.7kg. After losses that's roughly 240Wh: enough for the modem through an evening, lights and a few phone charges, but not a fridge for long.

Make a 1,000Wh station last longer

The fridge doesn't need power every minute. Energex notes that a fridge may only need to run for a few hours a day to preserve food, and Queensland Health says a closed fridge keeps food cold for about four hours. Running it in blocks, with the door shut and a fridge thermometer inside, can roughly halve its share of the budget. Our guide to running a fridge in a blackout goes through the food safety limits and the maths.

Charge phones from the station's USB ports rather than its AC outlets, and turn the AC output off when nothing's plugged in. Most stations draw some power just keeping the inverter running.

If you want a full day of everything with room to spare, look at a station you can expand. EcoFlow says the DELTA 3 Plus takes extra batteries up to 5kWh, and Anker says the SOLIX C1000 expands to 2,112Wh with its add-on battery.

Pass-through and UPS mode

Energex points out that a portable power station doesn't switch on by itself when the grid drops. Some models can act as a basic UPS if you leave them plugged into the wall with your device plugged into them. EcoFlow lists a switchover under 10ms for the EcoFlow DELTA 3 Plus, Bluetti lists 10ms or less for the Bluetti Elite 100 V2 and Anker lists under 20ms for the Anker SOLIX C1000. That's handy for keeping the modem up overnight. Don't rely on it for anything life-critical without checking with the equipment's maker.

If someone in your home relies on powered medical equipment, register as a life support customer with your electricity retailer or Energex. Energex says registration gets you notice of planned outages but doesn't guarantee supply during unplanned ones, so make a backup plan with your doctor or equipment supplier.

Recharging when the grid is down

Solar is the obvious answer in a multi-day outage. The DELTA 3 Plus takes up to 1,000W of solar across two inputs and the Elite 100 V2 up to 1,000W, according to their makers, but real panels deliver less than their rating, especially in heat. Our solar pairing guide explains how to match panels to a station without going over its voltage limit.

Car charging works but it's slow. EcoFlow's manual caps the DELTA 3 Plus's car input at 8A, which is about 100W from a 12V socket, so a full refill would take more than ten hours of driving or idling. A fuel generator can recharge a station too, but Energex is clear that it must run outdoors only, away from windows, because of carbon monoxide.

Before the storm hits

When a storm or cyclone is forecast, charge the station to full and charge the phones and power banks too. Do a quick test: plug in the fridge and the modem and check the station's display shows the load you expected.

Keep the station inside, dry and off the floor if there's any flood risk. The Queensland Fire Department says to charge lithium-ion batteries on a hard, non-combustible surface in a well-ventilated area, not to leave them charging unattended, and not to use one that's hot, swollen, damaged or making unusual noises. It also says to treat any battery that's been in water, especially saltwater, as damaged and potentially dangerous.

Get Ready Queensland's emergency kit list is worth working through at the same time: a battery radio, torches and spare batteries cover the jobs a power station shouldn't have to.

If you're still choosing a station, our EcoFlow vs Bluetti vs Anker SOLIX comparison lines up the 1kWh models on their Australian specs.

Where to buy in Australia

Buying from the brand's Australian store means 230V AU outlets, the local warranty and local support. Prices move around a lot, so check on the day.

• EcoFlow DELTA 3 Plus (1,024Wh)EcoFlow AustraliaSee it at EcoFlow Australia
• Bluetti Elite 100 V2 (1,024Wh)Bluetti AustraliaSee it at Bluetti Australia
• EcoFlow RIVER 3 Plus (286Wh, for phones, lights and a modem)EcoFlow AustraliaSee it at EcoFlow Australia

Quick questions

Can a power station switch on by itself when the power goes out?

Only if you set it up as a pass-through. Energex points out that a portable power station doesn't switch on automatically. Models with a UPS function, such as the EcoFlow DELTA 3 Plus (under 10ms switchover, per EcoFlow) or the Bluetti Elite 100 V2 (10ms or less, per Bluetti), can take over if the device is already plugged into the station while the station is plugged into the wall.

How long does a charged power station hold its charge in storage?

It slowly drains, so check it every few months. Bluetti's manual says to store the Elite 100 V2 at 40 to 60% if it won't be used for more than three months, and the Queensland Fire Department suggests about 40% for long-term lithium-ion storage. Charge it to full when a storm is forecast.