Inverters can indeed be considered a blessing in disguise. They help you stay connected even when you have a power cut. Especially in a country like India, where the power cuts are quite common across cities and towns, an inverter can come quite handy enough in taking care of your power requirements.
However, an inverter is nothing if not for the battery that it runs on. It needs to have an efficient battery for efficient performance. Choosing the right inverter can be quite a difficult task as such. Especially with the high number of options currently available. To help you simplify the task, we have listed out the best options you can opt for if you are looking for the best battery for your inverter.
How to Choose the Best Inverter Battery in India – A Comprehensive Buying Guide
Before you can check out the best batteries for your inverter, how about preparing a checklist that gives you a fair idea into what to look for in your inverter battery? That would help you make a learned choice and get the right battery that meets your needs.
VA Rating
The prime factor one needs to consider when buying the best inverter battery is the capacity offered by it. The capacity is normally measured in VA or Volt-Ampere. It denotes the voltage and the current it supplies to your appliances.
You will need to calculate the total power requirement you may have to arrive at the right power rating of the battery. Calculate the Wattage of all your equipment and calculate your required VA rating.
Voltage of the Battery
Ideally speaking, most of the appliances will work with 12 V of voltage requirement. While the high-end manufacturers offer batteries with a voltage rating of 24 and 48 V, it should be enough to go with an inverter battery that has a 12 V capability. Most of the batteries in India come with 12 V rating.
Warranty
The warranty provided by the battery manufacturer also has a lot of importance attached to it. The three years of warranty is a normal option in India and should ideally go well with your requirements. You may also come across the batteries that come with a warranty ranging across 4 or 5 years. Make sure you are checking out a battery that has the highest warranty possible.
Maintenance
Go with a battery with the lowest possible maintenance costs. These tend to come with proper sealing. This would be helpful enough in ensuring that your plates do not dry up. You can thus be assured of enhanced battery life. Go for a battery that has the latest manufacturing date.
Type of the Battery
This is yet another element that has a lot to do with the proper selection of an inverter battery. Ideally, a battery with tubular plates is considered to be an excellent option when compared to the one with flat plates. In essence, they are quite effective and hold a higher capacity. They also tend to charge faster.
Capacity to Handle Larger Appliances
Devices with inductive loads such as TVs and refrigerators can result in a higher degree of lagging and short circuits. They would need a higher power supply to power their motors. If you plan to run such appliances, it would be wiser enough to buy batteries with a larger capacity.
So, now that we are familiar with the considerations before buying an inverter battery, here we have some best- shortlisted inverter batteries for homes in India.
4 Best Inverter Batteries for Home in India
Now that we are equipped with enough information on how to buy your inverter batteries and what precautions you are expected to exercise in choosing the right battery for your inverter let us check out a few good options for the best inverter battery in India.
This is one of the unique options for a perfect performer if you are looking for an enhanced performance with 200AH. The battery comes with a 12 V battery capacity and can work with almost every device effectively. In essence, the battery can even work with the high end equipment like TVs. Thus, we can say it is one of the best inverter for homes in India.
Made of rugged tubular plates, the battery assures you a high degree of performance standards. The battery can provide you with access to minimum maintenance. In fact, the batteries can be an excellent option to go with in case you are looking for an inverter battery that would last longer and frequent power cuts.
The battery is made from low antimony alloy. The high level performance ensures that the battery comes with low maintenance requirements. The robust tubular plates can help you achieve the perfect standards when it comes to achieving the excellent quality of service. The overcharge tolerance is one of the features that offer a high end efficiency. The deep discharge technique is what would ensure better performance in areas with longer durations of power cuts.
<strong>Pros and Cons of Luminous 200ah Battery</strong>
Pros
- A battery backup that lasts more than 12 hours.
- An excellent 36 months of warranty.
- Lower maintenance cost.
Yet another excellent option for taking care of longer power cuts and voltage fluctuations. The long tubular battery gives you access to a high degree of sturdy and reliable performance. It prevents the overheating to a greater extent and takes care of inconsistent voltage fluctuation. The minimal maintenance is yet another excellent option that makes it a perfect choice.
The battery comes with a powerful vent system. This can go a long way in ensuring protection against mist formation and acid spewing. You would need to replace the water once every year and not more than that. The battery can work with almost every brand with an 800 to 1000 VA rating. It has the high heat tolerance capacity and thus can be the right option for the India weather conditions.
The high quality support service is yet another excellent feature making it one of the right options you can go with. Both onsite and offsite services are available. The expensive price tag and a heavy construction can be a few serious concerns. It is one of the best tall tubular inverter batteries for home in India.
<strong>Pros and Cons of Amaron Tubular Battery</strong>
Pros
- You have access to a three year replacement warranty along with an additional 12 month extended warranty.
- Lower maintenance requirements.
- Faster and easier charging.
- Best possible energy reserve capacity.
One of the versatile batteries available for Inverters, it provides you access to an enhanced and improved performance with consistency and design. The average size would make it compatible with almost every inverter. The handles on either side make it easy to carry the battery from one place to another. The preventive plugs are designed to provide protection against any sort of fumes and leaks.
It can be charged quickly enough and provides you with a backup of upto 15 to 20 hours. That should be enough for a longer power cut, and you can be assured that your routine is not adversely affected. The Exide battery can withstand higher temperatures, and thus, it can be used in any sort of extreme weather conditions without issues. The included float guide is yet another option that should help you find the level of electrolyte.
The battery comes with fume and leak resistant properties. This will ensure a leak proof performance and a cleaner environment. Moreover, it requires a low maintenance and thus provides a long lasting life than other batteries in the same genre. An excellent ventilation ensures that there is no heavy mist formation or acid spewing issues. The dual plate separation is yet another advantage that takes care of shocks and vibrations.
<strong>Exide Inverter Battery</strong>
Pros
- It comes with hybrid technology for an improved high temperature tolerance.
- Light-weight construction.
- Spark arrestor that ensures better protection.
- Highly energy efficient.
Cons
- The after-sales service may not be effective in some regions.
Luminous Eco – Best 120Ah Tall Tubular Inverter Battery in India
Buy from Amazon
The Eco Charge battery from Luminous is yet another capable option and added to our list because of the innovative design that it offers you. The battery is one of the right options for use if you are looking for it for domestic usage or a small scale industry. The battery suits longer and frequent power cuts to a better degree. The life expectancy of five years assured by the brand should be yet another plus point that you would want to opt for it.
You do need to opt for continuous maintenance for the battery either. It does work effectively and efficiently for most of your requirements. The available power in terms of hours and minutes and perfect MCB protection are the two features that would ideally make it a preferred choice.
The battery is quite easy and simple to use. You can get a warranty of up to 24 months, and you would also get an additional 12 months extended warranty. You can be assured of a better backup for a capacity of just 120 Ah. This is a great choice for small homes in India.
<strong>Pros and Cons of Luminous Eco Battery</strong>
Pros
- An excellent option for a small home or a bachelor’s pad.
- You can be assured of higher durability and reliability.
- It ensures better MCB protection.
- Affordable price range.
Cons
- Would not be suitable for the larger enterprises or homes.
Now that we have found the best inverter batteries for home in India, let us go ahead knowing some more facts about them. This information might be of a great use if you have to select the right inverter battery for your homes.
Difference Between Solar Battery and Inverter Battery
What is the Difference Between a Solar Battery and an Inverter Battery?
Well, a solar battery, as the name itself should be indicative, is a battery that uses solar energy for generating electricity. The basic difference between the conventional tubular inverter battery and a solar battery lies in the way they generate electricity.
A solar battery uses solar energy or heat energy from the sun to generate electricity. In the case of a tubular (or even a flat plate) inverter battery, you would find that it uses some sort of electrolyte and electrodes to generate electricity.
Yet another difference you would notice between a solar battery and a tubular battery lies in the discharge rating. The Tubular or inverter battery offers you a backup of around 20 hours, while the solar battery comes with a backup of just around 10 hours.
What is a Tubular Battery?
What is a Tubular Battery? What makes it the Right Choice?
Well, the tubular batteries do come with a host of advantages and enhanced features. While they use the same technology as in the case of a flat plate battery, the performance rating is quite enhanced in case of a tubular battery. They also tend to last longer than a flat plate battery.
The constructions of the tubular batteries ensure a leak proof environment. These batteries have the active material sealed inside the polyester tubes (which are called gauntlets). This can be helpful enough in ensuring that you will experience no shedding or corrosion as in the case of a flat plate battery.
Moreover, they can operate at an extremely higher temperature and thus can be suitable for a situation where you experience frequent power outages. The tubular batteries also come with the advantage of an extended battery life as compared to the flat plate batteries.
Some of the salient features offered by a tubular battery would include
- They can last quite long. There is shredding or corrosion of the material, and thus you should be able to use them for around 4 to 5 years without issues.
- They can discharge to up to 80 per cent of their capacity. This improves the back-up time offered by the tubular batteries.
- These batteries can work for around 1100 to 1200 cycles, thereby providing an enhanced reliability.
- Can handle the extreme temperatures. That would mean they work effectively at both highly hot or coldest environments.
- They can handle frequent power cuts without any issues.
The tubular batteries find the right type of use in inverters. They are designed to provide a long enough backup.
Types of Inverter Batteries
Like you have already guessed it, the inverter batteries come in plenty of types and constructions. You can choose the one that best meets your requirements. Some salient types of inverters would include:
Lead Acid Battery
Lead Acid batteries are also referred to as Flat plate batteries. They come under conventional types of batteries and have been widely used for a wide range of purposes. In fact, what makes them the best choice is the fact that they are quite inexpensive.
The flat plate batteries are one of the most widely used options. It comes with a lead and lead dioxide electrodes. The battery uses sulphuric acid as the electrolyte. They also tend to highly light weight in construction. The major issue you would face with these batteries can be the more maintenance you need to invest in – with respect to time and energy. You are expected to replenish the distilled water frequently.
Tubular Battery
What is a tubular battery? They are the enhanced versions of the old age lead-acid batteries. What makes them a great option would include the ability to withstand better performance capability that would last to up to 5 years. They can be one of the best options for an inverter and can assure you reliable and highly efficient performance.
The complex functionality would add up more value in terms of the lower level of maintenance requirements. These batteries come with deep charging capabilities making them an excellent option. The only issue you would find with the tubular battery is the high cost associated with the tubular batteries.
Maintenance Free Batteries
As the name itself should indicate, the maintenance-free batteries offer you no need to maintain them. You do not need to fill distilled water at periodical intervals. Moreover, the maintenance-free batteries do not come with any poisonous gases or similar harmful ingredients. From that context, it would be one of the safest options you would want to go with.
They are also referred to as sealed batteries or Deep Cycle SMF (Sealed Maintenance Free) batteries. However, it may not be easy to find the batteries of this type. Most of the Indian manufacturers have stopped offering them. A few of them may not be compatible with the inverters.
The table below should provide you with an insight into the salient features of the three battery types
| Features |
Flat plate batteries |
Tubular Batteries |
Maintenance free batteries |
| Battery Life |
Lower life – Lasts less than 3 years |
High – Lasts up to 5 years |
Medium – lasts up to 4 years |
| Water Topping |
High |
Medium |
Low |
| Maintenance |
High |
Medium |
Low |
| Safety Options |
Lower |
Lower |
Highly safe |
| Harmful emissions |
Heavy level |
Medium or low |
Lowest |
| Weight |
Very Heavy |
Medium |
Extremely low |
| Need for ventilation |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Further, let us see how to calculate inverter battery backup time which is a really important consideration when it comes to an inverter battery.
How to Calculate Inverter Battery Backup Time?
Before you can calculate the battery backup time on your inverter, it would be necessary to check the VA rating you would need for your inverter. The VA rating would be dependent upon the total Wattage of the equipment connected to the inverter.
Calculate the wattage of all the appliances and other equipment. Sum them up to arrive at the total Wattage you would want to draw from your inverter. The next step would be to convert the Wattage into VA.
For this, we will use the formula,
VoltAmps x Power Factor = kW or W
The power factor can be normally calculated to be at 0.8 for the home appliances.
If the total load you want to connect to the inverter is 500W in total, the inverter capacity you can opt for would be –
500/ 0.8 = 625 VA
You can opt for an inverter equal to that value if available or slightly higher value.
Now that you have calculated the VA rating for the inverter you have chosen, the next step would involve calculating the backup time.
The backup Time can be easily calculated through the formula here below –
Backup Time = Battery AH x 12V x N x Efficiency of Battery / Load in Watts
In our example, assuming the inverter battery AH is 150, and the number of batteries one (i.e. N=1) and the battery efficiency or power factor as 80 %, for the total load of 500 W –
Backup Time = (150 x 12 x 1 x 0.8)/ 500 = 2.88 hours
Please note that these calculations may vary in real-life conditions. However, the calculations should be closer enough to the calculated values.
Few FAQs wrt Inverter Batteries
Can I use a solar battery with an inverter?
That would be something difficult to answer. Check your inverter and whether it is compatible with the solar battery. Moreover, a solar battery may not provide a huge backup.
How can one know that the battery charged fully?
Most of the inverter batteries come with an indicator to find if the battery is charged to its full capacity. Moreover, inverters normally come with overcharge protection features which prevent the battery from getting overcharged.
The inverter produces a strange sound. Is it normal?
Yes, a slight sound is quite normal. However, this would not be true in case of any unusual sound. In such scenarios, you are suggested to contact your electrician or installer immediately.
Featured here are a few good options for the best in terms of the inverter batteries you can opt for in India. We have attempted to list out the best inverters batteries in India that would cater to almost every requirement, being compatible with fans, lights, TVs and many other electronic appliances.
Choosing the right inverter battery should not be a massive task as such. You would only need to pay attention to a few factors to ensure that you are choosing a battery that is in tune with the requirements you may have and the budget you may set aside. The best batteries featured here should help you make a learned choice.
For any suggestions and improvements on best inverter batteries for home in India, write to us in the comments section below.
