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Will it run? · UK figures, 230 V

Will a power station run a CPAP machine?

Short answer: Yes

A ResMed AirSense 11 draws 56.1 W typical and 73.2 W peak according to its user guide, so one 8-hour night with the humidifier on needs a station of roughly 700–870 Wh by our sums (typical to peak draw).

average load to cover
73W
start-up peak
104W
hours to cover
8h

How much power a CPAP machine draws

  • ResMed AirSense 11, typical

    56 W

    Published figure

    ResMed's AirSense 11 user guide: typical power consumption 56.1 W, peak 73.2 W. ResMed

  • ResMed AirSense 11, peak

    73 W

    Published figure

    Peak power consumption 73.2 W (same guide). The guide doesn't say which settings give the typical figure: plan with the peak if you use the heated humidifier and tube. ResMed

  • ResMed AirSense 10, peak

    104 W

    Published figure

    AirSense 10 user guide: typical 53 W, peak 104 W. ResMed

  • Without the humidifier

    20 W

    Range 15–25 W

    Estimate: no published figure found

    We found no maker figure for a CPAP with the humidifier off. Community figures of 15–25 W are unverified: measure yours with a plug-in energy meter.

Hours on four power stations

Worked with BLUETTI's published formula: capacity × 0.9 × 0.85 ÷ (load + 10 W the station uses itself). Capacity and continuous output are from each maker's UK page, read on 11 October 2026. "Too much" means the station's continuous output is below what the appliance needs at once.

Estimated hours of a CPAP machine on four power stations
LoadEcoFlow RIVER 3 Plus
286 Wh · 600 W		Jackery Explorer 500 v2
512 Wh · 500 W		Anker SOLIX C1000 Gen 2
1,024 Wh · 2,000 W		Jackery Explorer 2000 v2
2,042 Wh · 2,200 W
Humidifier off (estimate, 20 W)7.3 h13 h1 day 2 h2 days 4 h
AirSense 11 typical (56 W)3.3 h5.9 h12 h1 day
AirSense 11 peak (73 W)2.6 h4.7 h9.4 h19 h
AirSense 10 peak (104 W)1.9 h3.4 h6.9 h14 h
One cell, worked through

Anker SOLIX C1000 Gen 2: 1,024 Wh × 0.9 × 0.85 = 783 Wh usable. AirSense 11 typical (56 W): 56 W + 10 W = 66 W. 783 ÷ 66 = 12 h.

Make a plan with your provider first

The government's Prepare advice asks anyone who uses powered medical equipment to make a plan now with their care provider or clinical team for what happens in a power cut, and to keep backup batteries charged. A power station can be part of that plan; it doesn't replace it. This page is not medical advice.

Sign up to the Priority Services Register too. It is free in England, Scotland and Wales, and being medically dependent on electricity is one of the listed reasons to join: network operators give registered customers advance notice of planned cuts and priority support in an emergency.

AC or DC?

Plugging the CPAP's own power supply into the station's 3-pin socket is the simple route. ResMed also lists a DC/DC converter among the AirSense 11's accessories, which runs the machine from a 12 V outlet without converting to 230 V and back, and wastes less battery. Ask your provider which is approved for your machine.

Before you rely on it

  • Humidifier and heated tube settings make the biggest difference to draw; with them off, a station lasts several times longer.
  • Our sums include the station's own consumption of about 10 W. On the DC route the inverter loss mostly disappears, so real runtime is longer than the AC table.
  • Test it before you need it: run a full night on the station while the mains is on.

Which station we'd pick

Smallest on our UK list for this job

Anker SOLIX C1000 Gen 2

1,024 Wh and 2,000 W continuous: about 9.4 h at 73 W. One 8-hour night at the AirSense 11's peak draw with the humidifier on, the case the rest of this page sizes for. For two nights on one charge, look at the 2,000 Wh class in the table above.

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Want to add other appliances? The power-cut calculator does the sums for your whole home, and the full list of 14 stations has every UK figure.

Questions

How many watts does a CPAP machine use?

A ResMed AirSense 11 uses 56.1 W typical and 73.2 W peak; an AirSense 10, 53 W typical and 104 W peak, according to ResMed's user guides. With the humidifier off it is much less, but ResMed doesn't publish that figure.

What size power station do I need for a CPAP?

For one 8-hour night at the AirSense 11's 73 W peak, about 660 Wh of usable energy is needed by our sums (including the station's own 10 W), so a station of at least 870 Wh: in practice the 1,000 Wh class. With the humidifier off, a 500 Wh class station may cover a night: measure your draw to be sure.

Should I register for the Priority Services Register if I use a CPAP?

If you rely on electricity for medical equipment, the PSR lists you as eligible. It is free in England, Scotland and Wales; in Northern Ireland the equivalent is the Customer Care Register.

Other appliances

Guides (5)

Sources

Every figure on this page comes from one of these pages, read on the date shown. If a maker changes its page, its page wins.

See all 10 sources