The constant worry of power outages is no longer an unavoidable reality. As South Africa's electricity challenges continue to grow, more households are turning to inverters as a smarter, more reliable way to keep the essentials running. Some rely on them during load-shedding, while others simply want more control over how they use and store energy. In this guide, we’ll walk you through what to consider when choosing the best inverter for home use and highlight a standout option that’s well-suited for everyday use. Read on!
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In South Africa, frequent power outages and rising electricity prices make backup power more important than ever. An inverter is a vital part of any solar system for home, converting DC electricity from batteries or solar panels into AC power that your appliances can use.
For most households, the main benefit is protection during load shedding. With an inverter and battery setup, you can keep lights, Wi-Fi, fridges, and other essentials running without disruption.
Inverters also support long-term savings. When connected to a solar panel system, you can generate and use your own electricity, reducing reliance on the grid and cutting monthly bills.
Some smart inverters help you save even more by using stored energy during peak-rate hours and recharging when rates are low.
The inverter's power output determines how many appliances the inverter can run simultaneously and for how long. Start by making a list of all the appliances you intend to power during an outage or with your solar setup, along with their individual wattage. Remember to account for surge power, which is the temporary burst of power some appliances (like refrigerators or motors) require when they start up.
An inverter's performance depends on the battery it’s paired with. Make sure it supports your battery type (like lithium-ion or lead-acid) and charges efficiently. Battery capacity, measured in kWh, determines backup time. For example, running W of appliances for 4 hours requires at least 4 kWh of usable battery storage.
For households with higher power demands or those looking for a long-term backup solution, systems like the EcoFlow DELTA Pro Portable Power Station offer substantial battery capacity, seamless inverter integration, and expandable modular design, ideal for extended outages or partial home backup.
When it comes to finding the best inverter for home use South Africa, the EcoFlow PowerStream Microinverter 800W stands out as a highly innovative and efficient solution, particularly for South African households looking to embrace smart energy management.
This microinverter is designed to integrate seamlessly with EcoFlow portable power stations and balcony solar systems, offering a unique approach to harnessing solar energy and reducing your electricity consumption. Here's why the EcoFlow PowerStream Microinverter 800W is a top pick:
The key advantage lies in its intelligent system. When connected to EcoFlow portable power stations, it intelligently distributes power. If your appliances are consuming less power than the solar panels are generating, the surplus energy is stored in the portable power station. During times of low solar generation or at night, the system can draw power from the stored energy, ensuring a continuous supply and maximizing the use of your self-generated electricity. This clever optimization means less wasted solar energy and more savings on your electricity bill.
A power inverter is a device that converts low-voltage DC (direct current) power from a battery to standard household AC (alternating current) power. An Inverter allows you to operate electronics, household appliances, tools and other electrical equipment using the power produced by a car, truck or boat battery or renewable energy source, such as solar panels or wind turbines. An inverter gives you power when you are "off the grid" so you have portable power, whenever and wherever you need it.
An inverter simply converts DC (battery) power into AC power and then passes it along to connected equipment. An inverter/charger does the same thing, except it is an inverter with batteries attached. It remains connected to an AC power source to continuously charge the attached batteries when AC utility power – also known as shore power – is available.
An inverter/charger is a quiet alternative to gas generators, with no fumes, fuel or noise to deal with. During prolonged outages, you may need to run a generator occasionally to recharge the batteries, but the inverter/charger lets you run the generator less often, conserving fuel.
Simply put, a power inverter delivers AC power when there's no outlet available or plugging into one is impractical. This could be in a car, truck, motorhome or boat, at a construction site, in an ambulance or EMS vehicle, at a campground or on a mobile medical cart in a hospital. Inverters or inverter/chargers can provide power for your home during an outage to keep refrigerators, freezers and sump pumps operating. Inverters also play an essential part in renewable energy systems.
The direct current, or DC, power that comes from a battery flows in one direction from the battery's negative terminal, through the completed circuit and back to the positive terminal of the battery. However, typical 12-volt or 24-volt batteries provide only relatively low-voltage power. Depending on your location, appliances need to run on 120-volt or 230-volt AC power.
120V Power Inverters
230V Power Inverters
An inverter tackles this disparity by increasing the voltage and using transistors or semiconductors to reverse the polarity of the DC input back and forth rapidly, sending it one way through the circuit, then very quickly reversing it and sending it the other way. In most cases, it does this 60 times per second (60 Hz).
Inverters and UPS systems both provide power from batteries in the absence of AC power. A UPS typically includes the battery and battery charger in one standalone unit. Batteries for an inverter are generally user-supplied.
A UPS system also can have communication with the equipment that it is powering, letting the equipment know that it is operating on standby, giving it shutdown warnings or communicating with the human in the loop. Inverters typically don't have this capability.
Depending on the inverter, it will respond to a power outage in 4.2 to 16.7 milliseconds. A UPS responds in a fraction of that time, making the UPS a better choice for applications that must remain powered, such as computer networking equipment.
A generator runs on gasoline, diesel fuel or propane to produce electric power. An inverter converts DC power stored in batteries to AC power needed to run tools, electronics, appliances and other devices.
A generator may be a better choice when large amounts of power are needed for prolonged periods. However, an inverter/charger is a cleaner and greener choice. It is quiet and fume-free, making it preferable for residential areas or for use indoors.
An inverter/charger can work along with generator power when the generator is running, allowing you to turn the generator off for periods of time to save fuel without turning off your equipment.
An inverter/charger converts DC (battery) power into AC power and then passes it along to connected equipment. When it is connected to an AC power source, it continuously charges the attached batteries. During a power outage, the inverter/charger will automatically switch to battery power to provide power to connected equipment. The batteries will be recharged when the AC power source becomes available again.
Most often, emergency home backup power runs off a standard car battery, essentially turning your car into a generator. The car should be kept running while the inverter is in use to prevent the battery from becoming depleted. The inverter can still be used if the car is off, but this is not recommended for prolonged periods. If you do use the inverter without the engine running, start your car up every hour and let it run for about 10 minutes to recharge the battery.
To create an emergency backup system without a vehicle, you can hook up two 12V car batteries to one inverter. That will provide enough power to run the average household refrigerator for up to two days, depending on the size of the batteries and the size of your fridge. It's a smart idea to have a spare battery or two on hand in case the duration of the power failure exceeds your battery runtime.
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Look for an inverter with a wattage capacity greater than the appliances you need to keep running. Refer to Table 2: Typical Wattage of Common Home Appliances below. Ready to buy? See our recommended inverter/chargers for emergency home backup power.
Absolutely! First, know the total wattage of the appliances you need to keep running using the guidelines given below. This will help you buy the right inverter for your home emergency backup system.
An inverter is not waterproof, so keep it out of the rain, as well as away from dust and direct sunlight. Although you can connect the inverter to the vehicle's battery using jumper cables and alligator clips, the preferred method is with a ring terminal that fits securely over the inverter post. Then connect an extension cord no more than 200 ft. from the inverter to the appliance(s) you want to run. Beyond this distance, you are likely to experience signal loss.
To keep the battery charged, you should run your car for about 10 minutes every hour. The inverter will still work when the car is off, as long as you have not depleted the battery.
Yes. Because an inverter converts DC power to AC power, the AC output is conditioned before it reaches your equipment. The inverter provides stable output voltage and frequency to protect your equipment from power surges and line noise interference, allowing your equipment to perform at its peak.
Yes, but there is an important point to keep in mind. When a refrigerator or freezer cycles on, it will draw a high start-up surge of power, several times the wattage it requires when running continuously. Make sure your inverter can handle the peak surge. As a rule of thumb, ensure your inverter can handle a peak surge of 500-750W for a refrigerator and 500-W for a chest freezer.
Most commonly, 12V batteries like the one in your car are used to power inverters. Heavy-duty inverter/chargers are available that use 24V, 36V or 48V batteries for applications requiring higher wattages. Make sure the batteries you choose match the input voltage capacity of your inverter.
Deep cycle batteries look like ordinary car batteries, but can provide sustained power over a longer period of time and run reliably until discharged up to 80%. They are ideal for inverter applications, especially in RVs, boats and off-the-grid renewable energy because of their ability to be almost completely discharged before they need to be recharged.
Along with batteries, you'll need a fuse and fuse holder. One of the easiest types of fuses to use is an "ANL" fuse that can be spliced into the positive wire coming from your battery pack.
Most inverters are sold without cables so the user can select the cable best for their application. In general, the distance between the battery and the inverter should as short as possible, ideally 10 ft. or less. Cables used for connecting inverters should be type SGX, which is the type of cable typically used to connect a battery to a car's electronic system and ground it.
The below recommended wire gauge table is a general rule of thumb. The actual size wire you need will vary based on the voltage of your battery, the total amps your equipment is drawing and the length of the cable. Our best advice is to stick to what is specified in your inverter's owner's manual.
Depending on what equipment you're using the answer could be a resounding yes. A pure sine wave inverter produces a smooth, sinusoidal AC output with very low harmonic distortion. Sensitive electronics, variable-speed tools, medical equipment such as oxygen concentrators, TVs and A/V components, fluorescent lights with electronic ballasts and any appliances with microprocessor control will not run well under modified sine wave power.
To know the right size inverter for your application, you need to total up the wattage of all the appliances, tools or electronics that will run off the inverter at the same time. Many appliances and power tools have their wattage rating indicated on a label on the product itself or in the item's owner's manual. If your devices indicate only amps, the wattage can be arrived at using this simple formula:
Volts x Amps = Watts
Example: You want to run a small mini fridge. You know from the product label it uses 0.7 amps. In the U.S., voltage is 120. Therefore:
120 x 0.7A = 84 Watts
Now factor in how long you want the device to run. This is its runtime. Assuming you are using 12V batteries, divide the total watts by 12.
In our mini fridge example:
84 ÷ 12 = 7 DC amps
This is the DC amp hours required to run the fridge for 1 hour, if it were to run continuously. You'll need to observe the fridge running for a period of time to determine how long it actively runs, so observe it for 15 minutes and record the length of time it runs.
Let's say you want the fridge to run for 12 hours before the batteries need to be recharged. Your observation shows the fridge runs for 5 minutes during the 15-minute observation period. Use this formula:
Active runtime required = Minutes Running ÷ Minutes Observed x Total Runtime Required
12 Hours = 5 Minutes ÷ 15 Minutes x 4 Hours
Next, multiply the DC amps required by the number of hours you estimate you can operate your fridge without charging the batteries.
7 DC Amps x 4 Hours = 28 Amp-Hours
Now you should factor in an adjustment for variable conditions that might affect how frequently the fridge runs, such as warmer weather, opening the fridge, etc. A good rough estimate is a factor of 1.2.
28 Amp-Hours x 1.2 = 33.6 Amp-Hours
This is the minimum amp-hours your batteries must supply.
This table of common appliances, electronics and tools will help you estimate your needs. Be sure to check the product label for the actual wattage requirements, and remember that many tools and appliances have significantly higher peak surge requirements when they start up/cycle on.
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