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Can a power station run a space heater?
Updated
It can switch one on, but not for long. A standard space heater pulls 1,500W on high. That empties a 1,024Wh power station in about 37 minutes. For staying warm in an outage, a power station plus a space heater is the wrong plan.
The math for our three 1 kWh picks
| Unit | Heater on high (1,500W) | Heater on low (750W) |
|---|---|---|
| Anker SOLIX C1000 Gen 2, 1,024Wh | About 37 minutes | About 1.2 hours |
| Jackery Explorer 1000 v2, 1,070Wh | About 38 minutes, and right at its 1,500W limit | About 1.3 hours |
| BLUETTI AC180, 1,152Wh | About 41 minutes | About 1.4 hours |
The 300W units, the Anker SOLIX C300 and the Jackery Explorer 300, cannot run a space heater at all. The heater asks for five times what they can give, so they shut their outlets off.
Why heat is so hard on a battery
A heater turns electricity straight into heat, and it needs a lot of it. A fridge averages about 55W over a day. A heater on high uses 1,500W every minute it is on. That is about 27 times as much. No portable battery changes that. Even a unit twice the size of our picks gives you a little over an hour on high.
What to run instead
Heat the person, not the room. These draw far less, so the same battery lasts a whole night.
| Device | Typical draw | Runtime from 1,024Wh |
|---|---|---|
| Heated throw or electric blanket | About 100W on high | About 8.4 hours |
| Heated mattress pad on a low setting | About 50W | About 15.4 hours |
| Furnace blower on a gas furnace | Varies a lot. Ask an electrician | Needs a proper transfer switch |
Check the tag on your own blanket for its real wattage. Most cycle on and off, so real use is often lower than the tag.
If you still want a power station for winter outages
- Anker SOLIX C1000 Gen 2: the 2,000W output means a heater on high will not trip it, so you can take the chill off one small room for half an hour. Caveat: that uses the whole battery, and then your fridge and phones have nothing.
- BLUETTI AC180: the biggest tank of our picks, so a 100W blanket runs about 9.4 hours. Caveat: at 37.4 lb it is not fun to carry upstairs to a bedroom.
Put your own numbers into the runtime calculator, or compare all five units on the best picks page.
Safety note: never bring a gas generator, grill or camp stove indoors for heat. They produce carbon monoxide, which can kill. Use only heaters rated for indoor use, follow the maker's instructions, and keep a working carbon monoxide alarm in the house.