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Power cuts and load shedding can be quite troubling. And getting an inverter-battery setup helps a lot. But choosing an inverter battery might be a daunting task for most of us, especially if you are getting it for the first time. Don’t worry, we at Nantech decided to put this comprehensive guide and here’s everything you need to know before getting one:

How Long Do You Need A Power Backup?

Knowing how long you need the power backup to last, helps you choose the battery with the right capacity. Let’s say you face power cuts for 2 hours everyday and you need a 12V battery as a power backup for the entire time. And you want to run the following appliances:

Required Capacity of Battery = (Hours of Power Backup) * (Power Required in Watts) / (Voltage of Battery)

Required Capacity of Battery = 2 * 270 / 12 = 45 Ah

Most batteries in the market are around 135-150 Ah and if the above case is equivalent to your real requirement, then you can even go for cheaper and lower capacity batteries!

Cost
It is essential to calculate and decide the budget as per your requirements, since the inverter and battery dealers may persuade you to buy more expensive batteries. The above example will help you with the necessary calculations and prevent unnecessary expenses.

Battery Type
Lead Acid Battery:
These are of two types:

• Flat plate battery: recommended for areas with frequent power cuts, lasting short durations.
• Tubular battery: it’s bigger than flat plate battery and is recommended for areas with power cuts lasting long durations but fewer in frequency.

Gel Battery:

• Recommended for offices and homes where power backup lasting several hours is necessary.
• Zero reduction in performance, even after years of usage.
• No water top-up and maintenance required.
• Easy installation.
• Eco-friendly battery with minimal toxic emissions.
• No chance of acid spillage!

Weight of the Battery

The weight of the battery is something you might overlook and not take into consideration first but it tends to be an important factor for those who are frequently on the move! Batteries have different weights when they are filled and empty(dry). If you frequently shift places, consider buying a less bulky battery. In case you still need a heavy battery, look for the ones equipped with a trolley.

Replacement, Warranty and Services

Most reputed companies offer free services within the warranty period (also called ‘flat warranty period’). In case your battery faces issues within a few months of purchase, it could be replaced, provided the fault occurs and is registered within the replacement/pro-rata warranty period. It also helps if the company provides installation and maintenance services, since this can be a tough task for most individuals. Hence, warranty period is also an important factor while purchasing a battery!

We hope this comprehensive guide helped you and made the task of buying a battery easier! If you are looking for an authorised battery dealer, we at Nantech sell batteries of numerous reputed companies.

Inverters are devices that are very commonly used as a back-up during a power outage. Chennai faces such power cuts on multiple occasions. Although there is no power supply from the mains during a blackout, inverters keep supplying uninterrupted electricity. Inverters thereby act as reserves of electricity but can they also save electricity? If so, how do they do that? Let us find out.

How Do Power Inverters Function?

• Electronic devices or circuitry converts direct current (DC) into alternating current (AC). The conversion to alternating current, also called output current, is required to run any appliance at your home or office.
• Inverters do this conversion with a charger's aid and a battery to consume and store input current (DC), respectively.

Can Inverters Have 100% Efficiency?

• Efficiency is defined as the ratio of output current (AC) to the sum of output (AC) and inputs current (DC). It tells us how effective a device is.
• Inverters differ in the way they are manufactured and thus have variable efficiencies.
• To have 100% efficiency, an inverter would need to convert all the input power into output power. But this is not realistically possible by a device.

How Can Inverters Save Electricity?

• There are multiple sources of energy losses. While some of them are innate to every inverter device, few of them can be eliminated or at least minimized.
• By eliminating avoidable losses, we can reduce power consumption and thus indirectly save electricity!

How To Eliminate Losses?

It is observed that the higher the inverter capacity, the higher is the loss of energy. Thus, it is recommended to know the power requirement of your residence or workplace.

• We start by enlisting the various appliances that would be connected to the inverter.
• The power needed to run these appliances is calculated in watts. Customers can thus choose the correct size and model that suits them.
• It is advisable to get inverters in the range of 250VA - 5kVA.

Also Read: Implications of Power Cut on Smart Homes & Remedial Measures

Overcharging:

• Overcharging corrodes the battery, which may lead to premature failure of the device.
• To avoid this, Nantech provides inverters that are highly automated. It protects the battery from being overcharged.
• There is the provision of 'cooling fans,' which prevent the battery from getting hot and reduce heat energy loss.

Quality check:

• Nantech provides an 'after-sales service' for all customers in Chennai, preserving the original quality.
• The components of inverters that we provide are serviceable, and the warranty is never excused.

Overload:

• If multiple heavy power-consuming appliances are connected to the inverter, the load might exceed our inverter's limits and consume more power.
• When the load is over 115% of that model's said capacity, the 'auto shut down' facility comes into action in a scenario like this.
• The excess load is kept in control, which also prolongs the life of the inverter.

Maintenance:

• The overall efficiency is boosted with proper maintenance, which makes a device more efficient and durable.

Reach out to us if you are in search of an inverter that can 'save' electricity.