Choosing an inverter comes down to two numbers: the peak power your appliances draw at the same time, and the energy you use over a day. Get those right and everything else follows.

Step 1 — add up your peak load

List what might run together at the busy time of day — lights, TV, fridge, Wi-Fi, maybe an iron. Add their wattages. A typical 3-bedroom home lands between 2,000W and 4,000W. Heavy loads like kettles and irons spike the figure, so size for them or plan to run them one at a time.

Step 2 — match an inverter size

Divide your peak watts by 0.8 to get the kVA rating, then round up to a standard size. A 3,000W peak needs roughly a 3.75 kVA inverter, so you'd choose a 5 kVA hybrid for headroom. A little spare capacity protects motor start-up surges from pumps and fridges.

Step 3 — don't forget the battery and panels

The inverter only converts power; the battery stores it and panels refill it. Size the battery for the hours of backup you want, and the array for your daily kWh against Kenya's ~4.5 peak sun hours. Our Build a System tool does this maths for you in a few taps.

Three common mistakes

Buying on price alone and getting a non-hybrid unit you can't add solar to later; ignoring surge ratings so the inverter trips when the pump kicks in; and undersizing the battery so backup runs out before morning. When in doubt, talk to us — sizing advice is free.