Bluetti Elite 30 V2 with High Standby Power Consumption

mr.stone · November 10, 2025, 6:09am

Hello everyone,

I’m new to the world of portable power stations. After researching the features and ease of use I wanted, I decided to go with Bluetti. However, before investing several thousand euros in a Bluetti Apex 300 with two B300K expansion modules, I first purchased a Bluetti Elite 30 V2 as a test unit. This allowed me to gain a better understanding of what to expect from both the hardware and software.

However, I’ve encountered an issue: the unit’s standby power consumption is significantly higher than expected. I’m currently using the device in hybrid mode (grid + solar). According to the manual, standby consumption should be around 4.5 watts, but in my case, it is notably higher.

I’d appreciate it if someone from the @BLUETTI_CARE Team could look into this. Meanwhile, if anyone in the community has experienced similar standby consumption levels or found a workaround, I’d love to hear your insights.

Measurement Results

Device Tested

Parameter	Specification
Model	Bluetti Elite 30 V2 (EU – 230 V)
Battery	288 Wh (18 Ah) LiFePO₄
Inverter	600 W (Pure Sine Wave)

Symbols and Acronyms

Symbol	Meaning
	Enabled / ON / YES
	Disabled / OFF / NO

Acronym	Meaning
SoC	State of Charge
Inv.	Inverter
W	Watt
Δ	Delta (Change)
h	Hour
N/A	Not Applicable

Output Measurements

Important

Device Rated Power: Manufacturer’s specified maximum power consumption.

Measured Load: Independently measured real power consumption, used to assess inverter and conversion efficiency.

Power Station Reading: Output reported by the Bluetti Elite 30 V2’s internal sensors.

Measurement Equipment:

Anker Prime Powerbank: Internal sensors (accuracy — unknown)

Energy Meter: Model PM001-DG / ES-0021 (accuracy ±2%)

Output Type	Connected Device	Device Rated Power	Measured Load	Power Station Reading
AC Output (230 V / 600 W)	Bestron Fan (model ASV45Z)	45 W	±39.5 W	±39 W
DC Output (USB-A 15 W)	Anker Prime Powerbank 27K (model B1340)	140 W	±11.7 W	±12 W
DC Output (USB-C 100 W)	Anker Prime Powerbank 27K (model B1340)	140 W	±98 W	±94 W
DC Output (USB-C 140 W)	Anker Prime Powerbank 27K (model B1340)	140 W	±138 W	±136 W
DC Output (DC5521 Port, 12 V / 10 A)	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
DC Output (Cigarette Lighter Port, 12 V / 10 A)	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

Note

The following table compares measured versus rated output power to validate the unit’s reporting accuracy.

Test Matrix

Important

Total Load: Combined power output from both DC and AC sources.

“x” marks represent pending measurements.

“Avg. Power” represents the estimated average power consumption per hour calculated from the change in SoC over time.

#	DC Load	AC Load	Total Load	Start SoC	End SoC	Δ SoC	Duration	Avg. Power
01	N/A	N/A	N/A	100%	53%	47%	12 h	≈11.3 W ± 0.2 W
02	N/A	N/A	N/A	100%	58%	42%	12 h	≈ 10.1 W ± 0.2 W
03	N/A	N/A	N/A	100%	x%	x%	12 h	≈ x.x W ± x.x W
04	N/A	N/A	N/A	100%	x%	x%	12 h	≈ x.x W ± x.x W
05	N/A	N/A	N/A	100%	x%	x%	12 h	≈ x.x W ± x.x W
06	N/A	N/A	N/A	100%	x%	x%	12 h	≈ x.x W ± x.x W
07	N/A	N/A	N/A	100%	99.9%	0.1%	24 h	≈ 0.012 W ± 0.003 W
08	±12 W	±39 W	±51 W	100%	73%	27%	1 h	≈ 77.5 W ± 1.5 W
09	N/A	±39 W	±39 W	100%	81%	19%	1 h	≈ 54.7 W ± 1.1 W
10	±12 W	N/A	±12 W	100%	91%	9%	1 h	≈ 25.9 W ± 0.5 W

Settings

Charging Mode: Standard
Power Lifting: OFF
Screen Timeout: 30 s

Working Mode

Customized UPS
Charging: ON

These settings were used in all tests unless otherwise noted, to ensure consistent comparison of standby power across configurations.

State of Charge (SoC)

The current seasonal setting is Autumn.

Season	SoC Low	SoC High	SoC Solar	Reason
Winter	20%	85%	100%	Longer nights, cooler temps — allows higher top charge
Spring	20%	80%	100%	Balanced daily cycling
Summer	30%	70%	100%	Protects against high-temperature stress
Autumn	20%	80%	100%	Balanced daily cycling

Time of Use (ToU): ON

Period	Time Range	Mode
Night	00:00 – 05:00	Peak
Morning	05:00 – 09:00	Off-Peak
Daytime	09:00 – 23:59	Peak

ECO Mode

Mode	Status	Threshold	Auto Shutdown
AC		< 10 W	1 Hour
DC		< 5 W	1 Hour

Firmware Versions

Module	Status	Installed
IoT	Up to date	v8024.11
ARM	Up to date	v2203.08
DSP	Up to date	v2202.11
BMS	Up to date	v1087.05

Sideeffect · November 10, 2025, 11:09am

Depending on the inverter size the efficiency will vary greatly depending on the power draw. The standby consumption is only relevant to the power station consumption of the unit when AC or DC is enabled and does not take account of the efficiency of the inverter. For example the AC inverter could be 50% efficient at 20 watts but 80% efficient at 200 watts. Check here https://youtu.be/jySCQxJdmqk?t=3340

Just a few notes about the advertised standby consumption. I think those tests by Bluetti must be performed in the unplugged state because it seems only possible to realise those standby consumption levels when unplugged. By providing power to the system extra features are enabled, it synchronises to the grid voltage which you can measure using a voltage monitoring plug. When unplugged the UK unit is 230 volts and when plugged in it matches my Grid which is about 245 volts. It also enables the UPS mode which is impossible to fully deactivate on the systems when plugged in I have tested AC300, Apex 300, so I assume this is enabling bypass circuitry and extra monitoring circuitry.

For these reasons many people chose to keep the power stations unplugged so as to save standby power. Personally I have a UPS schedule programmed but enable or disable power with a smart plug so that the profile is only active during time windows of my choosing.

Moving on the next issue is that Bluetti power station use VA ( Apparent Power ) and not watts. So the displayed output can be inaccurate especially at lower power output.

Next issue is you are charging power banks which are pretty inefficient you could be losing 30% of power charging these due to voltage conversions and heat loss. It looks like maybe you were using these to just measure the load, but you can’t for example gather any useful information about the Bluetti efficiency this way because 100 watts of Bluetti output could only be 70 watts of storage after power bank losses. It would be the same as when you charge your Bluetti power station from the grid it will pull more power from the grid than the total battery capacity, the extra is lost in heat and conversions.

Another issue is that because LifePo4 batteries have very minor changes in voltage as they discharge it is difficult to accurately apply a percentage of power loss to an exact amount of power. For example discharging from 100 - 90% is not the same amount of power as 60- 50% or 10 - 0%, so you can’t really run small tests on a power station to determine the efficiency. In the Waveformscience videos he performs multiple full discharge tests for this reason

The in depth tests performed in reviews do show that the Bluetti numbers can be accurate or at least close though, and they are equivalent or generally somewhat better than the competition.

mr.stone · November 10, 2025, 12:37pm

Hi @Sideeffect, thanks for your knowledge and insights.

Depending on the inverter size the efficiency

The AC inverter (600 W) is highly efficient above 40 W, less efficient between 25 W and 40 W, and reasonably efficient below 25 W. The DC inverter, on the other hand, is generally very efficient.

Just a few notes about the advertised standby consumption

This isn’t used as marketing; it’s literally stated in the manual.

I think those tests by Bluetti must be performed in the unplugged state because it seems only possible to realise those standby consumption levels when unplugged.

I can include this in my tests and mention it in my post as well. What I’ve seen so far points to the same issue — consumption above 4.5 W.

For these reasons many people choose to keep the power stations unplugged so as to save standby power.

I understand that choice, but I’m using the power station specifically to save energy by relying solely on solar power. Therefore, all its functions remain active at all times in my setup.

Personally I have a UPS schedule programmed but enable or disable power with a smart plug so that the profile is only active during time windows of my choosing.

That’s a good tip — to use a smart plug between the mains and the power station — but that’s not relevant to my current tests of the power station.

Moving on, the next issue is that Bluetti power stations use VA (Apparent Power) and not watts. So the displayed output can be inaccurate, especially at lower power output.

I’m not sure where you got that information about VA (apparent power), but Bluetti’s official documentation clearly refers to watts (W). If you can show where it states that the Elite series uses VA, I’d be happy to see it — but please, only from official Bluetti documentation.

Next issue is you are charging power banks which are pretty inefficient — you could be losing 30% of power charging these due to voltage conversions and heat loss.

When charging a power bank via DC-to-DC, the energy loss is much smaller than 30%. I measure around 3.8 W of loss at a load of ±12 W, which equals about 10.9%. The power bank was only used to create a constant ±12 W load on the DC output (USB-A 15 W).

Another issue is that because LiFePO₄ batteries have very minor changes in voltage as they discharge, it is difficult to accurately apply a percentage of power loss to an exact amount of power. For example, discharging from 100–90% is not the same amount of power as 60–50% or 10–0%, so you can’t really run small tests on a power station to determine the efficiency. In the Waveformscience videos he performs multiple full discharge tests for this reason.

The calculation is quite straightforward. Here’s an example:

Battery: 288 Wh (18 Ah) LiFePO₄

Start SoC	End SoC	Δ SoC	Duration	Avg. Power (h)
100%	53%	47%	12 h	≈ 11.3 W ± 0.2 W

Calculation:

Energy used = 288 Wh × 0.47 = 135.36 Wh
Average power = 135.36 Wh ÷ 12 h = ≈ 11.28 W

The in-depth tests performed in reviews do show that the Bluetti numbers can be accurate or at least close though, and they are equivalent or generally somewhat better than the competition.

The issue is that almost all tests you see on YouTube are performed with US power stations, and there’s a significant difference between the US and EU versions due to voltage and power conversion differences per region.

That said, with a small 288 Wh (18 Ah) battery, it’s quite unfortunate that 47% of its capacity is lost to standby consumption within just 12 hours. In practice, this means it’s not very useful — except perhaps as a UPS backup for a PC or small device.

If I’ve misunderstood anything, please let me know.

Sideeffect · November 10, 2025, 2:19pm

The AC inverter (600 W) is highly efficient above 40 W, less efficient between 25 W and 40 W, and reasonably efficient below 25 W. The DC inverter , on the other hand, is generally very efficient.

The DC inverter on the Bluetti Elite 30 V2 was about 85% efficient if I remember correctly from the review testing. As the DC inverter is smaller it is still quite efficient at lower watts. It was about equivalent to the AC inverter efficiency once you get to 200 watts or so. It depends what the battery voltage is. On the AC300 it has to step down the voltage from around DC 54 volts to 12 volts and the step down converter has overhead just like AC to DC

This isn’t used as marketing; it’s literally stated in the manual.

That was just my opinion about how to get those advertised numbers. Bluetti will have more insight about that I am sure. I agree with you that the units use more than stated in the manual when grid tied.

I’m not sure where you got that information about VA (apparent power), but Bluetti’s official documentation clearly refers to watts (W). If you can show where it states that the Elite series uses VA, I’d be happy to see it — but please, only from official Bluetti documentation.

All Bluetti power stations I have seen use VA. Watts is used on the display probably so as not to confuse people, however it probably confuses people more.

When charging a power bank via DC-to-DC, the energy loss is much smaller than 30%. I measure around 3.8 W of loss at a load of ±12 W, which equals about 10.9%. The power bank was only used to create a constant ±12 W load on the DC output (USB-A 15 W).

Perhaps the very best power banks might have such good results, you do have high quality ones. Results I have seen are not as good. How are you measuring the loss? I don’t think you can just except the Bluetti output wattage as 100% accurate or for that matter the Anker input. For example my PowerStream records 70 watts of DC input when my Bluetti is reporting less output which wouldn’t be possible.

The calculation is quite straightforward. Here’s an example:

I don’t think that works because like I said you can’t determine Wh from percentage used because it is not linear. You need to do full discharge to 0%. Or am I misunderstanding your calculation. It looks like you have tested only 47% discharge.

The issue is that almost all tests you see on YouTube are performed with US power stations , and there’s a significant difference between the US and EU versions due to voltage and power conversion differences per region

That shouldn’t affect DC though. It could impact AC especially if the grid voltage is high. One of the reasons I like using a large power station like the Apex 300 is because I can have a nice and clean stable 230 Volt compared to my high 248V grid power if I run in off grid mode, so it acts as a voltage optimiser to save power. When the battery is large these losses are less of an issue, and there is always going to be overhead no matter what solution you decide to use.

mr.stone · November 10, 2025, 3:39pm

Hi @Sideeffect,

The DC inverter on the Bluetti Elite 30 V2 was about 85% efficient if I remember correctly from the review testing. As the DC inverter is smaller it is still quite efficient at lower watts. It was about equivalent to the AC inverter efficiency once you get to 200 watts or so. It depends what the battery voltage is.

Good to know. I’m planning to buy a Bluetti Apex 300 with two B300K expansion modules.

That was just my opinion about how to get those advertised numbers.

It’s a pity we have to deal with a marketing departments.

All Bluetti power stations I have seen use VA. Watts is used on the display probably so as not to confuse people, however it probably confuses people more.

I agree — I also get confused between watts (W) and apparent power (VA) in the powerstations space. As a consumer, you don’t really think about that; you just use the device like everyone else. Still, I looked up the exact difference:

VA values are important for generators, UPS systems, and transformers, since they must handle the total power load (including reactive power).
Watt (W) values are relevant for energy consumption, i.e. what you actually pay for on your electricity bill.

For me, watts are therefore the correct and most logical unit — as a consumer, that’s the way I think. But if you want to convert, you can do it like this:

From W → VA → multiply by 1.25
From VA → W → multiply by 0.8

Perhaps the very best power banks might have such good results, you do have high quality ones.

I agree — if you have a cheaper power bank, it won’t perform as efficiently.

I don’t think that works because like I said you can’t determine Wh from percentage used because it is not linear. You need to do full discharge to 0%. Or am I misunderstanding your calculation. It looks like you have tested only 47% discharge.

I fully charged the power station to 100%. Then I waited 12 hours and checked the SoC value (State of Charge), which was 53%. The change in charge (ΔSoC) is therefore 47%, meaning that during that time, 47% of the total battery capacity was consumed in standby mode, with all options enabled. This corresponds to an average standby consumption of about 11.28 W per hour.

It could impact AC especially if the grid voltage is high.

That’s exactly what I meant — on the AC side.

I do appreciate you taking the time to go back and forth with me on this topic. As my bio says, I’m just getting started with portable power stations, so I welcome all the help and knowledge I can get.

Sideeffect · November 10, 2025, 6:49pm

I fully charged the power station to 100%. Then I waited 12 hours and checked the SoC value (State of Charge), which was 53% . The change in charge (ΔSoC) is therefore 47% , meaning that during that time, 47% of the total battery capacity was consumed in standby mode, with all options enabled. This corresponds to an average standby consumption of about 11.28 W per hour .

There isn’t a major issue with this calculation, and it could be mostly correct or close enough, however it is not quite what I was getting at. You are still taking the total Watt hours of the system and dividing it by 100 to get your value of each 1%. The problem is that 1% is not always equal with LifePo4 power stations due to the very marginal changes in voltage. They have some smarts to help with the calculation, but they are guessing the charge level based on voltage level they are not calculating it from power usage from a set percentage. That is why for accurate results you need to fully discharge the power station. If you have time listen to this explanation. The link should be time stamped but it’s from 51:35 to around 54 minutes, and even though it is the AC efficiency test it still relates to the battery charge level. https://youtu.be/jySCQxJdmqk?t=3095

mr.stone · November 11, 2025, 7:31am

Hi @BLUETTI, Is there a reason why I can no longer edit or update my forumpost?

mr.stone · November 11, 2025, 8:55am

Hi @Sideeffect,

I watched the video, which was packed with information about the Apex 300 tanks. Here’s what I gathered:

WaveFormScience Measurements – Elite 200 V2:

Standby + AC Inverter: 10.83 W
Standby + DC Inverter: 3.16 W

My Measurements – Elite 30 V2:

Standby + AC Inverter: 10.08 W
Standby + DC Inverter: 9.36 W

Differences Between Devices:

Standby + AC Inverter: ≈ 6.9 % ± 0.1 %
Standby + DC Inverter: ≈ 196.2 % ± 0.65 %

I know the inverter capacities differ: 2,600 W for the Elite 200 vs. 600 W for the Elite 30. The AC-side numbers seem reasonable, but I’m re-running the DC-side measurements because of the large discrepancy and will share updated results.

The WaveFormScience measurements for the Elite 200 come from the video you linked. I captured a screenshot of the relevant section, which you can see below:

Screenshot (click to expand)

BLUETTI · November 12, 2025, 8:03am

Hello, yes, it can be edited again. You can try editing the historical post again.

mr.stone · November 12, 2025, 8:13am

Hi @BLUETTI,

See for yourself — there’s no edit button. Check the screenshot.

screenshot (click to expand)

mr.stone · November 12, 2025, 8:33am

Hi @Sideeffect,

I re-tested the Standby + DC Inverter last night, and the results were nearly identical, within a small margin of error. It seems that my unit isn’t quite as efficient on the DC side when Standby + DC Inverter is left enabled.

That said, once all the testing is complete, I plan to use this unit as a UPS for my desktop, since the batteries in my old UPS are failing. So the efficiency difference isn’t a major concern for me.

BLUETTI_CARE · November 12, 2025, 10:50am

Hi @mr.stone, Thank you for your interest in our new product—your test data is extremely detailed.
@Sideeffect’s explanation is highly professional and thorough. According to our internal test results, the Elite 30 V2 has a standby power consumption of 8W when there’s no load and the AC output is turned on. In comparison, it’s 5W when the DC output is activated. Minor variations may occur in real-world scenarios due to various objective factors.

For the Elite 30 V2, the screen will display the apparent power when the apparent power of the load exceeds 50W.
When the apparent power of the load is less than 50W, the screen will show the active power.

If you find that the Elite 30 V2 is discharging too quickly, we recommend updating all firmware first and then recalibrating the device. Generally speaking, this will help resolve the issue.

Sideeffect · November 12, 2025, 12:20pm

I was thinking of doing something similar when my lead acid UPS battery eventually dies… Thanks for all your testing it was interesting information.

mr.stone · November 12, 2025, 1:14pm

Hi @BLUETTI_CARE,

Could you please clarify the following: were the internal tests conducted with the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth modules turned on or off? This would make things much clearer for users regarding standby power consumption.

BLUETTI_CARE · November 14, 2025, 2:21am

Hi @mr.stone, Thank you for your attention to this issue.
We did not intentionally turn off the Bluetooth and WiFi modules during our testing.
It is normal to have deviations in customers’ tests, as our tests are conducted in professional laboratories that minimize the impact of external environmental factors, including temperature.