When going solar in Nigeria, one of the most common questions people ask is:
What size inverter do I need for my home or shop?
Choosing the right inverter size is essential for stable power supply, optimal performance, and long-term savings—especially for homes with large appliances or small commercial operations.
Step 1: Know Your Power Consumption
List out your typical appliances and their estimated wattage:
|
Appliance |
Estimated Power (W) |
|
Refrigerator |
150 |
|
Ceiling Fan |
75 |
|
LED Lights |
10 × quantity |
|
Air Conditioner |
1000 |
|
Water Pump |
750–1000 |
|
Microwave |
1200 |
Add up the total. Your inverter’s rated power should be at least 20–30% higher than this number as a planning allowance for future expansion. Check starting loads and surge duration separately.
A worked inverter sizing example
Illustrative running loads: six 10W lights (60W), two 75W fans (150W), a 100W television and a 20W router total 330W. Adding a refrigerator drawing 150W raises the simultaneous running load to 480W. Replace these example figures with measured loads or the ratings on your own appliances.
Adding 25% planning headroom gives 600W, but this is not a final inverter recommendation: the refrigerator’s starting demand, inverter surge duration and battery discharge limit still need checking. Four hours at a steady 480W requires 1.92kWh delivered to the loads; nominal battery capacity must be larger to allow for permitted depth of discharge and losses.
kW, kVA and starting power
kW measures real power; kVA measures apparent power. For a load, kW = kVA multiplied by power factor. A 5kVA load at 0.8 power factor is 4kW, but the inverter must meet both its watt and VA limits. Check motor starting demand separately rather than assuming a fixed percentage margin covers it.
Supply phase is a separate design decision: 6kW is not a universal boundary between single-phase and three-phase systems. Check the building’s supply, distribution and equipment with an installer. For battery runtime calculations, see the inverter battery sizing guide.
Step 2: Choose Single-Phase or Three-Phase
A：When to Choose Single-Phase
- Small homes with lighting, fans, basic appliances
- Loads within the selected single-phase inverter and supply limits
- No three-phase input available
B：When to Choose Three-Phase
- Larger homes or villas with multiple ACs and pumps
- Small businesses, farms, or cold storage units
- Sites with existing three-phase grid or balanced load needs
LuxpowerTek’s TriP2-LB-3P Series is specially built for Nigerian users needing 3-phase output, 48V battery compatibility, and high power flexibility.
Recommended Luxpower Three-Phase Models
|
Model |
Power |
Battery Support |
MPPTs |
Parallel Capable |
Key Features |
|
6kW |
48V lithium/lead-acid |
3 |
Yes |
Per-phase limit, UPS support |
|
|
10kW |
48V lithium/lead-acid |
3 |
Yes |
AC coupling, smart load, genset ready |
|
|
15–20kW |
48V lithium/lead-acid |
3 |
Yes |
Ideal for larger homes and small industry |
Step 3: Plan for Future Growth
① When in doubt, choose a slightly larger inverter (e.g):
If your current load is 5kW, go for a 6kW inverter.
② Want to add batteries later?
Choose a hybrid inverter model now.
③ Planning for business expansion?
Select a parallel-capable model.
Luxpower inverters support future upgrades with features like parallel operation, smart load output, and remote configuration via LuxCloud.
Quick Guide:
For homes: 3–6kW single-phase (GEN2-LB-EU series)
For larger homes or small business: 10–20kW three-phase (TriP2-LB-3P series)
Still unsure? Leave 20–30% headroom for safety and flexibility
Once you have estimated your load, compare LuxpowerTek inverter models and battery capacities by supply phase, inverter kW and stored energy in kWh. Request an itemised quote for the equipment and installation scope you need.
Need help choosing an inverter? Send our Nigeria team your city, appliance list, supply phase, existing battery model and target backup hours for a system recommendation and quote.
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