CoolingAlso called: portable ac, portable ac unit, rolling air conditioner
Two numbers decide whether a power station runs a portable air conditioner, and readers arrive using them interchangeably. Watts are the ceiling on what the inverter can hold at any instant — this load needs 1,300 W of them while it runs, and 7,800 W for the moment it starts. Watt-hours are how much energy the battery holds. A machine can have plenty of one and not enough of the other.
Nothing runs it outright — not one of the 26 station records we publish, counting each model’s US and EU version separately. That is the answer, and the list below shows how close each one gets and which constraint stops it — every verdict is a calculation against that machine’s continuous output, its surge ceiling and its inverter waveform, not a lookup table.
The three numbers a power station is judged against
Running power1,300 W Official spec · verified 2026-08-01 · high confidence
Start-up surge6,900 Wengine checks 7,800 W Derived from official coefficients · verified 2026-08-01 · medium confidence
Duty cycle18% Official spec · verified 2026-08-01 · high confidence
The start-up figure is the manufacturer’s own locked-rotor rating, off a spec sheet for a real model in this class — not a category multiple. Where a standards table and the nameplate disagree, this library uses the nameplate: the standards figure is a selection envelope for breakers and controllers, and sizing a battery to it over-specifies the machine by two to four times.
This record publishes both an absolute inrush and a multiple of running power. They do not agree exactly, so the engine checks against the more demanding of the two — 7,800 W — rather than picking the flattering one.
Measured duration 200 ms · Official spec · verified 2026-08-01 · low confidence
Two ways to read a duty cycle
A duty cycle can be read two ways and they are not the same number. One is the constant a test procedure assumes so that a label figure is reproducible; the other is what the machine does in a real room, which depends on the weather, the door and the thermostat. This record keeps both ends: 12% to 90%, with the default above. The named readings below each carry their own source and date, so you can see which one a figure came from rather than being handed a blend of the two.
Residential, outdoor 83°F 12% Official spec · verified 2026-08-01 · high confidence
Residential, outdoor 95°F default18% Official spec · verified 2026-08-01 · high confidence
Continuous use, outdoor 95°F 90% Official spec · verified 2026-08-01 · high confidence
Official spec + Derived from official coefficients · verified 2026-08-03 · appliance record
What actually decides it
A motor load: the first half-second decides it
An induction motor with a stationary rotor is close to a short circuit. For the fraction of a second before it turns, it pulls several times its running current, and that peak — not the running figure — is what trips an inverter. This is why a machine drawing well under a station’s continuous rating can still fail to start on it, and why the start-up figure at the top of this page matters more than the running one.
How long the start-up actually lasts
The inrush lasts a couple of tenths of a second, which is the window a station’s surge rating is written for. This is the one case where the surge figure and the surge ceiling are directly comparable.
Watts are not what the inverter is holding
At a power factor of 0.97 this load presents 1,340 VA to the inverter. An inverter is sold in watts and limited in volt-amps, so a machine that looks comfortable on the watt figure can be at its ceiling on the VA one. The engine checks both.
Which power stations run it
Every row is a live calculation against that machine's continuous output, surge ceiling and
inverter waveform. Of the 26 station
records we publish — US and EU versions counted separately — 0 run it, 1 are a tight fit and 25 are out of reach. The percentage is
this load as a share of that machine's continuous output; anything past 82% drops out of the green. Rows are ordered by verdict, then by
price — cheapest first inside each band.
EcoFlow DELTA Pro 3EcoFlow · US 120 V4,000 W continuous · 8,000 W surge ceilingTight fit33%
limited by surge ceiling 234 Wh per hour — averaged over this load’s duty cycleNo runtime in hours: 4 of EcoFlow’s own published documents, read 2026-08-08, carry no depth of discharge or inverter efficiency for the US 120 V build, so there is no defensible usable-capacity figure to divide. $2,799 · checked 2026-08-17 Show the working →
limited by continuous outputWe have found no published surge rating for the US 120 V build. The start-up check runs against its continuous output as a conservative floor, which is ours, not a manufacturer specification. $239 · checked 2026-08-17 Show the working →
EcoFlow RIVER 3 PlusEcoFlow · US 120 V600 W continuous · 1,200 W surge ceilingToo big217%
limited by continuous output 234 Wh per hour — averaged over this load’s duty cycleNo runtime in hours: 4 of EcoFlow’s own published documents, read 2026-08-08, carry no depth of discharge or inverter efficiency for the US 120 V build, so there is no defensible usable-capacity figure to divide. $279 · checked 2026-08-17 Show the working →
EcoFlow DELTA 3 PlusEcoFlow · US 120 V1,800 W continuous · 3,600 W surge ceilingToo big217% of surge ceiling
limited by surge ceiling 234 Wh per hour — averaged over this load’s duty cycleNo runtime in hours: 3 of EcoFlow’s own published documents, read 2026-08-08, carry no depth of discharge or inverter efficiency for the US 120 V build, so there is no defensible usable-capacity figure to divide. $719 · checked 2026-08-17 Show the working →
BLUETTI Elite 200 V2BLUETTI · US 120 V2,600 W continuousToo big300% of assumed surge ceiling
limited by surge ceilingWe have found no published surge rating for the US 120 V build. The start-up check runs against its continuous output as a conservative floor, which is ours, not a manufacturer specification. $899 · checked 2026-08-17 Show the working →
Jackery Explorer 2000 PlusJackery · US 120 V3,000 W continuous · 6,000 W surge ceilingToo big130% of surge ceiling
EcoFlow DELTA 2 MaxEcoFlow · US 120 V2,400 W continuous · 4,800 W surge ceilingToo big163% of surge ceiling
limited by surge ceiling 234 Wh per hour — averaged over this load’s duty cycleNo runtime in hours: 5 of EcoFlow’s own published documents, read 2026-08-08, carry no depth of discharge or inverter efficiency for the US 120 V build, so there is no defensible usable-capacity figure to divide. $1,049 · checked 2026-08-17 Show the working →
limited by continuous output 234 Wh per hour — averaged over this load’s duty cycleNo runtime in hours: 3 of EcoFlow’s own published documents, read 2026-08-08, carry no depth of discharge or inverter efficiency for the US 120 V build, so there is no defensible usable-capacity figure to divide.We have found no published surge rating for the US 120 V build. The start-up check runs against its continuous output as a conservative floor, which is ours, not a manufacturer specification. $1,279 · checked 2026-08-17 Show the working →
limited by continuous outputWe have found no published surge rating for the EU 230 V build. The start-up check runs against its continuous output as a conservative floor, which is ours, not a manufacturer specification. €219 · checked 2026-08-17 Show the working →
Anker SOLIX C300Anker SOLIX · EU 230 V300 W continuous · 600 W surge ceilingToo big433%
limited by continuous output 234 Wh per hour — averaged over this load’s duty cycleNo runtime in hours: we have found no depth of discharge or inverter efficiency for the EU 230 V build, so there is no defensible usable-capacity figure to divide. €269.99 · checked 2026-08-01 · 17 days ago Show the working →
limited by continuous output 234 Wh per hour — averaged over this load’s duty cycleNo runtime in hours: we have found no depth of discharge or inverter efficiency for the EU 230 V build, so there is no defensible usable-capacity figure to divide. €279 · checked 2026-08-17 Show the working →
EcoFlow RIVER 3 PlusEcoFlow · EU 230 V600 W continuous · 1,200 W surge ceilingToo big217%
limited by continuous output 234 Wh per hour — averaged over this load’s duty cycleNo runtime in hours: we have found no depth of discharge or inverter efficiency for the EU 230 V build, so there is no defensible usable-capacity figure to divide. €299 · checked 2026-08-01 · 17 days ago Show the working →
Jackery Explorer 1000 v2Jackery · EU 230 V1,500 W continuous · 3,000 W surge ceilingToo big303% of surge ceiling
limited by surge ceiling 234 Wh per hour — averaged over this load’s duty cycleNo runtime in hours: we have found no depth of discharge or inverter efficiency for the EU 230 V build, so there is no defensible usable-capacity figure to divide. €519 · checked 2026-08-17 Show the working →
BLUETTI Elite 100 V2BLUETTI · EU 230 V1,800 W continuousToo big506% of assumed surge ceiling
limited by surge ceilingWe have found no published surge rating for the EU 230 V build. The start-up check runs against its continuous output as a conservative floor, which is ours, not a manufacturer specification. €579 · checked 2026-08-17 Show the working →
limited by continuous output 234 Wh per hour — averaged over this load’s duty cycleNo runtime in hours: we have found no depth of discharge or inverter efficiency for the EU build, so there is no defensible usable-capacity figure to divide.We have found no published surge rating for the EU build. The start-up check runs against its continuous output as a conservative floor, which is ours, not a manufacturer specification. €599 · checked 2026-08-17 Show the working →
EcoFlow DELTA 3 PlusEcoFlow · EU 230 V1,800 W continuous · 3,600 W surge ceilingToo big253% of surge ceiling
limited by surge ceiling 234 Wh per hour — averaged over this load’s duty cycleNo runtime in hours: we have found no depth of discharge or inverter efficiency for the EU 230 V build, so there is no defensible usable-capacity figure to divide. €849 · checked 2026-08-17 Show the working →
EcoFlow DELTA 2 MaxEcoFlow · EU 230 V2,400 W continuous · 4,800 W surge ceilingToo big190% of surge ceiling
limited by surge ceiling 234 Wh per hour — averaged over this load’s duty cycleNo runtime in hours: we have found no depth of discharge or inverter efficiency for the EU 230 V build, so there is no defensible usable-capacity figure to divide. €949 · checked 2026-08-17 Show the working →
limited by continuous output 234 Wh per hour — averaged over this load’s duty cycleNo runtime in hours: we have found no depth of discharge or inverter efficiency for the EU build, so there is no defensible usable-capacity figure to divide.We have found no published surge rating for the EU build. The start-up check runs against its continuous output as a conservative floor, which is ours, not a manufacturer specification. €999 · checked 2026-08-01 · 17 days ago Show the working →
Jackery Explorer 1000 PlusJackery · EU 230 V2,000 W continuous · 4,000 W surge ceilingToo big228% of surge ceiling
limited by surge ceiling 234 Wh per hour — averaged over this load’s duty cycleNo runtime in hours: we have found no depth of discharge or inverter efficiency for the EU 230 V build, so there is no defensible usable-capacity figure to divide. €999 · checked 2026-08-17 Show the working →
BLUETTI Elite 200 V2BLUETTI · EU 230 V2,600 W continuousToo big350% of assumed surge ceiling
limited by surge ceilingWe have found no published surge rating for the EU 230 V build. The start-up check runs against its continuous output as a conservative floor, which is ours, not a manufacturer specification. €1,149 · checked 2026-08-17 Show the working →
Jackery Explorer 2000 PlusJackery · EU 230 V3,000 W continuous · 6,000 W surge ceilingToo big152% of surge ceiling
limited by surge ceiling 234 Wh per hour — averaged over this load’s duty cycleNo runtime in hours: we have found no depth of discharge or inverter efficiency for the EU 230 V build, so there is no defensible usable-capacity figure to divide. €1,799 · checked 2026-08-17 Show the working →
EcoFlow DELTA Pro 3EcoFlow · EU 230 V4,000 W continuous · 8,000 W surge ceilingToo big114% of surge ceiling
limited by surge ceiling 234 Wh per hour — averaged over this load’s duty cycleNo runtime in hours: we have found no depth of discharge or inverter efficiency for the EU 230 V build, so there is no defensible usable-capacity figure to divide. €3,299 · checked 2026-08-17 Show the working →
Nothing we hold runs a portable air conditioner with room to spare. This is the cheapest that gets there at all, and the surge ceiling is what keeps it out of the green.
$2,799 · price checked 2026-08-17
The buy link is in the bar at the bottom of the screen — one action per page, and it
goes to the merchant we last checked the price at.
What changes the numbers
At 28.3 °C ambient×0.7Applied to how OFTEN it runs, not to how hard it pulls while running. The verdict does not move; the energy it costs you over a day does. Official spec
At 35 °C ambient×1Applied to how OFTEN it runs, not to how hard it pulls while running. The verdict does not move; the energy it costs you over a day does. Official spec
Between the anchorsOnly the anchor points above have a source. This site does not interpolate between them: a curve drawn through two published points is a number we invented, and it would arrive on the page wearing the same official label as the points it was drawn from.
Mains standards on recordUS 120 V · EU 230 VThe figures above are recorded per mains standard, because the same appliance class is built differently on 120 V and 230 V. Where only one standard is on record, the ranking still lists machines from both regions — each row states its own.
Everything else we hold on this load
Each figure carries the tier it came from and the date it was checked. Sizing guidance is
kept apart from measured draw on purpose: one says what the machine pulls, the other says
what a manufacturer or a standard thinks you should buy for it.
Measured and published draw
Power factor0.97 Official spec · verified 2026-08-01 · low confidence
The inverter is loaded to 1,340 VA — 1,300 W ÷ 0.97 — which is the figure its ceiling is actually measured against.
Sizing guidance — not a draw figure
Minimum continuous output1,300 W Official spec · verified 2026-08-01 · high confidence
A sizing figure, not a draw: it is what this class needs a machine to be RATED at, headroom included.
A portable air conditioner has a dedicated guide: the same records this page computes from, worked through in prose with room for the reasoning a table can only summarise — How do you stay cool in a summer power outage?
Questions people ask about this load
How many watts does a portable air conditioner use?
1,300 W while it is running, with 7,800 W demanded at the instant it starts. Those are different questions and most pages answer only the first. The running figure decides whether a machine can hold it; the start-up figure decides whether it can get it going at all, and it is usually the one that fails. The start-up figure here is the manufacturer’s own..
What size power station do I need for a portable air conditioner?
Bigger than anything in our library, on today's data. All 26 machines we hold were run against a portable air conditioner at 1,300 W running and 7,800 W at the start, and none of them clears it: 25 are short outright, and 1 gets there but only just. The list above names the constraint that stops each one, which is the useful part — if it is the surge ceiling, a bigger battery on the same inverter rating will not help you.
How long will a power station run a portable air conditioner?
We do not print one here, and the reason is in the rows rather than in our data. 10 of the 26 machines above hold everything the division needs — and every one of them is a machine that will not start a portable air conditioner, where an hour figure would be describing an hour that never happens.
Why does a portable air conditioner need so much more power to start?
The start-up figure is the manufacturer’s own locked-rotor rating, off a spec sheet for a real model in this class — not a category multiple. Where a standards table and the nameplate disagree, this library uses the nameplate: the standards figure is a selection envelope for breakers and controllers, and sizing a battery to it over-specifies the machine by two to four times. The engine works the check against 7,800 W, which is what a station's surge ceiling has to cover for the moment the machine starts. A station whose continuous rating is comfortably above the running figure can still refuse the start, and that is the single most common way a purchase goes wrong for this class.
Does a portable air conditioner draw that continuously?
No, and the difference is most of the energy question. This record holds more than one duty-cycle reading, each with its own source: Residential, outdoor 83°F at 12%, Residential, outdoor 95°F at 18%, Continuous use, outdoor 95°F at 90%. The one a page picks silently is the one that decides whether your battery lasts the night, so this site names them and lets you choose in the calculator rather than blending them into a single average.
0 of 26 machines run itEcoFlow DELTA Pro 3 · from $2,799