If you only want two things to keep working when the power goes out, the refrigerator and the internet, you do not need to back up your whole house. You need a battery sized for a short list of loads and the number of hours you want to ride out. That is good news, because a focused home battery backup for Las Vegas is easier to plan, faster to install, and easier on the budget than a whole-home system.
This guide walks through the simple math, the questions that change the answer, and how Anker SOLIX storage paired with Watchdog solar panels fits a fridge-and-Wi-Fi plan.
Start with two numbers: watts and hours
Every sizing conversation comes down to two things:
- Watts (W) tell you how much power a device pulls while it is running.
- Watt-hours (Wh) tell you how much energy a battery can store, or how much a device uses over time.
Multiply a device's average watts by the hours you want it to run, and you get the watt-hours you need. Add up the devices on your list, add some cushion, and you have a starting battery size.
The label on the back of your appliance, or its manual, is the best source for real numbers. The figures below are common ranges only, so use them as a starting point, not a promise.
The refrigerator: the load that matters most
A refrigerator does not run nonstop. The compressor cycles on and off, so its average draw over a day is much lower than its peak. A few things to know:
- Startup surge. When the compressor kicks on, it can briefly pull several times its running watts. Your battery's output (inverter) has to handle that surge, not just the average.
- Daily energy. Many modern full-size refrigerators use somewhere around 1 to 2 kWh per day. Older or larger units, side-by-sides, and extra garage freezers can use more.
- Heat matters. A fridge in a hot kitchen, or a freezer in a Las Vegas garage in August, works harder and uses more energy than the label suggests.
If you want to keep the fridge cold for a full day of outage, plan for its daily energy use plus a healthy cushion.
Wi-Fi: small load, big payoff
Your modem and router usually draw very little, often in the range of 10 to 30 watts combined. Over 24 hours, that adds up to a small slice of a home battery. Add a phone charger or two and a laptop, and you can keep working, streaming the news, and watching your security cameras through most outages without a large system.
Keeping the internet on is often the cheapest win in a backup plan.
A simple example to make the math real
Here is an illustrative example, not a quote:
| Load | Assumed average | Hours | Energy needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Refrigerator | about 60 W average (cycling) | 24 | about 1.4 kWh |
| Modem + router | about 20 W | 24 | about 0.5 kWh |
| Phones + laptop charging | about 30 W average | 8 | about 0.25 kWh |
| Total | about 2.2 kWh |
Batteries do not deliver every last watt-hour to your outlets, and you do not want to run one to zero. A common rule is to add 20 to 30 percent cushion on top. In this example, that points to roughly 2.5 to 3 kWh of usable storage for a full day. Your real numbers may be higher or lower, which is exactly why a quick sizing call is worth it.
Questions that change the answer
Before you settle on a size, think about:
- How long do you want to last? Six hours, one day, and three days are very different batteries.
- Is there a second fridge or freezer? Garage freezers in desert heat can double the food-storage load.
- Will you add anything later? A CPAP, fans, a microwave, or the garage door opener all change the plan.
- Can you recharge during the outage? This is where solar helps most.
Where Watchdog solar fits
A battery alone gives you a fixed amount of runway. Add Watchdog solar panels and you can recharge during the day, which stretches a fridge-and-Wi-Fi plan from one day to several. In Southern Nevada, with strong sun most of the year, solar input can make a modest battery behave like a much bigger one during a multi-day outage.
Why sizing locally helps
A sizing call is not about selling you the biggest system. It is about matching storage, output, and solar to the loads you actually care about. Sun Solvers helps Las Vegas homeowners build that plan at 3201 Sunrise Ave, by phone at (702) 296-7300, or by email at curtis@ucclv.com. Bring your fridge model and a list of what you want to keep on, and we will help turn it into numbers.
Book a backup sizing call. Email curtis@ucclv.com or call (702) 296-7300 to size an Anker SOLIX battery with Watchdog solar that keeps your fridge cold and your Wi-Fi on through the next Las Vegas outage.