How many watts does a window air conditioner use, and how long will a battery run it?
Window air conditioners draw about 500–3,250 W while running and up to 7,200 W for a moment as the motor starts.
It cycles on and off, so a typical one uses about 5,800 watt-hours over 8 hours of use, about 721 W on average. A 1 kWh station runs it about 1.2 hours.
A 2 kWh station runs it about 2.4 hours.
That is the middle of our range for this appliance. Yours may use less or a lot more: the range, the assumptions and every unit we track are below. Hours are hours of use on one full charge, counting the power each station uses just to stay on.
Hours of use by battery size
| Battery (listed size) | Typical | Hard-working unit | Efficient unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 Wh | about 0.6 h | 0.2 h | 2.1 h |
| 1,000 Wh | about 1.2 h | 0.3 h | 4.1 h |
| 2,000 Wh | about 2.4 h | 0.7 h | 7.9 h |
| 3,000 Wh | about 3.5 h | 1 h | 11 h |
| 5,000 Wh | about 5.6 h | 1.6 h | 17 h |
Hours count the power a typical untested station of each size uses just to stay on. Typical uses about 721 W; hard-working 3,250 W on 80% of the time; efficient 500 W on 40% of the time. The station must also start it: see which units can, below.
The range behind that
A window air conditioner uses about 500–3,250 watts while running , and needs up to 7,200 watts for a split second when it starts. Over 8 hours it uses roughly 1,600–20,800 watt-hours.
Buy for the higher number in each range. 52 of the 82 products we track can run it. For example, the EcoFlow DELTA Pro 3 would run it for 1.4–15 hours of use, from a hard-working unit to an efficient one.
The numbers behind that
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.
What it draws while it is actually on.
The momentary surge when a motor or compressor kicks in. Undersized systems fail here, not on running watts.
How much of the hour it is actually drawing power. This is what turns running watts into energy.
A battery gives back less than its label: about 10% is lost turning it into wall power, and the station uses some just to stay on.
Usually plugs in
Most units plug into a normal socket. If yours is wired into the wall instead, treat it as the case below.
Safety
Air conditioning is the load most likely to exceed a portable system's continuous output. Size on the high end.
Check this yourself
Read the BTU rating and the amps on its label. A 5,000 BTU unit and a 12,000 BTU unit are not in the same class of problem.
What can run it
Hours of use on one full charge: typical, then the range from a hard-working unit to an efficient one. “Starts it” means the peak output covers even a hard-starting one; “may not start a hard-starting one” means it covers the lower end of the starting range only.
| Product | Continuous | Peak | Starts it? | Hours of use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zendure SuperBase V6400 | 3,800W | 5,000W | may not start a hard-starting one | about 7.1h 2.1–21h |
| OUKITEL P5000 Pro | 3,600W | not listed by the maker | maker gives no peak figure | about 5.8h 1.7–17h |
| Jackery Explorer 5000 Plus | 7,200W | 14,400W | starts it | about 5.5h 1.6–16h |
| Zendure SuperBase V4600 | 3,800W | 5,000W | may not start a hard-starting one | about 5.2h 1.5–16h |
| EcoFlow DELTA Pro 3 | 4,000W | 8,000W | starts it | about 4.8h 1.4–15h |
| Champion 201598 8500W Wireless Start Tri Fuel Inverter | 6,500W | 8,500W | starts it | fuel-dependent |
| Champion 201169 6500W Tri Fuel | 6,500W | 8,125W | starts it | fuel-dependent |
| WEN DF8000X | 6,500W | 8,000W | starts it | fuel-dependent |
What will not work, and why
26 of 82 products cannot run this.
- Jackery Explorer 1500 Ultra — 1,317Wh usable cannot cover a 24-hour outage for these loads, which need 1,600–20,800Wh. It would carry the plan for roughly 0.4h before recharging.
- Jackery Explorer 1500 v2 — 1,317Wh usable cannot cover a 24-hour outage for these loads, which need 1,600–20,800Wh. It would carry the plan for roughly 0.4h before recharging.
- Goal Zero Yeti 1500 — 1,291Wh usable cannot cover a 24-hour outage for these loads, which need 1,600–20,800Wh. It would carry the plan for roughly 0.4h before recharging.
- Jackery Explorer 1000 Plus (JE-1000C) — 1,088Wh usable cannot cover a 24-hour outage for these loads, which need 1,600–20,800Wh. It would carry the plan for roughly 0.3h before recharging.
- BLUETTI AC180 — 1,000Wh usable cannot cover a 24-hour outage for these loads, which need 1,600–20,800Wh. It would carry the plan for roughly 0.3h before recharging.
- Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 — 917Wh usable cannot cover a 24-hour outage for these loads, which need 1,600–20,800Wh. It would carry the plan for roughly 0.3h before recharging.