Bluetti just launched the FridgePower portable power station — preorders save at least $540

One of the biggest inconveniences when the power goes out is worrying about food spoiling in the refrigerator. A storm that knocks out power always seems to show up just a few days after doing a major fridge and freezer restock. We used to transfer items out of the fridge and into a cooler, but portable power stations made that a thing of the past. Bluetti, a leader in the portable power industry, has made things even easier.

The Bluetti FridgePower is the brand's latest portable station, aimed directly at keeping the refrigerator and freezer cooling when the power cuts out. Unlike the majority of portable power stations that have a rectangular shape, Bluetti built the FridgePower to be slim to easily sit atop your fridge. It's less than three inches in height and has anti-slip silicone feet for better stability.

According to Bluetti's calculations, the FridgePower's 2,016Wh battery capacity will keep a refrigerator powered on for nearly 22 hours if the appliance pulls about 2,000Wh per day. Instead of worrying about food going bad during an outage or strategizing opening the fridge for 10 seconds to grab the milk as quickly as possible, you'll have the reassurance your fridge will stay powered on for about a day.

Bluetti FridgePower spec breakdown

• Capacity: 2,016Wh

• Battery type: LiFePO4

• Continuous output: 1,800W

• Surge power: 3,600W

• UPS: under 10 milliseconds

• Weight: 43 pounds

• Dimensions: 22.83 in. × 13.78 in. × 2.95 in.

• Warranty: 5 years

Versatile design and major expansion ability

In addition to setting the FridgePower either directly on top of your fridge or in a cabinet above, you can also mount the unit vertically to a nearby wall. The FridgePower has built-in wall mounting brackets and it comes with a mounting kit. That means you can easily set it up on a wall near the fridge in the kitchen or in the garage to power up the extra fridge or chest freezer.

If the 2,016Wh capacity doesn't feel like enough, you can add up to three BlueCell 200 expansion batteries for a total of 8,064Wh. Each BlueCell 200 has identical dimensions to the FridgePower for perfect stacking ability.

Convenience of a dedicated fridge backup

I've tested dozens of power stations and one of the most useful scenarios for them is to keep the fridge cooling. Not only does that mean food doesn't spoil, it's essential for some households that have medical supplies that need to stay cold. The majority of the power stations I've tested are capable of running a refrigerator for various amounts of time, but adding the Bluetti FridgePower to your home takes it to a new level of convenience.

When my home's power went out for almost 24 hours in December, I plugged the refrigerator into a 2,000Wh power station and left it sitting on the kitchen floor. But when I needed to charge my phone with the portable power station, I was tethered to the kitchen floor since it was keeping the fridge cooling. The Bluetti FridgePower serving as a dedicated fridge backup frees up any other portable power station you have to use around the house for lights, the WiFi router, and recharging phones.

Plentiful recharging options

With standard AC wall charging, the Bluetti FridgePower will take about an hour to go from 0 to 80% and about 105 minutes to reach a full charge. With a 1,000W solar panel, it'll take a bit over 120 minutes to reach full power. Bluetti also plans on launching the Alternator Charger 2 soon which will allow you to recharge the FridgePower with your car's alternator.

How to pre-order the Bluetti FridgePower

Bluetti is launching the FridgePower via Kickstarter with big discounts for pre-orders. Between April 16 and May 31, early orders save at least 42%. Bluetti expects shipments to begin in early June to make use of during summer storms and hurricane season.

Bluetti mentions these sale prices are super early bird offers. Once those sell out, prices will shift to normal early bird pricing. They're still good deals, just not quiet as attractive as the super early bird offers. A standalone FridgePower, for example, will shift from super early bird $759 to early bird $819.

If you live in an area that's prone to power outages and food spoilage is a major concern, the Bluetti FridgePower could be the perfect backup system. With these early bird sale prices taking at least $540 off, it's worth jumping on them asap.