About ChargeCostLab

What we do

ChargeCostLab publishes sizing calculations, runtime estimates, and appliance-compatibility guides for portable power stations and home battery backup systems. Every guide answers a specific question — "what size station do I need for X?" or "how long will Y run on a 1,000Wh unit?" — with the math shown and the assumptions stated explicitly.

Meet the analyst

The analysis on ChargeCostLab is written by Marcus Vance, a portable power sizing analyst who builds guidance from manufacturer specifications, DOE appliance energy data, and published inverter-efficiency standards. Marcus does not currently own or conduct hands-on runtime tests on the units he covers — all calculations are derived from cited primary sources and shown with their assumptions so readers can verify or adapt them.

The credential here is not lab equipment — it is consistency, transparency, and honesty about what we know and what we don't. Every article discloses its methodology and every number traces to a cited source.

Editorial independence

ChargeCostLab does not accept payment from power station manufacturers, retailers, or affiliate networks in exchange for favorable coverage. Where articles include affiliate links (see our Affiliate Disclosure), these are disclosed and do not influence which products are recommended or how they are described. We recommend products based on whether their published specifications fit the use case described in the article — nothing else.

Methodology

The core formula used across all runtime estimates on this site:

Runtime (hours) = (Rated Wh × 0.85) / Device Watts

The 0.85 factor is a combined derating for usable battery capacity (~85–92% of rated, depending on chemistry and temperature) and AC inverter conversion losses (~85–88%). This is a conservative baseline. Actual runtime depends on ambient temperature, battery age, specific appliance load profile, and other factors.

For full methodology details, including sources and assumptions, see our Methodology page.

Contact

Questions, corrections, or feedback: [email protected]