Where has this unit been all these years??!
I’m talking about the innovative Bluetti FridgePower, which officially just launched.
What a great solution!
The simplicity and sleek style of this fridge backup solution are superb.
And I’ve got just the space for this above my fridge/freezer combo…
Alright, let’s talk about a refreshingly new product from Bluetti: the FridgePower unit.
Well-named, so you know exactly what it does.
Having backup power for your fridge/freezer is usually your first concern when an outage hits.
Any simple power station will be able to supply the needed electrons for a day or so.
But you normally don’t want to have a bulky box on your kitchen counter to anticipate grid failures.
That’s where the new FridgePower unit comes into its own: unobtrusively and permanently alongside or on top of your fridge combo.
Always at the ready. Instantly switching over when the power goes out.
Bluetti Australia sent us a FridgePower unit with a BlueCell 200 extension battery and a remote display ahead of the official launch.
This enabled us to test the unit and share our impressions, which might help you decide whether the FridgePower is what you need.
Style, Substance, and So Sleek – the Bluetti FridgePower Unboxed
Yes, the FridgePower is a departure from the usual boxy line of power stations in the market.
This makes it extremely practical for tight spaces, such as you find around fridges.
The unit is only 78mm slim and fairly wide (350mm) and high (580mm).
The FridgePower also stands out because it is white, a good choice to blend in with most Aussie fridges.
I would imagine that some colour variations will become available later on, like silver or black, if this unit finds a niche in Australia.
As for substance, the FridgePower might be sleek and slim, but it is no lightweight when it comes to capacity.
An honest 2kWh for the main unit and for each battery extension pack.
You can have up to 3 extension units, making a total of 8kWh.
This should power the average fridge/freezer combo for over a week.
Another point to consider about capacity: this latest Bluetti product has a 93% inverter conversion rate, resulting in an industry-lowest standby draw of just 3W.
This means more power available for our use.
And lastly, longevity is built into the units.
The FridgePower battery retains at least 80% of its original battery capacity for at least 10 years or 4,000 cycles.
The system also has a schedule built in to fully discharge and charge the batteries every three months, so that the cells stay balanced and the system is functioning well for longer.
Features and Frills of the FridgePower
Whilst not a fully featured, universal power station like the Bluetti Elite Series, the FridgePower system has the right feature set for its main purpose.
You can plug in 2 appliances.
Like the big fridge/freezer combo and a separate freezer in our household.
Or just a fridge and your tropical aquarium that must have power when the neighbourhood goes dark.
And there’s also the obligatory USB-C port on the battery pack.
Just wish they had a higher output.
What stands out is the ease of connecting extension battery packs.
Just click in the Anderson plug for tight coupling of the units and connect the communication cable.
Hanging, standing, elevated or flat? Positioning Options for the FridgePower
There are plenty of options for securely placing these units in various tight spaces.
And Bluetti includes all the hardware for whatever choice you make.
These mounting options will let you hang the unit in about 10 minutes.
In our case, the best place would be flat on top of the fridge, just laying the main unit and the battery pack side by side on their rubber feet.
If you have enough space, you might screw in the 4 adjustable levelling feet for some more ventilation around the units.
Here’s the backside of our fridge, showing the cabling, the removable filters and the ports.
We encountered one small problem in laying the 2 units flat on top of our fridge: the fridge door had a large, 10mm high protrusion in one corner.
The levelling extension feet would have been great for that, but they were too long for the space available.
Our solution?
We got a piece of melamine and cut out the space for that protrusion, so now the units can lie flat.
This is what the final setup looks like for us.
And if you have concerns about the thermals, we have been checking it religiously and it has not been of concern.
If you intend to travel around this great Southland, securing the 20kg units is a must.
All the hardware for hanging, like frames, plugs and screws, is included. Or you can use straps or metal brackets.
There are even handles supplied so you can carry the units like a briefcase!
The glorious and very practical Display 1 and using the App
This is an optional but highly recommended external display, particularly when the FridgePower units are hard to reach.
The units do have a power button and 5 LEDs to indicate their battery levels, but the Display 1 has many more indicators, like temperature and humidity levels of the surroundings, SoC level and discharging time remaining.
On that note: that time works only properly when there is a constant and same power draw.
In the case of fridges that draw varies and there are times when there’s no draw at all.
Would be nice if there were an averaging function.
All functions are accessible through the App and that’s the way to set up how you want the units to work for you.
Some of these functions, like Time Control and Custom Charging, are not well described in the manual.
If I found it difficult to set up the right parameters for this, many more folks would benefit from clear, step-by-step instructions.
The ability to charge the units up during a period of your choosing is quite useful.
For instance, if you have solar panels, you’d ideally recharge your batteries in the middle of the day when you have excess power.
Another benefit, if you have solar coupled with another battery, is that the FridgePower takes care of some of the base load.
This leaves the main battery with more power for other eventualities or usage at night.
Our base load, the stuff that is always on, whether we are home or not, is comprised of the fridges, routers, security system and water pump for the fishpond.
Testing the Claims of the FridgePower and BlueCell 200 Battery Pack
Given that the main purpose of this system, as indicated by its name, is to provide backup power for your fridges and freezers, we restricted our testing to this domain.
However, there are plenty of other applications for this unit.
Its mobility (fairly lightweight with carrying handles) allows you to use it away from home.
The form factor, at only 78mm thin, allows it to be placed in nooks and crannies, inaccessible to regular power stations.
Back to testing the capacity claims for the FridgePower system.
First, let’s give the system a full charge and update the firmware.
Out of the box, it charges around 1000W, but max AC charging is 1800W.
That is also the maximum output power of the system, even though it can lift it briefly to 3000W to help start some heating appliances.
You might notice that the App or the Display 1 indicates a higher input than 1800W if there’s also an output.
The system still charges at max 1800W, but the output bypasses the battery.
This gives a greater efficiency and longevity for the batteries.
Capacity is rated at a full 2000Wh for each unit and my review setup has a total of 4kWh.
So, the question is: how long will that last for my fridge combo and medium-size freezer?
The answer is 36 hours.
For two appliances.
Not bad at all.
With just 1 fridge, I could hold out nearly 3 days!
Generally, Bluetti reckons the average fridge should last nearly a full day on 2kWh.
We noticed that the green LEDS on the two units do not always indicate the same charge level.
There is also a difference between the two units in the brightness of these LEDs.
There should be a function in the App to regulate the very bright lights.
There is an indicator brightness setting in the App, but varying the percentage does not change the brightness of these LEDs…
The noise level during turbocharging is somewhat elevated from the near-silent workings of the FridgePower.
So, based on our testing and validated by the numerous other Bluetti power stations we’ve reviewed, the FridgePower units will do what they promise: a solid backup for nearly a full day for the average fridge.
How to know if the FridgePower is right for you?
1. If you have no other backup system for your home, and the contents of your fridge or freezer are important enough not to let them spoil during blackouts.
2. If you want an unobtrusive and stylish backup system that has UPS capability for instant backup.
3. If you’re tired of moving the big fridge to access the power cord to hook up some backup power every time the grid fails.
4. If you want to travel and are cramped for space in your motorhome or caravan.
5. If you want a system that can be expanded seamlessly to cater for long-lasting outages.
Any or all of the above reasons should make one think about backing up.
Another reason might be if you have medication that needs to be refrigerated.
Plus, the fact that food is becoming more expensive by the week these days…
Why do we recommend the FridgePower?
What we truly love about Bluetti’s latest product launch is the innovative form factor and style.
Brilliant.
The easy expandability is a close second.
Third is the handy magnetic Display 1, telling you at a glance all you need to know about the system.
Lastly, (but in reality, the most important aspect) is the fantastic built quality of these and all the other Bluetti units we’ve evaluated.
Combined with the overall Value-for-Money factor, we don’t hesitate to award the Bluetti FridgePower our highest recommendation,
the DRN Pulse Award!
Speaking of value for money, there are several ways to save even more money.
The FridgePower launches on Kickstarter, and early birds get the fattest worms, eh, discounts.
These early-access perks are considerable, with the USD pricing listed at USD$759.
The Aussie pricing, with estimated shipping included:
- 1× FridgePower | AU Super Early Bird price AUD $1,243
- 1× FridgePower + 1× BlueCell 200 Extension Battery | AU Super Early Bird price AUD $2,317
(Please note: exchange rates may vary, the final price is subject to the rate on the day.)
Friends, this is an amazingly good price for a 4kWh system.
For comparison, the Elite 400 with slightly less than 4kWh, which we reviewed last month, retails now for $3299.
Be sure to secure your units as the FridgePower units will increase in price to the normal RRP when the Kickstarter Early Bird campaign has run its course.
In addition, readers of DRN get an additional discount (site wide!) by using our DRN5 code at the checkout.
