What Size Inverter for Home Do I Need

If you live in an area with frequent power cuts or rising electricity bills, you may buy an inverter for home. No matter what type of inverter you want to buy, one of the most important factors in choosing a suitable size.

So before buying an inverter for home, we need to do a preliminary calculation of the total power of the household appliances. Don’t blindly install the same inverter with your friends and neighbors because each home has different needs for inverter power.

Power of different size inverters

size inverter for home

The inverter for home needs to meet two requirements: the usual power and the peak or surge power.
The common power is the power that the different inverter size must supply steadily. Generally, the total power of the inverter should be 20% higher than the total power of the household appliances.

A surge is the most incredible power an inverter can deliver for a brief period (usually no more than one second). Some appliances, particularly those with motors, require bigger start-up surges than they do when running. To avoid premature inverter burnout, use an inverter for home with a continuous rating to handle the surge rating of your equipment. Because inverters dislike operating in surge mode, don’t rely on the surge to activate your equipment unless the manufacturer specifies that the surge time is longer than usual.

Calculating the total power of household appliances

First of all, we need to do a preliminary rough calculation of the total power of our home appliances.

ApplianceQtyInverter Wattage
LED Light (15W)460W
LED String Light (15W)460W
LCD TV (120W)1120W
Laptop (110W)1110W
Total Load350W

Happily, after calculating the total power of a household appliance, we can find the power rating by voltage x amperage when purchasing the machine. For example, a device designed for 120V, 1.5A is rated at 180W (power = volts x amps). Similarly, a 230V, 0.8Amp is rated at 184W.
Ideally, you would need a 350W inverter for a 350W point-of-load. But this is not possible in real life because light, machine losses, etc., all affect the overall efficiency of the inverter. So we need to know the VA rating of the inverter for home.
To find the VA rating of an inverter for home, we need to calculate the rated power divided by the inverter efficiency or power factor. Usually, we consider the efficiency of an inverter to be 80%-90%. Of course, good vendors will achieve 99%, but this is measured under ideal conditions.

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  1. Power = Volts x Amps
  2. Power in VA = Volts x Amps x Power Factor (efficiency)
  3. Power in VA = Power ÷ Power Factor (Efficiency)

By using the third formula (if applicable), we find the apparent power of the inverter as follows.
Power in VA = Power ÷ Power Factor (Efficiency)
VA power = 350W ÷ 0.8 = 437.5 watts.
Then, according to the formula, we choose an inverter with at least 437.5 watts of power to meet our living needs.

What size inverter for home to use?

The size of the inverter you select is determined by the power of the appliance or equipment you wish to use. If you’re not sure how to judge, feel free to contact us or the manufacturer of the inverter you want to buy. Now that you have a basic understanding of it let’s move on to peak/surge ratings. Any further calculations are impossible without this information.

Continuous and Peak/Surge Wattage

The inverter wattage ratings for both continuous and peak/surge power. The total amount of power that the best inverter for home can supply indefinitely is constant power. And peak/surge power is the maximum amount of power that an inverter can deliver for a short time, usually when the equipment or appliance is first turned on. Air conditioners, refrigerators, freezers, pumps, and other related devices use induction motors with peak/surge ratings of 3-7 times the continuous rating.
An inverter with a continuous rating of around 1500 watts and a peak/surge rating of about 3500 watts is required. It is generally advisable to develop a safety factor of 20 to 25% overestimating the continuous rating.

Difference between a modified sine wave and a pure sine wave?

Inverters for home have a modified sine wave or pure sine wave output. It is always good to have a sine wave inverter because it protects the safety and longevity of the equipment. There are also modified sine wave inverters for home cheaper than sine waves and have medium performance. In a sense, this is a pirated sine wave and is not recommended.

FeatureModified sine waveSine wave inverter
Supported appliancesMotorsComputers, laptops, refrigerators, ovens
Noise levelHigh, creates humming noise in inverter as well as in appliancesNormal
Safety of appliancesLessHigh
PriceEconomicalHigh

Pure sine wave inverter for home

Sine Wave Inverter has a high cost, so the market price is slightly higher. But the output is an ideal sine wave, which is better than the mains waveform. It can carry All types of loads. This is the best output waveform you can get from an inverter, and all devices can run it without interference or overheating. Some of the best inverter for home advantages are as follows:

Off Grid Solar System
  1.  Output voltage waveform is a pure sine wave with very low harmonic distortion
  2. Induction loads such as microwave ovens and motors run properly, quieter and cooler
  3. Reduces electrical noise in various machines and equipment
  4. Prevents computer crashes, unreadable printouts, malfunctions, and noise on monitors
  5. It provides effective electronic protection against overload, overvoltage, undervoltage, and overtemperature conditions

Modified sine wave inverter for home

The modified sine wave has some limitations. The following are some of the problems that can be encountered when using a modified sine wave inverter for home.

inverter for home
  1. Failure to disconnect in time leads to more significant safety risks
  2. Mismatch with the machine’s sine wave, resulting in reduced machine life
  3. Prone to malfunction

How do I connect the inverter for home?

Smaller inverters (150 watts) include a cigarette lighter adapter that connects to the cigarette lighter outlet in your car. Connect the DC connection cable with 300 watt and higher units directly and securely to the battery.
Inverters with more than 300 watts must be linked directly to the battery. The cable length is determined by the distance between the battery and the inverter.
Use the thickest wire available and the shortest practical length for connecting the inverter for home to the battery.
Note that recommended cable sizes vary by inverter make and model; before purchasing wires, consult the owner’s manual for the model you’re buying.

How long does the inverter for home run the device?

How long an inverter for home can run is not really related to the size of the inverter. It depends on the size of the battery chosen and the type of battery used. In case of a bit, we don’t have to consider this issue at all, because the inverter can run for a long time. In case of a power outage, the battery can usually keep the inverter running for half an hour to a few hours.

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