Does a UPS or Inverter increase electricity bill?

Wut said:
No change in bill for me yet.
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Lifestyle adjustment compensates

ie with loadshedding devices cut runtimes you should see a saving in electricity

A saving compensates for a premium imo

So if you run everything as if it isn't loadshedding you see it easier
 
leon.davibe said:
Lifestyle adjustment compensates

ie with loadshedding devices cut runtimes you should see a saving in electricity

A saving compensates for a premium imo

So if you run everything as if it isn't loadshedding you see it easier
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Can someone who has seen it quantify it? How many units extra?
 
TheChamp said:
Can someone who has seen it quantify it? How many units extra?
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I have not measured the inverting portion

Charging i get at highest charge rate the 93% my device manual claims ie i pay 7.5% premium charging

But charging slower i get 87%

How my device is designed
It uses the same transformer for charging so assume i get the same inverting
And sunce most of the time lower use i would take the 87% efficiency so i pay a 14.9% premium

So round trip i pay probably 22.4% extra for any power use in loadshedding
 
But in the end it comes down to how much you use

ie if you use 75kwh units a month via battery ie 1kw every 4 hrs and 0.5 2 hrs shedding 3 times ie stage 6 30 days straight unlikely

You would use 15 (assuming 20% efficiency losses round trip)units more a month at R2.40 a unit it's R36 a month more

but all the devices not running their normal cycle compensates so in The end no difference on your monthly bill
 
somebody just needs to put a killawatt on the input and one on the output of the UPS/Inverter, leave it for a couple of days and compare the 2 readings. Simple as that, assuming no DC is used on the output
 
leon.davibe said:
But in the end it comes down to how much you use

ie if you use 75kwh units a month via battery ie 1kw every 4 hrs and 0.5 2 hrs shedding 3 times ie stage 6 30 days straight unlikely

You would use 15 (assuming 20% efficiency losses round trip)units more a month at R2.40 a unit it's R36 a month more

but all the devices not running their normal cycle compensates so in The end no difference on your monthly bill
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Stage 6 is 12 hours a day
 
Bundu said:
somebody just needs to put a killawatt on the input and one on the output of the UPS/Inverter, leave it for a couple of days and compare the 2 readings. Simple as that, assuming no DC is used on the output
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For anybody just doing internet , tv it is really not a big deal ie the R20-R50 is most likely not felt thanks to the saving of not running all devices

ie live normal life , only lifestyle adjustment in 4hrs ie no dishwasher shedding and my bill per month is about R250 more

busy adding panels so will reduce that premium
 
Pak Fa Fui said:
Stage 6 is 12 hours a day
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Normally stage 6 is 2 x 4hrs and 1 x 2hrs in 24hr period

Very seldom you get a situation where it is laid out in a way that lands you in 3*4hrs

It is still 10hrs in 24 hrs
Tomorrow's 2 hours just happens to start when todays 2 hrs ends landing you in a 4hrd stint

But if you look at the 24hrs windows period it is 10hrs in total shedding
 
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leon.davibe said:
For anybody just doing internet , tv it is really not a big deal ie the R20-R50 is most likely not felt thanks to the saving of not running all devices

ie live normal life , only lifestyle adjustment in 4hrs ie no dishwasher shedding and my bill per month is about R250 more

busy adding panels so will reduce that premium
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isn't the idea to determine efficiency and costs? Don't many have 1-3kWh stations?
 
Bundu said:
isn't the idea to determine efficiency and costs? Don't many have 1-3kWh stations?
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I would not worry about it if just tv internet +lights

Would have to run a pole

Sure It is a rainbow country out there starting from 300w
Up to 8kw

Edit and more with parralel units
 
leon.davibe said:
I would not worry about it if just tv internet +lights

Would have to run a pole

Sure It is a rainbow country out there starting from 300w
Up to 8kw

Edit and more with parralel units
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OK, the question will then remain unanswered
 
Bundu said:
OK, the question will then remain unanswered
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Just hold your horses for one cotton-pickin' minute now... the question has been answered.

The basic question here is: "Does a UPS or Inverter increase electricity bill?" And the answer is undoubtedly "yes", as no inverter/battery setup can ever be 100% efficient in terms of round-trip, ceteris paribus, as @leon.davibe touched on. Any other finding in this thread have moved the goalposts/introduced factors outside of the question's scope, if one were to only look at the question in it's strictest form.

The fundamental principle remains unchanged: inverters and UPS systems inherently have some inefficiencies, and that will always lead to an increase in the electricity bill, all other things being equal.

Let's put this in perspective. Suppose we were to ask whether a Bugatti/Hummer etc increases your fuel bill. The answer will always be "yes" because a Bugatti or Hummer is inherently fuel-efficient. We cannot change the answer to "no" by arguing that "because of COVID-19, you will be driving less, so no increase in fuel costs!" Introducing unrelated factors doesn't alter the fundamental truth.

The UPS/inverter will always cause an increase in the electricity bill due to inherent inefficiencies, ceteris paribus.

I can even take it a step further, and attempt to address the statements about how loadshedding reduces you bill, in this context... By raising the argument that not getting an inverter will 'lower' your bill even more, but that would be a silly argument, even though it's accurate.

An inverter uses more than what it outputs. Klaar. If you put everything on the inverter and make no lifestyle/use adjustments, your bill will increase. If you do not just shift your usage, and lower you consumption as a whole during loadshedding, your bill will be lower if the lower usage surpasses the additional usage caused by the inverter. Your mileage will vary based on your unique circumstances.

TL;DR : In the end it's a moot point, as any Inverter setup brings with it some conveniece that surpasses any minor increase in the electricity bill.
 
Before the inverter life, I was saving about R200 - R300 on average on my electricity bill.
With the inverter, the saving I had is now used to charge the battery.
 
blaaislaai said:
Before the inverter life, I was saving about R200 - R300 on average on my electricity bill.
With the inverter, the saving I had is now used to charge the battery.
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Pool pump or Aircon or where did the R300 saving come from?
 
wingnut771 said:
Pool pump or Aircon or where did the R300 saving come from?
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Just by having no power basically; No electricity, no usage :)

6-8+ hours a day of no power eventually added up to the monthly saving. I did not change any habits

EDIT: Used to buy R1000 (at most) of electricity for the month. Now, we have to buy at least R1200 to last the month
 
Bundu said:
OK, the question will then remain unanswered
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I would say the same ratio as wealth if i have to guess

The 1% will have big setups
Know an older lady that had a generator based on size i would have to guess was a 25kva 3phase

But majority most likely have 1kw and below , ie many may make do with a pc ups or dc ups for internet and rechargeable lights
 
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