What Can a 5kVA Inverter Power? Appliances, Batteries & Price
Short answer: a 5kVA inverter, 15.36kWh of lithium battery and 8 × 600W panels — ₦5.83M – ₦10.7M before installation.
The most quoted system size in Nigeria. The load below is one representative set that lands on this inverter size — two 1.5HP ACs plus a normal family's electronics — and it is also the page to read if you are asking how many batteries a 5kVA inverter needs.
Quote SB-5K-33KL9G · equipment priced at Nigerian market rates last checked October 2026.
The answer
That is the Standard build for this load: 3045W if every appliance runs at the same moment, 14.6kWh across a normal day, and about 5 hours of backup once the sun is down. Best single estimate: ₦7,720,812.
The load this is sized for
This is one representative load that lands on this inverter size — not the only one. Anything that adds up to the same peak watts and daily kWh sizes the same system.
| Appliance | Watts each | Qty | Hours/day | kWh/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Con (1.5HP) | 1200W | 2 | 4 | 9.6 |
| Ceiling Fan | 70W | 2 | 8 | 1.12 |
| DSTV/Decoder | 25W | 1 | 6 | 0.15 |
| Laptop | 65W | 1 | 8 | 0.52 |
| LED Bulb | 10W | 8 | 8 | 0.64 |
| Phone Charger | 15W | 4 | 4 | 0.24 |
| Refrigerator | 200W | 1 | 8 | 1.6 |
| TV (32") | 60W | 1 | 6 | 0.36 |
| WiFi Router | 15W | 1 | 24 | 0.36 |
| Total | 3045W peak | 14.6 | ||
Three ways to build it
Same load, three budgets. The inverter is sized from the full peak in every tier — an undersized inverter trips, so that is not where you save. What changes is backup hours, panel headroom and component class.
💰 Budget
Essentials, lowest cost
- Inverter
- 5kVA
- Battery
- 10.24kWh · 2 modules
- Panels
- 6 × 600W · 3.6kWp
- Backup
- about 6h
Runs your essentials (lights, fans, fridge, TV) through the evening. Heavy loads like AC only while the sun is up or the grid is on.
Open in calculator⚡ Standard
Most installedWhat most Nigerian homes install
- Inverter
- 5kVA
- Battery
- 15.36kWh · 3 modules
- Panels
- 8 × 600W · 4.8kWp
- Backup
- about 5h
Runs everything on your list, with 20% headroom for what you add later. Grid or generator tops up on very cloudy days.
Open in calculator👑 Premium
Deye-class, full independence
- Inverter
- 6kVA
- Battery
- 20.48kWh · 4 modules
- Panels
- 10 × 600W · 6kWp
- Backup
- about 7h
Everything on your list with extra room to grow, the longest backup, and a premium inverter with app monitoring and 5–10yr warranty.
Open in calculatorWhat you are actually buying (Standard)
Line by line, at Nigerian market prices last checked October 2026. The low column is the Alaba/wholesale floor, the high column is showroom retail — most real installs land between them.
| Item | Qty | Line cost | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hybrid inverter5kVA 48V hybrid — Growatt / Luxpower / Must / Solis | 1 unit | ₦708,800 | ₦525k – ₦1.1M |
| Lithium battery (LiFePO4)5.12kWh 48V 100Ah module · 10+ yr life — Felicity / Growatt / Dyness | 3 modules | ₦4,112,700 | ₦3.23M – ₦5.32M |
| Solar panels600W mono/bifacial — Jinko / JA Solar / Longi | 8 panels | ₦1,108,800 | ₦958k – ₦1.31M |
| Panel mountingAluminium rails, mid/end clamps, roof hooks | 8 panels | ₦294,400 | ₦210k – ₦378k |
| DC solar cable6mm² twin-core PV cable, roof to inverter | 36 ms | ₦190,800 | ₦169k – ₦245k |
| MC4 connectorsPanel string connectors (pairs) | 6 pairs | ₦19,200 | ₦13k – ₦25k |
| PV combiner / isolator boxDC breaker + 1000V DC surge protector per string | 1 box | ₦73,500 | ₦53k – ₦126k |
| Battery breaker & cables160A DC MCCB, fuse, 35mm² battery cable, lugs | 1 set | ₦183,800 | ₦126k – ₦315k |
| AC breakers & surge protection32A inverter-output and 63A grid-input 2-pole breakers, 4–6 way DB, AC surge protector | 1 set | ₦105,000 | ₦74k – ₦158k |
| Changeover switch63A, inverter ⇄ grid/generator | 1 unit | ₦36,800 | ₦11k – ₦63k |
| Earthing kitCopper earth rod, clamp, 16mm² earth cable | 1 set | ₦78,800 | ₦47k – ₦116k |
| Battery rack / cabinetHolds 3 modules, ventilated | 1 unit | ₦105,000 | ₦63k – ₦189k |
| Fire extinguisher5kg CO₂ / DCP, mounted beside the battery bank | 1 unit | ₦57,800 | ₦26k – ₦74k |
| Trunking, conduit & accessoriesTrunking, conduit, glands, lugs, ties, AC flex | 5 kVAs | ₦73,500 | ₦53k – ₦116k |
| ContingencyItems a site survey usually adds, and price movement since our last check | 1 lot | ₦571,912 | ₦278k – ₦1.14M |
| Installation & workmanshipCharged by your installer — not included in this total | 1 lot | ₦0 | ₦0k – ₦0k |
| Total before installation | ₦7,720,812 | ₦5.83M – ₦10.7M |
Equipment ₦4.71M – ₦7.74M · mounting, cables and protection ₦844k – ₦1.8M · contingency ₦278k – ₦1.14M. Installation is not included — installers typically charge ₦150k – ₦350k.
Why this size
The inverter comes from the worst moment
Add up every appliance as if it switched on together — 3045W here — then add 56% (a 25% growth allowance, and never more than 80% continuous loading) so the unit is never running flat out, and round up to a size sold in Nigeria. That gives 5kVA. Sizing the inverter on an average instead of the peak is the single most common mistake in Nigerian quotes: the system works until the day everything is on, then it trips. Motors — pumps, fridges, compressors — also pull several times their running watts for the first second, so check the inverter's surge rating, not just its kVA.
The battery comes from your night-time use
Daytime use runs off the panels; the battery carries what you use after dark or while the grid is off. For a home with some grid that is about 50% of the day's energy, plus a 25% allowance, and lithium is only counted at 80% usable. That gives 15.36kWh — 3 modules of 5.12kWh, about 5 hours with everything on. Little or no grid needs more; Band A needs less — the calculator asks.
The panels come from the day's energy
This load uses 14.6kWh a day. A Nigerian roof averages about 4.5 peak sun hours, and roughly 75% of what the panels make survives heat, wiring, the charge controller and the round trip through the battery. Divide one by the other and round up to whole 600W modules: 8 × 600W panels (4.8kWp). Harmattan dust and a genuinely overcast week will cut that — which is why the Premium build adds panels rather than battery.
What it replaces
A generator sized for this load would have to burn fuel for every one of these 14.6kWh, every day, plus servicing — and it still cannot run quietly at 2am. Solar front-loads that cost into ₦5.83M – ₦10.7M once. Whether that pays back faster than your current fuel bill depends on how many hours of supply you actually get, so work it out on your own PHCN hours before you commit — we will do that with you rather than sell you a bigger system than the numbers justify.
Questions people ask about this
What can a 5kVA inverter run in Nigeria?
5kVA inverter, 15.36kWh lithium battery and 8 × 600W panels (4.8kWp). Installed in Lagos, Abuja or Port Harcourt that works out at ₦5.83M – ₦10.7M, with ₦7,720,812 as the realistic middle, at October 2026 Nigerian prices. The load is 3045W if everything runs at once and 14.6kWh across a day.
How many batteries does this need?
3 × 5.12kWh LiFePO4 modules, so 15.36kWh installed. That is sized to carry the average running load of this list for about 5 hours after dark. Drop to 6 hours and it is 10.24kWh (2 modules); go to 7 hours and it is 20.48kWh (4 modules).
How many solar panels, and will they cover the load?
8 × 600W panels (4.8kWp). At the 5.5 peak sun hours a Nigerian roof averages and 78% system efficiency, that array is sized to replace the 14.6kWh this load uses each day. Each 600W module is a little over 2m long and about 1.1m wide, so count 8 of them on one unshaded roof plane before you commit.
What is the difference between the budget, standard and premium versions?
Budget: 5kVA, 10.24kWh, 6 panels, about 6h backup — ₦4.08M – ₦6.89M. Standard: 5kVA, 15.36kWh, 8 panels, about 5h — ₦5.83M – ₦10.7M. Premium: 6kVA, 20.48kWh, 10 panels, about 7h — ₦9.26M – ₦15.7M. The inverter is sized from the same peak load in every tier; what you buy with the extra money is backup hours, panel headroom and inverter class.
Your list is not exactly this list
Open this exact load in the calculator, add the things you own and delete the things you do not, and the inverter, battery, panels and price all move with it. Then send it to us and we will source the equipment at the price on the page.
Brands we price for this
The Standard build above is priced on these brands. Each page lists every model we track, with the Nigerian price and the date it was checked.