Wondering if you can use a power inverter in your house?
Yes, you can absolutely use an inverter at home!
An inverter is simply a device that converts Direct Current (DC) into Alternating Current (AC).
So you can use one anywhere you need to make this electrical conversion.
Inverters are designed to be used with equipment like deep-cycle batteries, vehicle stater batteries, and solar panel systems.
All of these power sources create DC electricity but most home appliances required AC electricity to run.
This means you’d have no reason to use a power inverter at home unless you want to run an appliance from a battery.
Now you know that you can use a power inverter in your house, let’s go through the reasons why you’d hook up an inverter at home.
6 Reasons To Use a Power Inverter in a House
There could be a lot of reasons to use an inverter in a house, basically, it is anytime you need to draw electricity from a battery source. Here are the 6 most common reasons:
1. Emergency Power Backup
To start with, you might want to add an emergency power backup to your home. While some people use diesel generators for this, you can also use a battery and power inverter.
This literally happened to me the other day! The power went out after a storm. It was great to be able to hook my inverter up to a deep-cycle battery to generate electricity. It allowed me to charge phones and tablets, plus run a TV and lighting.
Although my setup wasn’t powerful enough, you could also run larger appliances like refrigerators or keep essential medical equipment running like oxygen machines.
2. Solar Power System
Solar panel systems require power inverters as they generate either 12V or 24V DC electricity.
This means you need an inverter to convert the solar panel electricity into at least 120V AC power which is the same electricity as the mains.
Solar panel systems at home can work in two ways. You can either have an off-grid system that stores electricity in batteries. Or you can have a grid-tie system which links up to the main electricity supply. Both of these methods would require a power inverter.
3. Off-grid Outhouse
If you have an off-grid outhouse then you would need a power inverter as a part of your electricity setup. Once again, you would need to supply power from batteries and solar panels which need voltage conversion.
4. Shed
Everything seems to be online these days, even backyard sheds! You might want to have lighting, charge tools, or even make a man cave in your shed.
All of this requires electricity from equipment like power inverters.
5. Garage
Many people don’t actually keep a car in their garage. Quite often they are transformed into workshops for DIY and hobbies.
You might want to use a power inverter to provide AC power from leisure batteries or car batteries in your garage.
6. Backyard Office
With the incredible rise of home working, the addition of a home office in the backyard is becoming very popular.
Generally, if you work from home you need access to the internet and run devices like computers, printers, and phones. Quite often people decide to add electricity to run these items with solar panels. After all, they are eco-friendly and produce free electricity. Of course, as you’ve probably guessed, this needs a power inverter.
Final Thought on Can I Use an Inverter in My House?
Well, there you have it.
The answer is a resounding yes.
Many people use power inverters in their houses for a wide range of reasons.
Just remember, an inverter is not a source of electricity. It is simply used to convert DC battery power into AC electricity to run home appliances.