Wattstanding

Appliance guide

What size power station or generator runs a central air conditioner?

Typical watts for a central air conditioner, and every power station and generator in our catalog that can run it.

By Wattstanding Editorial · Updated 1 Oct 2026

The short answer

A typical central air conditioner needs about 3,500 W running and up to 10,500 W to start, averaging about 2,100 W over time. A full day needs roughly 59,294 Wh of battery.

The load and who can run it

ItemTypical valueBasis
Running watts3,500 Wtypical planning value
Starting watts10,500 Wtypical planning value
Duty cycle60%share of time drawing power
Average draw2,100 Wrunning watts × duty cycle

Beyond most power stations; generators need enough starting watts or a soft-start device.

Power stations that can run it (13)

Power stationCapacityAC outputCan it start it?Runtime on a full chargePrice seen
PECRON E3600LFP Portable Power Station 3600W 3072Wh3,072 Wh3,600 WCheck surge1.2 h$999
FIRMAN Zero E Portable Expandable Power Station (E201001)1,040 Wh4,000 WCheck surge25 min$1,000
FOSSiBOT F3600 Pro Portable Power Station (USF3600-Pro)3,840 Wh3,600 WCheck surge1.6 h$1,199
VTOMAN FlashSpeed Pro 3600 V-BEYOND Portable Power Station3,096 Wh3,600 WCheck surge1.3 h$1,300
EcoFlow DELTA 3 Ultra Portable Power Station (3072Wh)3,072 Wh3,600 WCheck surge1.2 h$1,349
Jackery HomePower 30003,072 Wh3,600 WCheck surge1.2 h$1,349
EcoFlow DELTA 3 Ultra Plus Portable Power Station (3072Wh)3,072 Wh3,600 WCheck surge1.2 h$1,579
Dabbsson DBS3500 Portable Power Station3,430 Wh3,600 WCheck surge1.4 h$1,599
EcoFlow DELTA 3 Ultra Series Portable Power Station (3072Wh)3,072 Wh3,600 WCheck surge1.2 h$1,999
PECRON F5000LFP Portable Power Station 7200W 5120Wh 120V/240V5,120 Wh7,200 WCheck surge2.1 h$2,199
Anker SOLIX F3800 Plus Portable Power Station (A1790112)3,840 Wh6,000 WCheck surge1.6 h$2,400
FOSSiBOT F7200 Portable Power Station - 5222.4Wh (EUF7200)5,222 Wh7,200 WCheck surge2.1 h$3,299
Jackery HomePower 3600 Plus (7.2kWh)7,200 Wh3,600 WCheck surge2.9 h$3,499
Wattstanding calculationWattstanding calculation — runtime = capacity × 85% ÷ (running watts × duty cycle).

Generators that can run it (61)

GeneratorRunningStartingCan it start it?FuelPrice seen
Westinghouse Outdoor Power WGen3600DFv Generator - Dual Fuel4,650 W—Check starting wattsGasoline / Propane$499
Westinghouse Outdoor Power WGen3600DF Generator - Dual Fuel4,650 W—Check starting wattsGasoline / Propane$629
Westinghouse Outdoor Power WGen3600DFc Generator - Dual Fuel4,650 W—Check starting wattsGasoline / Propane$679
Westinghouse Outdoor Power WGen5300DFcv - Dual Fuel6,500 W—Check starting wattsGasoline / Propane$729
Westinghouse Outdoor Power WH3700iXLTc Inverter Generator3,700 W—Check starting wattsGasoline$749
Westinghouse Outdoor Power WGen5300DFv Generator - Dual Fuel6,500 W—Check starting wattsGasoline / Propane$759
Westinghouse Outdoor Power WGen5300DF Generator - Dual Fuel6,600 W—Check starting wattsGasoline / Propane$779
Westinghouse Outdoor Power WGen5300DFc - Dual Fuel6,600 W—Check starting wattsGasoline / Propane$829
DuroMax 13,000 Watt Dual Fuel Portable Generator (DS13000MX)10,500 W13,000 WYesGasoline / Propane$899
DuroMax 13,000 Watt Tri Fuel Portable Generator (DS13000MXT)10,500 W13,000 WYesGasoline / Propane / Natural gas$999
Westinghouse Outdoor Power iGen5000cv Inverter Generator5,000 W—Check starting wattsGasoline$1,099
Westinghouse Outdoor Power iGen5000 Inverter Generator5,000 W—Check starting wattsGasoline$1,099
Westinghouse Outdoor Power WGen7500DF Generator - Dual Fuel9,500 W—Check starting wattsGasoline / Propane$1,149
Westinghouse Outdoor Power WGen9500 Generator9,500 W12,500 WYesGasoline$1,149
A-iPower 10700W Electric Start Portable Generator Gas Propane (AP10700ED)8,500 W10,700 WYesGasoline / Propane$1,150
Westinghouse Outdoor Power iGen5000DF Inverter Generator - Dual Fuel5,000 W—Check starting wattsGasoline / Propane$1,199
Westinghouse Outdoor Power iGen5000c Inverter Generator5,000 W—Check starting wattsGasoline$1,199
Westinghouse Outdoor Power WGen9500TF - Tri-Fuel11,200 W9,500 WYesGasoline / Propane / Natural gas$1,249
Westinghouse Outdoor Power WGen9500TFc - Tri-Fuel11,200 W9,500 WYesGasoline / Propane / Natural gas$1,249
Westinghouse Outdoor Power WGen10500DFc - Dual Fuel12,500 W10,500 WYesGasoline / Propane$1,249
Westinghouse Outdoor Power WGen9500DF Generator - Dual Fuel12,500 W8,500 WYesGasoline / Propane$1,249
Westinghouse Outdoor Power iGen5000DFc Inverter Generator Dual Fuel5,000 W—Check starting wattsGasoline / Propane$1,299
Westinghouse Outdoor Power WGen7500DFc - Dual Fuel9,500 W—Check starting wattsGasoline / Propane$1,299
Westinghouse Outdoor Power WGen9500c Generator9,500 W12,500 WYesGasoline$1,299
DuroMax 13,000 Watt Dual Fuel Portable Generator (XP13000EH)10,500 W13,000 WYesGasoline / Propane$1,299
DuroMax 13,000 Watt Dual Fuel Portable HX Generator (XP13000HX)10,500 W13,000 WYesGasoline / Propane$1,399
Westinghouse Outdoor Power WGen9500DFc - Dual Fuel12,500 W—YesGasoline / Propane$1,399
Westinghouse Outdoor Power WGen10500TFc - Tri-Fuel12,500 W10,500 WYesGasoline / Propane / Natural gas$1,449
Westinghouse Outdoor Power WGen11500DFc - Dual Fuel13,500 W11,500 WYesGasoline / Propane$1,449
DuroMax 13,000 Watt Tri Fuel Portable HXT Generator (XP13000HXT)10,500 W13,000 WYesGasoline / Propane / Natural gas$1,499

Total your own list with the appliance load & runtime calculator.

Questions readers ask

How many watts does a central air conditioner use?
A typical one runs on about 3,500 W and can need 10,500 W to start; averaged over time it draws about 2,100 W. Check your own nameplate.
How many watt-hours do I need to run it for a day?
About 59,294 Wh of battery capacity for 24 hours, by our calculation (average draw × 24 h ÷ 85% efficiency).

Figures marked as Wattstanding calculations show their working; product figures come from the sources on each product page. How we work