Calculating how much power you use is the first step in working out what size solar panel(s) / wind turbine you need. We have listed a range of equipment typically used in off-grid installations - solar charge controllers, inverters, broadband repeaters, security cameras, environmental monitoring and radio equipment, - along with a typical maximum power consumption figure in watts.
When operating 240V appliances via an inverter, you also need to consider the efficiency of your inverter. Pure sine-wave inverters typically operate at 90% efficiency, whereas modified sine-wave inverters are normally 80% efficient. If you were operating a 1000W device, you need to increase this to 1111W for a pure sine-wave inverter (1000 divided by 0.9) and 1250W for a modified (1000 divided by 0.8).
| Appliance | Typical maximum power (W) | |
| MOBOTIX M16A AllroundDual Security Camera | 7.5 | |
| Alhua - IR PTZ HDCVI Camera (Infa red ON) | 13 | |
| Alhua - IR PTZ HDCVI Camera (Infa red & Heater ON) | 22 | |
| Alhua - IR PTZ HDCVI Camera (Infa red & Heater ON) | 22 | |
| Alhua - Digital Video Recorder | 10 | |
| Hytera RD965 Radio Repeater (standby - 95%) | 11 | |
| Hytera RD965 Radio Repeater (transmittting - 5%) | 50 | |
| Ubiquiti UniFi WiFi 5 PoE Access Point | 9 | |
| Teltonika RUT955 WiFi 4 4G LTE CAT4 Router | 7 | |
| Analytical Technology F12/D Toxic Gas Detector | 6 | |
| EMS AirSonde Air Quality Monitor (transmitting) | 3 | |
| ToughSonic® REMOTE 30 Level Sensor | 9 | |
| Victron Venus GX data logger | 2.5 | |
| AUMA SQ05.2-SQ07.2 Pump Actuator (running) | 253 | |
| AUMA SAV07.2 (12-120) Pump Actuator (running) | 989 | |
| Victron 75/15 MPPT Solar Controller | 0.25 | |
| Victron Multiplus Inverter/Charger(s) | Zero Load | Standby |
| 500VA | 6 | 2 |
| 1200VA | 10 | 3 |
| 2000VA | 11 | 4 |
| 3000VA | 20 | 10 |
| Desktop PC and monitor | 200 | |
| Electric Kettle | 2200 | |
| Fridge (A rated) | 120 | |
| Inkjet Printer | 60 | |
| iPad | 15 | |
| iPhone | 5 | |
| Laptop Computer | 60 | |
| Light bulb (Halogen) | 60 | |
| Light bulb (LED) | 5 | |
| Light bulb (compact florescent) | 20 | |
| Light bulb (Tungsten) | 100 | |
| Light bult (Florescent Strip) | 36 | |
| Radio (DAB) | 4 | |
| Telephone (2 digital handsets) | 7 | |
| Home Video/DVD player/recorder | 40 | |
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