Guide
Is a power station worth it? Who gets value and who doesn't
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A power station is worth it if you have something that must keep running when the power goes, or a regular use away from the mains. It isn't worth it as a gadget that sits unused, or as a way to cut your electricity bill.
Good value for
- Medical kit. A CPAP or other machine that can't stop. Look for a switch-over of 10 ms or less. CPAP list.
- Working from home. Router and laptop through a cut. Working from home list.
- Rural homes and storm-prone areas. Fridge-freezer, lights and phones overnight. Power cuts list.
- Camping, caravans and vans. A battery that replaces a noisy generator or a hook-up. Camping guide.
Probably not for
- Cutting your bill. Charging on cheap overnight electricity can save a little, but the battery wear usually eats most of it. Each product page shows the battery cost per kWh so you can compare.
- Running heaters or ovens through a long cut. A 2 kW heater empties a 2 kWh station in under an hour.
Don't overspend
Most homes need less than they think. Pick your appliances in What will it run?: it shows the cheapest stations that can do the job first.
Power stations worth a look
3,072 · 3,600 W · 37 h power-cut cover
From £1,499
2,042 Wh · 2,200 W · 24 h power-cut cover
From £807
Questions buyers ask before buying
It's a lot of money for something I'll hardly use.
Price it against what it protects: a freezer full of food, a working router when you work from home, a CPAP machine through the night. A 1 kWh station that covers fridge, router, lights and phones for about half a day starts at £419. It also earns its keep outside power cuts: camping, the garden or a van. Who gets value.
Power cuts hardly ever happen where I live.
Most are short. The ones that matter come with winter storms and can last a night or more, and they are hard to plan for. A station sits in a cupboard charged and ready, needs a top-up every few months, and doubles as a camping or garden battery the rest of the year.
Will it actually run my things?
That is the right question, and the box rarely answers it. Pick your appliances in What will it run? and you will only see stations with enough output and battery for them, with the hours each one lasts.
Aren't lithium batteries a fire risk?
Almost every current model uses (lithium iron phosphate) cells, which are far more stable than the lithium-ion in older gadgets. Buy from the maker's UK store or a big UK retailer, keep the vents clear and charge it indoors. Fire risk explained.
Won't the battery be dead in a few years?
LFP stations are rated for 3,000 to 10,000 charge cycles. Used once a week, even 3,000 cycles is over 50 years, and five-year warranties are now common. How long they last.
I'm not technical. Is it complicated?
No wiring and no fuel. You charge it from a wall socket, then plug things into it like a normal socket. Many switch on by themselves when the mains drops. If weight worries you, filter by it: some 1 kWh models are about 11 kg and smaller ones under 6 kg.
Ready to choose?