Renting a flat means living with someone else's walls. You can't bolt a home battery to them. You can't run a cable from the third floor to a solar array in a garden you don't have. And when a storm takes the grid down, as Darragh and Eowyn did for huge numbers of UK homes, there's no generator in the garage to fall back on.
A portable power station is the workaround. It sits in a cupboard, charges from an ordinary UK socket, and when the lights go it keeps the router, phones and laptop going. The bigger ones will run a fridge. Most models here use LiFePO4 cells rated for 3,000 to 6,000 charge cycles, several refill in about an hour, and all produce pure sine wave power that won't upset sensitive electronics.
We've judged these on what matters indoors in a UK flat: noise, footprint, real UK appliance loads and proper UK sockets rather than adapters. Prices are approximate UK figures and move often, so treat them as a guide rather than a quote.
The ten at a glance
| Model | Capacity | Output | Weight | Mains charge | Approx. UK price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EcoFlow DELTA 2 | 1,024Wh | 1,800W | 12kg | 50 min (to 80%) | £429 |
| Anker SOLIX C1000 Gen 2 | 1,056Wh | 1,800W | 12.9kg | 49 min | £429 |
| Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 | 1,070Wh | 1,500W | 10.8kg | 60 min | £799 |
| Bluetti AC200L | 2,048Wh | 2,400W | 28.6kg | 75 min | £999 |
| EcoFlow RIVER 2 Pro | 768Wh | 800W | 7.8kg | 70 min | £349 |
| Jackery Explorer 300 Plus | 288Wh | 300W | 3.75kg | 2 hrs | £199 |
| Anker SOLIX C300 DC | 288Wh | 300W | 3.6kg | 55 min | £179 |
| EcoFlow DELTA 2 Max | 2,048Wh | 2,400W | 23kg | 83 min (to 80%) | £899 |
| Bluetti Elite 200 V2 | 2,073Wh | 2,600W | 24.9kg | 60 min | £899 |
| EcoFlow DELTA Pro 3 | 4,096Wh | 3,600W | 51.5kg | 2.7 hrs | £2,799 |
Start with the kettle question
Most buying mistakes come from guessing the load. A kettle or a small heater needs the kind of output only the 1kWh class and above can deliver. A router, two phones and a laptop need a fraction of that. Decide which camp you're in and half this list falls away.
Just keep me connected
Jackery Explorer 300 Plus. The budget pick, and a good one. It squeezes 288Wh into 3.75kg, light enough to carry in one hand, and uses LiFePO4 cells, which isn't a given at this price. The 300W output covers phones, tablets, laptops, LED lights and small fans. Go much cheaper and you tend to find no-name cells and corner-cutting on safety. For students in shared flats, it's the sensible floor.
Anker SOLIX C300 DC. Same size class, but it refills in about 55 minutes against the Jackery's two hours, weighs a touch less and costs a touch less. USB-C PD ports make it a natural bedside backup for modern devices. Nothing bigger than a laptop or small fan, though.
EcoFlow RIVER 2 Pro. The step up for renters who want a few hours of real coverage without overbuying. At 768Wh and 7.8kg it's properly portable and quiet enough for a bedroom overnight. The 800W ceiling rules out kettles and heaters, but for router, lights and laptops through a short outage it's the sweet spot.
The 1kWh class, where most people should land
EcoFlow DELTA 2. Still the default recommendation, and deservedly. With 1,800W continuous output (X-Boost stretches resistive loads to 2,200W) it handles a kettle, microwave or small heater. The bigger story for flats is expansion: add a battery and you reach 2kWh or 3kWh without buying a second station. The app is the most polished around, and 0 to 80% in roughly 50 minutes means a top-up after a storm warning actually works.
Anker SOLIX C1000 Gen 2. Near-identical numbers to the DELTA 2, with a faster full recharge (49 minutes from empty), a sturdier aluminium frame and a five-year warranty. EcoFlow wins on ecosystem. As a standalone box at the same price, the Anker is arguably the sharper buy.
Jackery Explorer 1000 v2. At 10.8kg it's the lightest of the 1kWh group, which matters if you're carrying it up stairs. The lower 1,500W output can struggle with a full-size kettle, and at nearly double the price of the two above, you're paying for the weight saving and the brand. Worth it only if portability comes first.
Two kilowatt-hours, and the backache that comes with them
Bluetti AC200L. 2,048Wh and 2,400W continuous (3,600W surge) is enough for a full-size fridge or a home office for a full working day. Its 1,200W solar input suits a sunny balcony with a folding panel, and it expands to 8,192Wh. At 28.6kg, though, think stationary backup, not portable.
EcoFlow DELTA 2 Max. The middle ground: 2,048Wh out of the box, expandable to 6kWh, 2,400W output and EcoFlow's app and ecosystem. Twice the DELTA 2's price for twice the capacity is fair, and 23kg is kinder than the Bluetti.
Bluetti Elite 200 V2. Its headline is endurance: rated to keep 80% capacity after 6,000 cycles. If you plan to charge on cheap overnight rates and run off the battery by day on a time-of-use tariff, that longevity is real money. Specs edge the DELTA 2 Max at the same price, but the app and UK expansion range are less mature.
For owners, not renters
EcoFlow DELTA Pro 3. The heavy artillery. 4,096Wh and 3,600W can keep fridge, lights, router, laptops and even a boiler's heating pump going for hours, and it pairs with EcoFlow's plug-in balcony solar. It weighs 51.5kg, so it lives on the floor and stays there, and around £2,799 makes it an investment. For flat owners who want whole-home backup without a wall-mounted system, nothing portable here comes close.
Our honest call: most renters should buy the DELTA 2 or the Anker C1000 Gen 2 and stop there. If you're comparing other home tech too, browse more of our guides and polls.
Before you order
Can I leave one plugged in all the time?
These units are designed to sit charged in a cupboard and be ready, which is the whole point for power cuts. Check the specific model's app or manual for its recommended storage charge level.
Will the cheap 288Wh models run a fridge?
No. With 300W of output they're for phones, laptops, lights and small fans. For a fridge, look at the 2kWh class.
