How Long Will It Run

How long will an EcoFlow PowerOcean last in a power cut?

A full EcoFlow PowerOcean (4.8 kWh usable) runs the fridge-freezer, heating controls, broadband, lights and phones for about 38 h 29 min in a British home. Running the whole house as normal, it lasts about 14 h 19 min.

Starting at a 20% reserve, the same essentials get about 7 h 42 min. The single-phase inverter has a separate backup output of up to 6 kVA. What it runs in a cut depends on which circuits the installer puts on that output.

The specifications that matter in a power cut

Usable energy
4.8 kWh per unit (also sold as 9.7 kWh, 14.5 kWh)
Continuous output
6 kW
Peak output
Not published
Backup
A backup circuit
Solar during a cut
Not stated
Units per system
Up to 3
Chemistry
LFP (lithium iron phosphate)
Warranty
15 years
Sold in
the UK

Source: maker's datasheet, read 2026-09-26. EcoFlow's own datasheet, hosted by a retailer. It sells in packs of 4.8 kWh usable, up to 14.5 kWh on one inverter. Standby is the inverter's night-time self-consumption, given as under 30 W.

One, two or three of them

British home · starting full · typical case · no solar
What it runsOneTwoThree
Fridge, internet, lights and phones47 h3 days 22 h5 days 21 h
The essentials, with the heating38 h 29 min3 days 5 h4 days 19 h
Essentials, heating, cooking and TV24 h 49 min2 days 2 h3 days 2 h
The whole house, as normal14 h 19 min28 h 37 min42 h 55 min
British home · typical case · no solar
What it runsFullHalf fullAt a 20% reserve
Fridge, internet, lights and phones47 h23 h 30 min9 h 24 min
The essentials, with the heating38 h 29 min19 h 14 min7 h 42 min
Essentials, heating, cooking and TV24 h 49 min12 h 25 min4 h 58 min
The whole house, as normal14 h 19 min7 h 9 min2 h 52 min

What it can run at once

Energy decides how long; output decides what. One EcoFlow PowerOcean supplies 6 kW continuously, so the essentials are easy but a big heater, a kettle or a car charger on top can be too much.

British figures · against 6 kW continuous
Add this to the essentialsEverything at onceOne PowerOcean
Electric kettle3.3 kWYes
Microwave, 1,000 W output1.8 kWYes
Portable induction hob2.1 kWYes
Space heater, 2,000 W2.3 kWYes
Electric car (3-pin "granny" charger)2.6 kWYes

Solar in a power cut

The panels connect through the same inverter as the backup output, but the datasheet does not say outright that solar charges it during a cut. Ask the installer.

With 4 kWp of panels (London, 51.5°N), an average day's sun covers the essentials in every month except December. These are averages. A week of thick cloud, common in a British winter, can cut the panels to a fraction of this, so in the darker months plan on the battery alone and count the sun as a bonus.

Essentials with heating · a 4 kWp array · London, 51.5°N · an average day's sun ("keeps going" means the panels cover a day's use)
MonthStarting full
JanKeeps going
FebKeeps going
MarKeeps going
AprKeeps going
MayKeeps going
JunKeeps going
JulKeeps going
AugKeeps going
SepKeeps going
OctKeeps going
NovKeeps going
Dec8 days 2 h

Do solar panels work in a power cut? explains why most systems stop, and what keeps them going.

How full is it when the power goes?

A home battery spends most days charging and discharging to save money, so a power cut finds it at whatever level it happens to be. In the evening in winter that can be close to empty. Most systems let you set a backup reserve that the battery will not use on ordinary days (Tesla calls it Backup Reserve; GivEnergy's app has a similar minimum charge for its emergency supply). The tables here show a full battery, a half-full one, and one sitting at a 20% reserve.

If a storm is forecast, charge it to full. Tesla's Storm Watch does this automatically when a weather warning is issued for your area; on other systems you raise the reserve or force a charge in the app.

No home battery? A power station for the essentials

A portable power station does the same job for the things that plug in, without an installer. The biggest ones hold a third to a half of a home battery. Here is how long each runs the fridge-freezer, the heating, the broadband, the lights and the phones, starting full:

Typical case · Essentials with heating
Power stationCapacityUK homeUS home
Zendure SuperBase V64006,438 Wh40 h 34 min19 h 50 min
EcoFlow DELTA Pro Ultra6,144 Wh39 h 47 min19 h 43 min
Jackery Explorer 5000 Plus5,040 Wh34 h 48 min16 h 41 min
Zendure SuperBase V46004,608 Wh31 h 13 min15 h 7 min
EcoFlow DELTA Pro 34,096 Wh27 h 45 min13 h 26 min

The boiler or furnace is the catch: it is usually wired in, not plugged in, so a power station can only run it through a socket or a changeover switch an electrician fits. The boiler guide and the furnace guide explain how. Each station page has the full numbers and where to buy it.

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These are estimates from the site's model, not a maker's claim: stored energy × 94% through the inverter ÷ (what the house draws on average + about 30 W for the battery system itself). The sum is explained here.