Inverter Standby Power Consumption

In this short video, I'm going to show you the silent energy consumer of your off-grid solar system: the inverter standby power consumption. We'll dive into the details of low power consumption inverters and how to manage inverter idle consumption effectively.

First, we'll explore the idle consumption of all-in-one inverters, which combine an MPPT charge controller, inverter, and battery charger in one device. Many people don't realize that these devices consume power even when no load is applied, known as idle power consumption. For example, popular all-in-one inverters like the MPP PIP-2424LV-MDS consume 50W, while the Victron Multiplus 2 48V 5kW only uses 11W. I'll break down the daily idle power consumption of these and other models, showing how significant this can be for your system.

Standalone inverters also consume power in standby mode. Models like the Bestek 12V 300W have an idle consumption of 3W, whereas the Renogy 12V 3000W consumes 50W. Including these figures in your load calculation is crucial to avoid running out of battery power unexpectedly.

To reduce idle consumption, turning off the inverter when it's not in use is an option, though not always feasible for systems running essential appliances like fridges. Adding more solar panels can help compensate for idle consumption. Choosing inverters with low idle power consumption, such as the Victron Multiplus series, can also make a big difference, though they come at a higher cost.

Additionally, enabling eco mode can reduce idle power consumption by allowing the inverter to detect and power loads only when necessary. However, this might not work well with appliances that have very low loads, like fridges with electronic thermostats.

[drpierrecaze]

Thank you Professor. I brought your book and read it almost daily to teach myself more and more. Thank you again.

[diyEVguy]

Note that if using multiple Victron units in parallel or series, power saving modes are no longer available. Nice video, important and ofter overlooked topic.

[robertpaulis]

I found by turning my freezer to a higher power during the day, then reducing it to just on at night will save consumption. Just remember to adjust accordingly.

[junkerzn]

Very nice summary. A few more rules of thumb:

* LF inverters often have slightly lower idle consumption than HF. All the inverters shown are HF inverters except the Victron and the AIMS which are LF. However, LF inverters tend to be heavier and noisier and this isn't the main reason for idle consumption.

* Component quality matters even more, which is why Victron is so far ahead of the pack. The other designs (including the AIMS) use far lower-quality components and circuits which are not as well tuned to minimize losses.

* Idle consumption generally scales with inverter size. So for running something like a fridge and low-power always-plugged-in devices, consider buying a dedicated inverter that is only just big enough to run the loads that has low idle consumption. And if you have other devices that require more power than that inverter can reasonably handle, have a second inverter that is only turned on when those other devices/loads are required.

For example, the video actually made a mistake on the Victron multiplus-II specs. It is the multiplus-II 48V/3000W inverter that has the 11W power consumption, the 5000W version eats 15W.

* Output specs matter too. The 48V multipluses output 120V, the 6000XP outputs 240VAC split-phase.

* ECO modes are almost never usable.

-Matt

[MR_Garage]

The best 12v affordable inverter I have tested for idle draw is the Ampeak 2000W pure sine inverter. Just 5.5W! Very efficient too and meets spec. If you allow, I will post the testing of it here or viewers can just search. Much respect on this critically overlooked topic.

[glaflamme]

Last week I installed an MPP 3024LV – MSD. The idle consumption is 46 W. Keep up the great videos!

[herbertvonsauerkrautunterh]

I have the mpp pip-5648mt. It's very nice but loud and off power consumption is very high. I'll be upgrading to victron equipment and an additional 30kw of batteries to make a total or 50kw.
It's working great so far but it really uses a lot at standby. I need at least a 10kw inverter to do my whole house as i intend to set up an island off grid system and export grid connect solar for profit.

[EmmanuelDimgba-fc]

Thank you very much for this eye-opening review.
But apart from inverter idle power consumption, don't you think that charge controllers ~ especially MPPT, ~ consume power from the batteries too? So, the charge controller energy consumption should be taken into consideration,

[UpsideDownFork]

It is difficult to find this data for many inverters.
I'm looking specifically for the SunSynk 8.8kW hybrid inverter.

[stephenhickman]

I leave mine off until I need it. I installed a remote power button in my kitchen in a convenient place.

[psikogeek]

My SunGoldPower Inverter/Charger is an energy hog: 50 or 60 watts.