Generator vs power station cost per kWh calculator

Compare what a kilowatt-hour costs when recharging a portable power station from the utility grid in your US state against running a gasoline generator.

Grid recharge electricity in Texas costs $0.19 per kWh delivered (15.91 cents/kWh EIA residential rate in August 2026, divided by 85% charge efficiency). Enter your fuel price and generator kWh per gallon below to compare gas generator fuel cost per kWh side by side.

Full grid recharge for FOSSiBOT F2400 Portable Power Station (2,048 Wh): $0.38. Battery wear cost per lifetime kWh from our table: $0.09/kWh (combined battery amortization + grid electricity: $0.27/kWh).

Side-by-side cost per kilowatt-hour comparison between grid-charged power station and gas generator
Cost component	Cost per kWh	Source / basis
Grid recharge electricity (Texas)	$0.19/kWh	EIA August 2026 (15.91 ¢/kWh ÷ 0.85)
Station battery lifetime amortization (FOSSiBOT F2400 Portable Power Station)	$0.09/kWh	Price ÷ (capacity × cycles × retention × 0.85)
Gas generator fuel cost per kWh	enter fuel & spec below	User-entered fuel price ÷ kWh per gallon

1. Grid electricity and power station

US State (EIA residential rate)

Power station model for lifetime kWh context

AC wall charging efficiency: 85% (0.85)

2. Gas generator fuel price and efficiency

Gasoline price ($ per gallon)

Generator kWh per gallon

Find it on your generator's spec sheet: runtime at a stated load and tank size. kWh per gallon = load kW × runtime hours ÷ tank gallons.

Stated load (kW)

Runtime at load (hours)

Fuel tank size (gallons)

Power stations with the lowest cost per lifetime kWh

Top three power stations ranked by lowest cost per lifetime kilowatt-hour
$/lifetime kWh	$/Wh	Price	Capacity	Chemistry	Cycles	Product
$0.09	$0.31	$629 at FOSSiBOT Store, as of 2026-11-06	2,048 Wh	LiFePO4	4,000 (80%)	FOSSiBOT F2400 Portable Power Station
$0.09	$0.29	$899 at Pecron Store, as of 2026-11-06	3,072 Wh	LiFePO4	3,500 (80%)	Pecron F3000LFP Portable Power Station 3600W 3072Wh
$0.10	$0.32	$649 at Pecron Store, as of 2026-11-06	2,048 Wh	LiFePO4	3,500 (80%)	Pecron E2400LFP Portable Power Station 2400W 2048Wh

How grid electricity cost per kWh compares to gasoline generator fuel cost

Recharging a battery from wall power costs your state's residential electricity rate divided by charging efficiency. A gasoline generator's fuel cost per kilowatt-hour equals local fuel price per gallon divided by the kilowatt-hours the generator produces per gallon at a stated load.

Calculate your required backup capacity on our portable power station runtime calculator or estimate off-grid solar refill time on our solar generator recharge time calculator.