Can power inverter save electricity?

A power inverter does not save electricity – as a matter of fact it uses up slightly more energy depending on its efficiency in order to produce the electricity for your appliances.

An inverter with an efficiency of 92% for example will approximately produce 92 units of power for every 100 units of power supplied to it with the remaining 8 units used to power up its internal electronics and heat generated from the inverter.

Does an inverter increase electric bill?

You can expect your inverter to increase your energy bill slightly when switched even if no appliances are connected to it because of the power draw of its electronics. The upside is your appliances will be powered when the grid electricity fails.

I have a 600W pure-sine wave inverter that consumes about 10W of power about as much power as an energy save bulb when in stand-by mode for example.

Over the course of a year, I expect the inverter to consume about 110 units of electricity. It is possible to minimize the power consumed by your inverter.

3 tips to save the electricity used by a power inverter

# 1. Use high efficiency inverter

Whenever possible use an inverter with the highest efficiency, usually 96%. Modern inverters have an eco-mode that minimizes the power draw when there is no appliance connected.

# 2. Switch off the inverter if no appliances are connected to it

If there no appliances that need to be powered, switch off the inverter. This disconnects the inverter’s internal electronics and stops the power draw when no appliance is connected.

# 3. Select an inverter power rating suited to your total appliance power rating

Larger size inverters draw more power compared to smaller power rated inverters. Do you only have a 50W TV, 40W laptop and 100W of lights to power? Then a 2,500 W inverter is an overkill. A 500W inverter or so is sufficient.

In summary, power inverters do not save electricity – they actually increase your electricity bill to provide AC electricity to you appliances when the grid goes out.