It is always best to own an inverter as a saviour for the frequent power cuts during the summer season. It otherwise gets terribly annoying and uncomfortable to beat the summer heat. Well, if you are planning to buy an inverter and wondering how to buy the best one for your home. Here is the list of things to consider before buying the right backup device for your home.
1. Get to know your total power consumption – Keep in mind that inverter is different from the generator. The inverter cannot run all the appliances of your home, unlike generator. So it is good to do some research to estimate the total power consumption on a summer day. This way you will be able to decide which appliances you need the most, to keep you sane during the long hour power cuts. Inverters can even run the heavy electricity backing appliances like refrigerators. But skipping the use of such heavy appliances can keep the inverter running for few additional hours.
Easy Tip – Calculate the total power consumption by simply adding the power ratings or wattages of appliances like fan, lamps, laptops etc, which you think is a must for the exhausting summer days.
2. Know the difference between Inverter and home UPS – Both Inverter and home UPS convert DC (Direct Current) to AC (Alternating Current) which is primarily used as a backup power solution. The UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply) is mainly used to support computer systems as it takes merely less than one microsecond. On the other hand, Inverter takes more time and this can result in serious loss of unsaved data or programs and in some cases can even lead to the motherboard or hard disk damage.
3. Calculate the capacity of Inverter – The Inverter capacity is measured by VA or Volt-Ampere. Inverter Capacity is directly proportional to the total load that needs to be supported. The right way to calculate the precise formula is by dividing the total load to be supported by the power factor. The loss in the energy efficiency is mainly indicated by the power factor.
For example, if your power requirement is 650 Watts, the required Inverter Capacity will be 650 / 0.8. The power factor usually ranges from 0.6 to 0.8. So, the VA rating would be 812.5. You can thus choose Inverter with a capacity of 900 Watts as it is the closest to suffice your load requisites.
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4. Determine the Battery capacity – Battery Capacity is measured by WA or Watts Ampere. In case, you are wondering why it is essential to calculate battery capacity, we will tell you why? Battery capacity is basically the total electricity stored and inverter capacity is how much it can draw at a single go. Hence, there should be a proper match between Inverter capacity and Battery capacity to effortlessly serve the backup purpose. Even if you buy an inverter with lower capacity and battery with larger capacity, it can still support heavy appliances like the refrigerator and a few other home appliances.
5. Choose the right type of battery – There are 3 different types of battery like Flat plate battery, Tubular battery and sealed maintenance free battery.
- Flat Plate battery – This is the first gen battery and the most economical of all. They are lightweight and costs around Rs. 9000 to Rs. 15,000 based on its capacity. However, these types of batteries require more maintenance and you need to refill distilled water every 3 months to 6 months. They also come with short battery life and emit poisonous gases while charging and discharging. So, these are to be kept outside the home in proper ventilation. These are now rarely available and best to be avoided because of its side effects.
- Tubular Battery – These batteries are the improved version of flat plate batteries. They are more efficient because of deep charging cycles and are of low maintenance. They have a longer battery life of up to five years, but the only concern is the expensive price which ranges from Rs. 9000 to Rs. 25000.
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- Maintenance free battery – These are the best of all and require absolutely no maintenance. They are completely safe and do not emit any harmful or poisonous gases. These types of batteries are also known as Deep Cycle Sealed Maintenance free batteries (SMF) or Value Regulated Lead Acid. SMF batteries are being sold by only Okaya and Luminous. These types of batteries are super expensive and come with shorter life span.
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You can buy inverters and batteries from numerous brands available online. Some of the best brands include Luminous, Amaron, Exide and many more. Shopping via our Xerve page will fetch you interesting cash back offers to help you save more money. All you go to do is go to Xerve, search for the product you are looking for from any of the listed online stores. Every product you purchase will avail you alluring deals and money back offers.
