[{"slug": "wifi-during-an-outage", "name": "Wi-Fi router and modem", "category": "connectivity", "criticality": "critical", "running_w": {"low": 15, "high": 40}, "starting_w": {"low": 15, "high": 40}, "duty_cycle": {"low": 1.0, "high": 1.0}, "default_hours_per_day": 24, "connection": "plug_in", "voltage_v": 120, "confirm": "Read the wattage printed on each power adapter. A modem and a router are two separate adapters, and a mesh system is one adapter per node.", "why_range": "Router and modem draw is steady, so the range reflects hardware differences rather than cycling. A mesh network with several nodes lands at the high end or above it."}, {"slug": "phone-charging", "name": "Phone charging and small USB devices", "category": "connectivity", "criticality": "critical", "running_w": {"low": 10, "high": 40}, "starting_w": {"low": 10, "high": 40}, "duty_cycle": {"low": 0.2, "high": 0.6}, "default_hours_per_day": 24, "connection": "plug_in", "voltage_v": 120, "confirm": "Check the charger's output rating. Fast chargers draw far more than older 5W bricks.", "why_range": "A phone only draws power while it is actually charging, so the duty band is low even when the charger is plugged in all day."}, {"slug": "led-lights", "name": "A few LED lights", "category": "lighting", "criticality": "important", "running_w": {"low": 15, "high": 80}, "starting_w": {"low": 15, "high": 80}, "duty_cycle": {"low": 0.25, "high": 0.75}, "default_hours_per_day": 8, "connection": "plug_in_or_circuit", "voltage_v": 120, "confirm": "Count the bulbs and read the wattage on each. Only LED bulbs land in this range; incandescent bulbs are roughly ten times higher.", "why_range": "Depends on how many fixtures you run and for how long. Few households light every room through an outage."}, {"slug": "laptop", "name": "Laptop and monitor", "category": "work", "criticality": "important", "running_w": {"low": 45, "high": 150}, "starting_w": {"low": 45, "high": 150}, "duty_cycle": {"low": 0.4, "high": 1.0}, "default_hours_per_day": 8, "connection": "plug_in", "voltage_v": 120, "confirm": "Read the laptop charger's watt rating and add the monitor separately.", "why_range": "A laptop draws its full charger rating only while charging a depleted battery. An external monitor adds a steady load on top."}, {"slug": "cpap", "name": "CPAP", "category": "medical_device", "criticality": "critical", "running_w": {"low": 30, "high": 100}, "starting_w": {"low": 30, "high": 100}, "duty_cycle": {"low": 1.0, "high": 1.0}, "default_hours_per_day": 8, "connection": "plug_in", "voltage_v": 120, "medical_boundary": true, "confirm": "Read your specific machine's power supply rating. A heated humidifier and heated tubing can multiply consumption several times over, and many users run without them on battery.", "why_range": "The range covers machines with the humidifier off. With heat on, draw can exceed this range substantially.", "safety_note": "This planner does not certify any system for medical use. If losing therapy overnight is a health risk, talk to your equipment supplier about a manufacturer-approved battery and tell your utility you need medical-priority restoration."}, {"slug": "refrigerator", "name": "Refrigerator/freezer", "category": "refrigeration", "criticality": "critical", "running_w": {"low": 100, "high": 700}, "starting_w": {"low": 600, "high": 2900}, "duty_cycle": {"low": 0.2, "high": 0.5}, "default_hours_per_day": 24, "connection": "plug_in_or_circuit", "voltage_v": 120, "confirm": "Read the nameplate inside the door frame. A 2005 side-by-side and a 2024 Energy Star unit differ by several times.", "why_range": "A fridge compressor cycles on and off. It is not drawing power continuously, which is why energy use is far lower than the running-watt figure suggests. Opening the door in a warm house pushes duty toward the high end."}, {"slug": "chest-freezer", "name": "Chest freezer", "category": "refrigeration", "criticality": "important", "running_w": {"low": 80, "high": 500}, "starting_w": {"low": 500, "high": 2200}, "duty_cycle": {"low": 0.15, "high": 0.45}, "default_hours_per_day": 24, "connection": "plug_in_or_circuit", "voltage_v": 120, "confirm": "Read the nameplate. A full freezer holds temperature longer than an empty one.", "why_range": "Like a fridge, a freezer cycles. A full, unopened chest freezer can hold safe temperature for a long stretch without any power at all."}, {"slug": "gas-furnace-blower", "name": "Gas-furnace blower", "category": "heating", "criticality": "critical", "running_w": {"low": 400, "high": 1200}, "starting_w": {"low": 1200, "high": 3500}, "duty_cycle": {"low": 0.3, "high": 0.7}, "default_hours_per_day": 24, "connection": "professional_review", "voltage_v": 120, "confirm": "Read the blower motor nameplate, and note whether it is a older PSC motor or a variable-speed ECM. They behave very differently.", "why_range": "Cycling depends on outdoor temperature and how well the house holds heat. Cold snaps push duty to the high end.", "safety_note": "A furnace is wired into the building, not plugged in. Powering it from a portable source requires a transfer switch or an inlet installed by a licensed electrician. Never backfeed a furnace circuit."}, {"slug": "sump-pump", "name": "Sump pump", "category": "water", "criticality": "critical", "running_w": {"low": 700, "high": 1500}, "starting_w": {"low": 2000, "high": 4500}, "duty_cycle": {"low": 0.05, "high": 0.35}, "default_hours_per_day": 24, "connection": "professional_review", "voltage_v": 120, "confirm": "Read the pump's horsepower and nameplate amps.", "why_range": "Duty cycle here is driven entirely by how much water is arriving. In a dry spell it is near zero; during the storm that caused the outage it can run far more than the high end of this band.", "safety_note": "Sizing a sump pump for backup power is a flood-risk decision, not a comfort decision. The starting surge is large relative to the running watts, and that surge is what most undersized systems fail on."}, {"slug": "well-pump", "name": "Well pump", "category": "water", "criticality": "critical", "running_w": {"low": 700, "high": 2000}, "starting_w": {"low": 2000, "high": 6000}, "duty_cycle": {"low": 0.02, "high": 0.15}, "default_hours_per_day": 24, "connection": "professional_review", "voltage_v": 240, "confirm": "Read the pump nameplate for horsepower and voltage. Many residential well pumps are 240V, which most portable power stations cannot supply at all.", "why_range": "A well pump only runs while refilling the pressure tank, so total energy is modest, but the starting surge is the largest in a typical home.", "safety_note": "Well pumps are hardwired and frequently 240V. This is professional-installation territory, and a 120V-only power station is not a candidate regardless of its watt-hour rating."}, {"slug": "window-ac", "name": "Window air conditioner", "category": "cooling", "criticality": "important", "running_w": {"low": 500, "high": 3250}, "starting_w": {"low": 1200, "high": 7200}, "duty_cycle": {"low": 0.4, "high": 0.8}, "default_hours_per_day": 8, "connection": "plug_in_or_circuit", "voltage_v": 120, "confirm": "Read the BTU rating and nameplate amps. A 5,000 BTU unit and a 12,000 BTU unit are not in the same class of problem.", "why_range": "The spread here is enormous because 'window AC' covers everything from a small bedroom unit to a large one. An inverter-driven unit has a much gentler start than a conventional compressor.", "safety_note": "Air conditioning is the load most likely to exceed a portable system's continuous output. Size on the high end."}, {"slug": "microwave", "name": "Microwave", "category": "kitchen", "criticality": "optional", "running_w": {"low": 800, "high": 1800}, "starting_w": {"low": 800, "high": 1800}, "duty_cycle": {"low": 0.02, "high": 0.08}, "default_hours_per_day": 24, "connection": "plug_in_or_circuit", "voltage_v": 120, "confirm": "Use the input watts from the nameplate, not the cooking-power figure on the front panel. A '1000W' microwave typically draws 1,500W or more.", "why_range": "A microwave is a heavy but very brief load. It rarely dominates total energy, but it can exceed a small station's continuous output outright."}, {"slug": "coffee-maker", "name": "Coffee maker", "category": "kitchen", "criticality": "optional", "running_w": {"low": 700, "high": 1500}, "starting_w": {"low": 700, "high": 1500}, "duty_cycle": {"low": 0.02, "high": 0.08}, "default_hours_per_day": 24, "connection": "plug_in", "voltage_v": 120, "confirm": "Read the nameplate on the base of the machine.", "why_range": "Heating elements draw hard but briefly. The brew cycle matters for output sizing, not for energy."}, {"slug": "television", "name": "Television", "category": "comfort", "criticality": "optional", "running_w": {"low": 40, "high": 250}, "starting_w": {"low": 40, "high": 250}, "duty_cycle": {"low": 0.3, "high": 1.0}, "default_hours_per_day": 6, "connection": "plug_in", "voltage_v": 120, "confirm": "Read the back-panel label. Screen size and panel technology drive the difference.", "why_range": "A modern LED set sits near the low end. Large OLED and older plasma sets sit at or above the high end."}, {"slug": "garage-door", "name": "Garage door opener", "category": "access", "criticality": "important", "running_w": {"low": 300, "high": 800}, "starting_w": {"low": 800, "high": 1800}, "duty_cycle": {"low": 0.001, "high": 0.01}, "default_hours_per_day": 24, "connection": "professional_review", "voltage_v": 120, "confirm": "Check the motor horsepower on the unit label.", "why_range": "The opener runs for seconds per cycle, so its energy contribution is close to nothing. It appears here for the starting surge, not the energy.", "safety_note": "Every residential opener has a manual release cord. During an outage you can disconnect and lift the door by hand, which is usually the better answer than sizing a backup system around it."}, {"slug": "camping-fridge", "name": "12 V compressor fridge (camping)", "category": "refrigeration", "criticality": "important", "running_w": {"low": 25, "high": 110}, "starting_w": {"low": 60, "high": 320}, "duty_cycle": {"low": 0.25, "high": 0.5}, "default_hours_per_day": 24, "connection": "plug_in", "voltage_v": 120, "confirm": "Read the rated DC current on your fridge's own spec plate and multiply by 12; makers' nameplate amps run well above the steady draw a small unit actually settles at.", "why_range": "A compressor fridge cycles like a kitchen one. The low end is a small, well-insulated unit's measured steady draw in cool air; the high end is a large dual-zone unit's rated current in hot sun with a deep-freeze setpoint. Modern soft-start compressors surge little; older units can spike to several times their running draw.", "sources": "docs/research/camping-fridge-load.sources.md (Dometic CFX3 manual, Engel service manuals, ICECO, BougeRV, ARB spec sheets; hands-on duty-cycle logs), compiled 2026-09-16"}]