How to Choose a Solar Battery Backup in Kenya (LiFePO4 Sizing Explained)

Power interruptions are the number one reason Kenyan homeowners call us. Panels alone will not keep your lights on after sunset or during an outage — the battery does that. Here is how to choose one properly.

Step 1: Work out your backup load, not your total load

You rarely need to back up everything. Separate your loads into three tiers:

• Essential — lights, Wi-Fi router, phone charging, TV, fridge
• Comfort — microwave, washing machine, water pump
• Heavy — electric shower, cooker, air conditioning, welding equipment

Most homes back up tier one and part of tier two. Electric cookers and instant showers are usually left on the grid because they draw enormous power for short bursts.

Step 2: Convert appliances into daily kWh

Multiply each appliance's wattage by the hours you run it, then divide by 1,000.

Appliance	Watts	Hours/day	kWh/day
LED lights (8)	80	5	0.40
Fridge	150	24 (cycling ~8h)	1.20
TV	100	5	0.50
Wi-Fi + phones	30	24	0.72
Laptop	65	6	0.39
Total			≈ 3.2 kWh/day

Step 3: Choose your LiFePO4 capacity

We supply LiFePO4 packs from 1kWh to 10kWh, and combine 10kWh units for larger sites. LiFePO4 safely delivers about 90% usable capacity, so:

Battery size needed = Daily backup kWh ÷ 0.9 × days of autonomy

For the 3.2kWh example above with one evening of autonomy, a 5kWh LiFePO4 pack is the right fit — 4.5kWh usable, with comfortable headroom for cloudy days.

Common sizing outcomes we see in Kenya:

• 1–2kWh — bedsitter or shop: lights, phones, a small TV
• 3–5kWh — 2–3 bedroom home with a fridge
• 10kWh — large home, borehole pump, home office
• 20kWh+ — clinics, guesthouses, small factories

Step 4: Check the inverter, not just the battery

The battery stores energy; the inverter decides how much you can draw at once. Add the wattage of everything that may run simultaneously and add 25% headroom. A 5kWh battery paired with a 3kW hybrid inverter is a typical, well-balanced Kenyan home setup.

Also confirm:

• The inverter is hybrid (grid + solar + battery) if you want seamless changeover
• Surge rating is high enough for motor start-up (fridges, pumps)
• Battery communication (CAN/RS485) is supported, so the inverter reads the true state of charge

Step 5: Understand runtime honestly

Runtime = usable kWh ÷ average load in kW. A 5kWh pack (4.5kWh usable) carrying a steady 500W load runs for about nine hours. Carry 1.5kW and it lasts three. Any installer promising "all night, everything on" without asking about your loads is guessing.

Why we recommend LiFePO4 over lead-acid

	Lead-acid	LiFePO4
Usable depth	~50%	~90%
Cycle life	500–1,200	6,000+
Maintenance	Watering, ventilation	None
Footprint	Bulky floor bank	Wall-mounted

Over a ten-year horizon, lead-acid usually needs replacing two or three times. Lithium generally does not.

Get your exact numbers

Our free solar sizing tool turns your appliance list into a recommended panel array, inverter size and LiFePO4 battery bank — including estimated backup hours — and generates a branded PDF you can share.

Want us to verify it on site? Book a free site survey.