The numbers

Per day6.0–18.0 kWh
While running1,500 W on high, ~750 W on low
Starting surge (plan for)up to about 1,500 W

Electric resistance heat is the hungriest thing you can run on batteries. It drains a power station in about an hour.

Tip: For outages, heat with wood or propane and save batteries for the fridge and lights.

Answer a few taps in a guide and every page like this shows the numbers for your own setup. Start

Running it on solar

At typical use (about 12.0 kWh a day), it takes about 19 400-watt panels to keep up through a dark winter, plus batteries for the nights.

Sized for a dark winter. Set your location · Size a whole system

How long a battery runs it

On its own, at typical use:

  • 1 kWh power station 1 hour
  • 2 kWh power station 2 hours
  • 3.6 kWh power station 4 hours
  • One 5 kWh rack battery 6 hours

Add your other appliances

On a power station you have

Questions people ask

How long will a power station run a space heater?

A 2 kWh power station runs it for about 2 hours on its own, at typical use. Bigger batteries scale up from there.

How much solar does a space heater need?

About 5990 W of panels covers it in a typical US winter month, on its own.

Power it for good

Want it running through outages, or off-grid for good? The guides size everything around what you run.

Typical ranges for planning, from US Department of Energy appliance estimates, nameplate ratings and owner measurements. Your model's label or a plug-in meter gives your exact number. More: How much power do you use?