The new Jackery FridgeGuard: Where to buy after launch

The new Jackery FridgeGuard is a slim portable power station built to keep a standard refrigerator cooling for up to 15 hours during a blackout. It is sold exclusively at Costco for $549.99 at launch, with free shipping on online orders for members at costco.com or select warehouses. You will need an active Costco membership to complete the purchase, with annual fees typically running $65.

Key Takeaways

• The new Jackery FridgeGuard costs $549.99 at launch through Costco, down from a $699.99 list price.
• Its 1,024Wh LiFePO4 battery is designed to keep a fridge running for up to 15 hours, with optional expansion to roughly 30 hours.
• Setup is plug-and-play: wall outlet to FridgeGuard, fridge into the unit, with roughly 10-millisecond UPS switchover when the grid fails.
• Costco is the only retailer carrying it for now, with free shipping on online orders and in-store availability at select warehouses.
• At just 2.6 inches thick and 23 pounds, it is built to sit on top of or beside your refrigerator without a major kitchen remodel.

Power outages have always been more than an inconvenience. Phones die, coffee makers go silent, and the real sticker shock often arrives when you open the refrigerator door days later. Spoiled milk, wilted produce, and a trash bag full of groceries can turn a brief blackout into a surprisingly expensive cleanup.

For decades, households handled that risk with low-tech workarounds: keeping the freezer door shut, racing perishables to a neighbor with a generator, or simply hoping the utility company restored service before anything turned. It was a familiar ritual in storm season, and one that rarely felt solved — just delayed.

That is the nostalgia angle worth naming plainly. The kitchen of the 1990s or early 2000s did not have a dedicated appliance backup sitting flush above the fridge. Today, portable power has moved from camping gear and garage generators into something that looks like it belongs next to a stainless-steel refrigerator. For more stories about how everyday tech keeps rewriting old habits, browse our Nostalgia: Then & Now coverage.

What is the new Jackery FridgeGuard?

Jackery’s answer is the FridgeGuard, an ultra-slim portable power station built specifically around refrigerator backup. Mashable contributor Lauren Allain describes it as shockingly thin — about 2.6 inches — and light enough at 23 pounds to lift onto the top of a full-size fridge without a struggle.

Unlike a whole-home battery install, the FridgeGuard is designed for a two-cord setup. You plug the unit into a standard wall outlet, then plug your refrigerator into the FridgeGuard. Once configured, it draws grid power to stay topped off, ready to take over the moment electricity drops.

Jackery says the switch happens within about 10 milliseconds, which is UPS-grade speed meant to keep the compressor from noticing a hard cut. Allain notes she did not have time to run a full blackout test herself, but the company rates the 1,024Wh pack for up to 15 hours of cooling on a typical refrigerator load.

Where can you buy the Jackery FridgeGuard after launch?

Here is the direct answer shoppers keep searching for: the new Jackery FridgeGuard is a Costco exclusive at launch. You can order it at costco.com or look for it in select Costco warehouses, depending on regional stock.

At the time of launch, Mashable reports the introductory price is $549.99 — framed as a 20 percent discount off the $699.99 MSRP. Online orders through Costco include free shipping and handling, but you will need an active Costco membership. The article notes an annual membership runs $65.

If your local warehouse is not stocking units yet, checking Costco’s website for availability updates is the most reliable path. There is no broad retail rollout beyond Costco mentioned in the launch coverage, so third-party resellers should be treated with caution until Jackery expands distribution.

What specs matter if you are comparing it to a generator?

Generators still dominate the mental image of backup power, especially for anyone who remembers extension cords snaking across driveways after a hurricane. The FridgeGuard targets a narrower, kitchen-first job: keep the fridge alive without fumes, fuel, or outdoor setup.

According to Mashable’s spec breakdown, the core numbers are straightforward. Capacity sits at 1,024Wh with 800W continuous output and a 1,600W peak rating to handle compressor startup surges. The battery chemistry is LiFePO4 lithium iron phosphate, and Jackery backs the hardware with a five-year warranty.

Physical dimensions are 23.6 inches by 12.8 inches by 2.63 inches. If cabinet clearance above your fridge is tight, Allain found it slid under upper cabinets with room to spare in her test kitchen. No overhead space? Screw-on legs let you park it on the floor beside the appliance instead.

Can you extend runtime beyond 15 hours?

Yes — with limits that mirror how people used to stack ice packs and hope for the best, but with actual engineering behind it. Jackery sells the FridgeGuard as expandable: add a second unit for a combined 2,048Wh, which the company positions at roughly 30 hours of refrigerator backup.

The Jackery app adds a layer that old blackout playbooks never had. Owners can monitor charge level, remaining power, output, and operating temperature from a phone rather than guessing how long the compressor has been cycling. That is a meaningful shift from the “keep the door closed and pray” era.

It is still not a whole-home solution. Lights, HVAC, and multiple large appliances will need their own plan. For fridge preservation alone, though, the FridgeGuard is pitched as a set-and-forget appliance rather than a weekend camping battery you drag out when clouds gather.

Is the Costco exclusive deal actually worth it?

Value always depends on how often your grid flickers and how much you typically lose when it does. A single spoiled grocery run can easily approach the launch price, which is part of why dedicated fridge backup is having a moment.

The $150 launch discount against MSRP is meaningful, but the Costco gate matters. If you are not already a member, factor the $65 annual fee into your true first-year cost. For households that already shop the warehouse chain, the exclusive pricing and free shipping make the math simpler.

For authoritative launch details, pricing, and hands-on impressions, see Mashable’s first look at the Jackery FridgeGuard. That is the primary reference for specs, photos, and the step-by-step buying guidance summarized here.

The bigger picture is cultural as much as technical. Backup power used to mean loud machines and extension cords. The new Jackery FridgeGuard represents a quieter bet: a flat box that lives where your kitchen already has dead space, waiting for the outage you hope never comes. Whether that becomes as normal as a smoke detector will depend on price, reliability, and how many freezers full of food people are willing to risk again.