Why smart Nigerians use Power Inverters

Posted by Felix Okoli on Tuesday October 13, 2015 at 17:33:26:

For some Nigerians, they may never get to see the future where 24 hr electricity will become a normal thing and so for them to taste a bit of it, it only makes sense to invest in Power inverters for the present so that they can save electrical energy for use when there is no supply. However, majority of Nigerians don't use inverters yet as usage is only among a few families and I guess it's because not many people understand what they are or how it works. What do those few Nigerians know that others don't know about.

I was recently at a friend's house where I had my first experience of a working power inverter. I visited on a Sunday and while we were watching a soccer game, NEPA took power but we barely noticed since the fan, TV lights and decoder were all working but the only time I noticed that it was an inverter working was the beep I heard. One can be able to keep watching their football game or that favourite tv show, cool your home with your electric fan even when the power company has disappointed you and without the need to hear your generator making a loud noise.

Electricity has become more of a necessity in 21st century Nigeria than a luxury and is not something just for the rich or city people as it used to be in the old days. Even some villages in Nigeria nowadays use electricity but the big problem is that it has always been insufficient for the public and so power is normally shared on a rationed basis. Some people even end up staying without electricity for many weeks and months before seeing their light bulbs go on. Inefficient electricity supply from the power company is why a lot of Nigerians spend their income in private power generation plants with power generators being among the most popular.

There is a however, a silent and reliable power product that is designed to make Nigerians enjoy electricity much better as it keeps working even when electricity supply has ceased and it is called an Inverter.

An inverter is an electronic device that produces electricity in a form that is useful for most homes. Technically speaking, it's an electronic device that converts direct current from battery banks into alternating alternating current which is in a form that is useful for other home electronic devices.

An inverter connected to a charged power bank/battery can power other electronic devices such as fridges, TV sets, light bulbs, Video players, Stereo players, air conditioners and other devices it is capable of powering depending on its capacity.

More and more Nigerians are now using Power inverters because of the numerous benefits which it comes with such as noiseless operation, steady electricity supply, greener energy source, lower maintenance costs and so on.

A Power generator hardly makes noise while in operation unlike electric power generator which vibrates and is noisy. A power inverter can operate silently that you'd hardly hear anything while you are indoors and it would be almost as if you were receiving regular power. This is one of the cool reasons why Nigerians love them. Have you ever lived in a neighbourhood where a lot of Nigerian have noisy generators? Well, that's one thing we would all avoid if those generators were silent.

Also, when connected to a power inverter, it can keep the lights one even after the power company has taken light and that is common in Nigeria. Electricity supply tends to be epileptic in Nigeria as it can stay for 3 hrs after which it goes off for 3 hrs but with an inverter in place, it automatically keeps your lights and TV on such that you'd hardly notice an interruption in power. Depending on the capacity of your power inverter and inverter batteries,you can power your entire home with it.

A power inverter also provides electricity using a greener power source that hardly pollutes the environment while in operation. A generator uses fuel which also leads to exhaust gases that are not good for humans. There has been many reports of generator fumes killing people in Nigeria while they sleep but a power inverter is safer and is less likely to do that and that's why Nigerians who use it consider it a safer way for powering their homes.

It also requires little or no maintenance unlike electric power generators that requires more frequent servicing. As long as the inverter is well installed and setup in a cool environment, there is little need for incurring maintenance costs.

There are different types and brands of Power inverters available in the Nigerian market depending on the manufacturer and it's capacity. A 5KVA Power invert for instance will be able to provide more power than a 1 KVA Power inverter and the former would also require higher capacity inverter batteries for storing power than the latter and so ultimately requires more funds for installing it.

One of the things Nigerians need to consider before getting a Power inverter for their home is how much power they are interested in using. You can get a Power inverter and battery that can power your TV and Decoder for up to 24 hrs while you can get one that can power your entire home for the same 24 hrs. You can get one that can replace your existing electric fuel generator and it all really depends on how much power you want and how much your budget it.

A Power inverter is mainly powered by deep cycle batteries otherwise known as inverter batteries and they are a bit more costly than car batteries. The inverter batteries are necessary for storing electrical charges while power is supplied to them and for providing those stored charges when the inverter requests it from them. An inverter battery can either be connected to the regular power for or to solar panels for charging while it is afterwards, normally discharged through the Power inverter to supply your home or office with electricity.

When buying a Power inverer, you should note that the higher the power of the inveter, the more power it would draw from it's batteries and hence the need to use more batteries or higher capacity batteries when using a more powerful inverter. Lower Power inverters generate lower power and so require less battery capacities.