Best Whole-Home Battery Backup (Portable, 2026)

A whole-home station doesn't power every outlet on its own. A transfer switch or panel interlock, installed by a licensed electrician, lets it feed the circuits you choose, such as the fridge, furnace fan, lights, internet and a well pump. Never back-feed a home through an outlet. See our guide to choosing a transfer switch for a portable power station.

Stations with 240 V output can power 240 V circuits as well as ordinary 120 V ones. Keep the combined draw of your chosen circuits under the station's output.

Station	Capacity	Fridge + router (79 W)	Essentials (150 W)
Jackery Explorer 5000 Plus	5,040 Wh	About 49 hours	About 27 hours
Anker SOLIX F3800 Plus	3,840 Wh	About 37 hours	About 21 hours
Jackery HomePower 3600 Pro Max	3,584 Wh	About 35 hours	About 19 hours
Anker SOLIX S5000	5,024 Wh	About 49 hours	About 27 hours
EcoFlow DELTA Pro 3	4,096 Wh	About 39 hours	About 22 hours

Essentials means a fridge, router, LED lights and a TV. Loads are on AC at 85% efficiency plus 10 W idle draw. Big loads such as central air cut these times sharply; solar and extra batteries stretch them. Try the runtime calculator.

We picked from stations we've reviewed in full that offer 240 V. We weighted output, capacity, switchover time, expansion, solar input and warranty. Each has an OffGrid Current rating out of 10, computed from its specs; the weights are on how we test. We haven't tested these units hands-on, and we don't rank by price.

Best overall

Jackery Explorer 5000 Plus

The 5000 Plus has the most capacity and output here, and Jackery sells a Smart Transfer Switch made for it. Its high-voltage solar input suits a large array.

Pros

• 5,040 Wh, 7,200 W at 120/240 V, 14,400 W surge
• 0 ms switchover
• Up to 4,000 W high-voltage solar
• 5-year warranty, plus 2 optional

Cons

• About 134.5 lb
• 1,800 W charging on a standard outlet
• Maximum expansion not stated

Check price on AmazonRead our full review

Most expandable

Anker SOLIX F3800 Plus

The F3800 Plus is the one to buy if you plan to add batteries over time. Its 20 ms switchover may be too slow for some computers, so put a small UPS on a desktop.

Pros

• Expands to 53.8 kWh
• 6,000 W at 120/240 V
• Up to 3,200 W solar input
• TT-30 RV outlet, 5-year warranty

Cons

• 20 ms switchover
• 136.7 lb

Check price on AmazonRead our full review

Best 240 V outlet

Jackery HomePower 3600 Pro Max

Its NEMA 14-50 outlet supplies 240 V directly, and it's much lighter than the others. The 1-year warranty is the main drawback.

Pros

• NEMA 14-50 outlet, 120/240 V at 4,000 W
• Under 10 ms switchover
• 73.9 lb, the lightest here
• Expands to about 21.5 kWh

Cons

• 1-year warranty
• 2,000 W across its 120 V outlets
• Rated 6.3/10

Check price on AmazonRead our full review

Lightest 5 kWh

Anker SOLIX S5000

The S5000 stores about as much as the Explorer 5000 Plus but weighs 97 lb against 134.5 lb. It gives up output: 4,500 W, so size your backed-up circuits to that.

Pros

• 5,024 Wh in 97 lb
• 4,500 W at 120/240 V
• 10 ms switchover
• 6,000 cycles to 80%
• 5-year warranty

Cons

• Less output than the Explorer 5000 Plus (7,200 W)
• Expands to about 30 kWh, less than the F3800 Plus
• Rated 7.2/10

Check price on AmazonRead our full review

Best switchover with expansion

EcoFlow Delta Pro 3

The DELTA Pro 3 expands nearly as far as the F3800 Plus (48 kWh against 53.8 kWh) with a faster 10 ms switchover. It delivers 4,000 W, the same as the HomePower 3600 Pro Max.

Pros

• 4,096 Wh and 4,000 W at 120/240 V from one unit
• 10 ms switchover
• Expands to 48 kWh
• 2,600 W solar input

Cons

• 113.5 lb
• Less output than the Explorer 5000 Plus and F3800 Plus
• Rated 7.0/10

Check price on AmazonRead our full review

• 240 V output: needed for well pumps, some air conditioners and other 240 V circuits.
• Output vs your circuits: add up what you'll run at once and stay under the station's continuous watts.
• Switchover time: 10 ms or less keeps computers on. See using a power station as a UPS.
• Expansion and solar: extra batteries and strong solar input are what make multi-day outages workable. See solar panel sizing.
• Warranty: 5 years is standard at this level; 1 year is short.

• Bluetti Apex 300: 2,765 Wh and 3,840 W at 120/240 V, with RV outlets and B300K/B500K batteries.
• EcoFlow DELTA Pro: 3,600 Wh and 3,600 W, but 120 V only from one unit.
• Jackery HomePower 2000 Plus v2: 2,048 Wh at 120 V for essentials.

For plug-in backup of a fridge and router, see the best portable power stations for home backup.

Can a portable power station run a whole house?

It can run selected circuits through a transfer switch, up to its output. It won't run every large appliance at once.

Do I need a transfer switch?

To power home circuits, yes, installed by a licensed electrician. Without one, plug appliances into the station directly.

Can I have whole-home battery backup without solar?

Yes. These stations charge from the wall between outages. Solar lets them recharge during a long outage.

How big a battery do I need?

Add up the watts of the circuits you'll run and multiply by the hours you want. A fridge and router need about 2 kWh a day.

Are portable whole-home batteries worth it?

They're quiet, make no fumes and can run indoors, unlike a gas generator, but they store far less energy than a full fuel tank. See power station vs generator.