There’s a price cliff in home backup, and it catches people out. Portable power stations climb steadily from a few hundred dollars to around $3,000, and then, if you need 240V, the entry price roughly doubles.
That cliff is real and it isn’t a markup. 240V split-phase means different inverter architecture. What’s worth knowing is exactly where the cliff sits, what the cheapest honest way over it is, and, the part that often goes unsaid, whether you need to cross it at all.
First: do you actually need 240V?
Be honest about your must-run list, because this question is worth thousands.
You need 240V for: a submersible well pump · an electric water heater · an electric range or oven · an electric dryer · a central AC condenser or heat pump.
You do not need 240V for: the fridge · the freezer · lights · Wi-Fi and devices · a gas furnace’s blower · a CPAP · a window AC unit · a microwave · phone and laptop charging.
That second list is what most households actually mean by “keeping the essentials on,” and it runs perfectly on 120V. If your heat is gas and your water is municipal, you may be about to spend $3,500 solving a problem you don’t have. A large 120V power station plus panels will cost far less and cover it: our portable panel comparison and the state backup guides cover that route.
If a well pump is on your list, though, there’s no way around it. We sized that specifically here.
What 240V actually is, in plain words
A house in the US is fed with two 120V “legs” that together make 240V. Most of your circuits use one leg and give you 120V. A few heavy appliances use both legs at once and get 240V. That arrangement is called split-phase.
A normal portable power station makes one 120V supply. It has no second leg, so it cannot make 240V no matter how big the battery is. A split-phase system makes both legs, which is why it costs more and why it needs a different inverter inside.
The practical result is simple. If a circuit is wired to a double breaker in your panel, it is a 240V circuit, and a 120V-only station cannot run it. If you are not sure, look at the breaker: two switches joined together, or one wide switch, means 240V.
The loads that decide it
Typical figures only: the label on your own appliance is the number to use.
| Appliance | Voltage | Typical running power | Does it need 240V backup? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Submersible well pump (1/2 to 1 hp) | 240V | About 750 to 1,500W, with a much bigger surge at start | Yes |
| Electric water heater | 240V | About 4,500W while heating | Yes, and it is usually too big to back up at all |
| Central AC (2 to 3 ton) | 240V | About 2,500 to 4,000W, with a big start surge | Yes |
| Electric range or dryer | 240V | About 3,000 to 5,000W | Yes, but better replaced by a camp stove and a clothesline for an outage |
| Refrigerator and freezer | 120V | About 100 to 200W each | No |
| Gas furnace blower | 120V | About 400 to 800W | No |
| Lights, Wi-Fi, TV, phones, laptops | 120V | About 150 to 400W together | No |
Two things stand out. First, the electric water heater, range and big AC are so hungry that even a 7,200W system only runs one of them at a time and drains fast. Most households are better off planning around the well pump, the fridge and the essentials than around the whole house. Second, the one 240V appliance people truly cannot do without in an outage is the well pump, because with no pump there is no water at all.
The 240V options, cheapest first
| System | What you get | Price | Retailer link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anker SOLIX F3800 Plus (lowest price) | Split-phase 120V/240V, stackable expansion batteries | $3,499.99 | Check the price |
| EcoFlow DELTA Pro Ultra Portable Kit | 6,144Wh · 7,200W · 5.6kW solar input, no permanent install needed | $4,782.00 | Check the price |
| EcoFlow DELTA Pro Ultra Smart Home Kit | Same platform, wired for automatic whole-home switchover. | $7,769.00 | Check the price |
Prices as listed at the time of writing. They move, so the shop’s own page is the number to trust on the day.
The overlooked middle option
Worth knowing before you spend the extra $3,000: the DELTA Pro Ultra Portable kit at $4,782 is the same 6,144Wh / 7,200W platform as the $7,769 Smart Home version. The difference is permanent household integration, not power.
If you’re willing to run cords during an outage rather than have circuits switch over automatically, you get the full platform for $2,987 less: and you skip the electrician, the permit, and the wait. For a lot of households that’s the best value on this page. The full kit breakdown is here.
DELTA Pro Ultra Portable kit at Outbound Power ($4,782.00 at time of writing)
Three honest ways to back up a 240V load
| Route | Rough cost | Electrician needed | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hard-wired split-phase kit (Anker SOLIX F3800 Plus kit, DELTA Pro Ultra Smart Home kit) | $3,500 to $7,800 plus install | Yes, for the transfer switch or smart panel | A well pump and chosen circuits that switch over on their own |
| Portable 240V system you plug in during an outage (DELTA Pro Ultra Portable kit) | About $4,800 | Not for plugging in portable loads | People who will run cords and want the full platform for less |
| Skip 240V: large 120V station plus panels, and a well pump on its own plan | Often well under $3,000 | No | Gas heat, city water, and an essentials-only list |
A portable system covers the cord-in-the-wall loads you can unplug and move. A well pump is usually hard-wired, so a portable kit alone will not run it unless an electrician adds an inlet or a transfer switch for that one circuit. That is a small job compared with whole-home wiring, and it is worth pricing before you buy.
Questions to ask the electrician before you buy
Ask these on the first call. The answers change which system is cheapest for you.
- Can you install a transfer switch or inlet for just the well pump, rather than a whole-home smart panel?
- What is the pump’s starting current? Ask for the number on the pump’s plate or the installer’s sheet, because the start surge, not the running power, is what trips a system.
- Does my panel have room for the extra breakers or a sub-panel?
- Does my utility or city require a permit and inspection for a backup connection?
- What is the total installed price, in writing, for the one circuit I care about most?
If the installed price for one circuit is small, a hard-wired kit like the Anker SOLIX F3800 Plus becomes much better value. If the quote is for the whole panel, the portable route can win.
Which one fits you
- Well pump, and you want it to switch over by itself: the Anker SOLIX F3800 Plus kit at the lowest entry price, or the DELTA Pro Ultra Smart Home kit if you want more capacity and are comfortable paying for it.
- Well pump, and you are happy to plug it in when the lights go out: the DELTA Pro Ultra Portable kit, with an inlet added for the pump.
- City water, gas heat, fridge and devices only: you do not need 240V. A 120V Jackery unit costs far less. See our Jackery HomePower 3600 Plus review and the guide to sizing a solar generator.
- Central AC or an electric water heater on your must-run list: be realistic. A single battery system will not carry them for long, so plan to run one at a time, or look at a whole-home battery quote instead.
What “low-cost 240V” costs that isn’t on the price tag
Three costs that turn a low-priced system into an expensive one:
- The electrician. Anything hard-wired needs a transfer switch or smart panel, licensed and usually permitted. Get the quote before you pick a system. The portable route avoids this entirely.
- Panels. A battery with no way to refill is a countdown timer. Budget separately unless the kit includes what you need.
- Buying twice. The most expensive path is a 120V station bought without checking, discovered to be useless for the pump, then replaced. Check your must-run list against the voltage before anything else.
And one cost that’s gone: the Section 25D federal credit that covered 30% of residential solar and storage was repealed for systems placed in service after December 31, 2025. Don’t budget a 2026 purchase around it. Check DSIRE for surviving state and utility incentives, and confirm anything tax-related with a professional.
Conclusion
If you need 240V, the Anker SOLIX F3800 Plus at $3,499.99 is the lowest-priced system here that delivers it. If you want more capacity and solar input without paying for permanent wiring, the DELTA Pro Ultra Portable kit is the better fit at $4,782.
And if nothing on your must-run list is actually 240V: don’t cross the cliff. Spend a third of the money on a 120V system and panels, and put the rest somewhere it does more good.
Anker SOLIX F3800 Plus at Outbound Power ($3,499.99 at time of writing)
Common mistakes with a 240V budget
- Buying on watt-hours alone. Capacity tells you how long the system lasts. The power rating and the start surge tell you whether the pump starts at all. Check both.
- Forgetting the recharge. A system that cannot be refilled in a multi-day outage only delays the problem. Price panels in from the start. Our portable panel comparison covers the options.
- Comparing a kit to a bare battery. Some prices include the inverter, cabling and switchover gear and some do not. Compare the full list of what is in the box.
- Trusting an old price. Prices on these kits move. Check the shop’s page on the day you buy.
- Ignoring the cables. Mismatched connectors waste a day in an outage. See our cables and connectors guide.
Keep reading: Best solar generator for a well pump · DELTA Pro Ultra kits compared · All gear comparisons