How to Choose an Inverter For home? This can go a long way in ensuring you end up with the right product for your home. The Inverter is one of the most important devices that has a vital role to play in ensuring constant power supply in rural areas, villages, and small towns that have power-shortage issues. Simply put, this is a device that converts electric power into Alternating power, as most of our appliances, especially in a country like India, are AC power dependent. The charm of the Inverter is to offer a backup power source once your main power source gives away. This way, you will hardly feel the lack of Power supply and continue with your daily chores. Likewise, it is also important to be able to know how to select an Inverter for your home.
Here are a few things you need to check out when selecting the right Inverter:
1. The Inverter Type
Did you know that there are three different Inverter types? Let us take a look at each of these:
Pure Sine-Wave Inverter: This type functions on the Power-demand formula. This implies that the Voltage can be adjusted according to the needs at the time. To date, this has been considered to be the top choice for various homes and shops.
Modified Sine-Wave Inverter: This Inverter type requires a few minutes before it can start; It is known not to offer smooth operation as compared to the Pure Sine Wave Inverter type.
Square Wave: This inverter type is the least efficient of the lot and is applicable for appliances that require less power to start.
2. The Power Usage
It is essential to understand your overall power requirement. This is not the same across all homes and requirements. For this, find out the devices you need running when power cuts occur in your home. Estimate the power requirement of each of these appliances and sum up the total. This will offer you the exact or approximate power requirement; hence you will know which inverter type to opt for.
3. The Capacity of the Inverter
This is the next most important aspect when it comes to selecting the right Inverter for your home. But how to decide on inverter capacity for a home? This is represented as VA and can be calculated by the following formula:
VA = Power Requirement/Power Factor
Once you have calculated the Capacity of the Inverter, you can now easily pick a model that falls in this Power range to suit your needs.
4. The Battery Size
The Inverter battery, or rather its size of it, is one of the most important aspects when selecting the right appliance.
Backup Time (in hours) = Battery Capacity (in Ah) X Input voltage (V) / Total Load (in Watts)
The user can easily utilize the above formula to calculate the battery backup time. This goes a long way in ensuring you decide upon the right battery and Inverter.
The battery capacity is stated on top of the appliance and is represented by the unit (Ah). The Input Voltage is determined by the Voltage at your power supply to your home.
As for the Total load, you need to calculate by Power of each appliance X No. of that appliance
For example, if you have 2 fans, each of 75 Watts, then the load of the fans will be
= 2 X 75 W= 150 W for the fans.
Likewise, you can calculate the power consumption of the other appliances similarly to get the ‘Total Load’ value for the above formula.
5. The Battery Type
Much like the Inverter types, there are also various types of Inverter batteries to select from, and it goes a long way in helping you how to choose the best Inverter for your home. Here are the battery types:
Flat Plate Battery
This battery type is the most widely used across the globe and is quite a popular type. This is a Lead-Acid battery type. Here, the two electrodes are made from Lead, and the other is Lead di Oxide, while the electrolyte used is Sulfuric acid. These are lightweight and also quite economical; in the Indian market, you can easily purchase one for INR 9000 to INR 15000.
Tubular Battery
These are the improved versions of the Flat Plate battery and have a long life span of up to five years. This type comprises deep charging cycles and does not require much maintenance. This is because the positive plates are replaced by a tube and are further covered by a cloth. Hence, the name ‘Tubular battery’ is coined for this battery type.
The Maintenance-Free Battery Type
This is raging popularity, and as the name suggests, it hardly requires any maintenance. Here, it means that you need not have to refill it with distilled water repeatedly. This is because of a special electrolyte utilized in this battery type that does not require replenishment. This also makes the appliance rather safe to use. Also, the best part about maintenance-free batteries is that they do not emit harmful or poisonous gases. These are also knowns as the ‘Sealed battery’ types or the Sealed Maintenance Free, or the VRLA type.
The Inverter Compatibility
This is by far one of the most important aspects to consider when selecting the right Inverter for your home. For the Inverter to work fine, it is important to ensure that it is compatible with the battery type as well. Some inverters do not support high battery capacity or even low-capacity types. For the safer side, it is recommended to opt for the inverter and battery combos that are available on the market.
The Warranty
As this is your electric appliance, you must consider a long or extended warranty period offered by the brand. This is one of the most important aspects of choosing the best Inverter for your home. It will help you repair the batteries as and when required.
Also Read: Best Inverter Battery In India
How to Choose an Inverter For Home?: The Conclusion
So, there you have it, friends; this is a comprehensive home inverter buying guide. These are some of the most important aspects to consider when purchasing the Inverter for your home. Be sure to thoroughly review the guide before buying the right Inverter for yourself.