How many watts does a kettle use?
A typical UK kettle is rated at about 2,000 to 3,000 watts while it is heating. That's one of the highest draws in a normal home, but it only runs for a few minutes per boil, so it uses little energy overall. Roughly 100 to 200 watt-hours is a fair guess for a full boil.
That split between how hard something pulls (watts) and how much it uses over time (watt-hours) is the whole trick to sizing a power station. See watts vs watt-hours for the plain-English version.
Typical wattage of 16 common items
These are typical ranges for common household and camping items, not measurements we've taken. The label or manual on your own item is always the better number.
| Item | Typical running watts | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Phone charger | 5–20 W | Tiny. Ten phone charges rarely matter. |
| LED camping lantern | 3–10 W | Cheap to run for hours. |
| LED string lights | 5–20 W | Depends on length. |
| Wi-Fi router | 5–15 W | Runs all day, so it adds up. |
| Fan | 20–60 W | A steady draw. |
| Laptop | 30–100 W | Gaming and editing laptops draw more. |
| TV (LED) | 30–100 W | Bigger screens draw more. |
| Projector | 50–300 W | Brightness drives the draw. |
| Cool box or small fridge (compressor) | 40–100 W | Cycles on and off, so the average is lower, but it runs all day and night. |
| Electric blanket | 60–150 W | Much lower than a heater. |
| E-bike charger | 60–150 W | For a few hours. |
| Microwave | 1,000–1,800 W | Draws more than the power on the label. |
| Toaster | 800–1,500 W | Short bursts. |
| Coffee machine (pods) | 1,000–1,500 W | While heating. |
| Hair dryer | 1,000–2,200 W | Needs a high-output unit. |
| Electric heater | 500–2,000 W | The hardest thing to run from a battery. |
What this means when you pick a power station
- Output must cover the biggest item. A kettle at 2,000 W won't run from a unit rated at 300 W, however big the battery.
- Heat is the budget-breaker. Kettles, heaters and hair dryers need high output, and anything left running for hours drains a battery fast.
- Small, steady loads add up. A 45 W fridge running for 8 hours uses about 360 Wh, which is two to three kettle boils. Always multiply watts by hours.
Want to see it for your own list? Put your items into the power sizer and it will do the multiplication and show which units fit.