TOPIC:
BATTERY PACKS VS INVERTERS
Cost Comparison of Battery Pack vs Inverters
The Basics
- Which One to Use
- Products We Are Comparing
- The Simple BOM Cost
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BATTERY PACKS VS INVERTERS
Installation & Maintenance
- Assumptions
- What are the "Real" Numbers?
- Maintenance Implications
Support Tools
- The One-Pager
- How to Get More Information
- What Factors Change the
Conclusion?
I. THE BASICS
Which One to Use
BATTERY PACK
LED Emergency Driver
- Small Jobs with Very Few Emergency Fixtures
- High Electrical Labor Costs
- Simple Retrofit Applications
MINI INVERTER
125 / 250 Watts of Pure Sine Wave Output Mini Inverter
- Higher Fixture Counts, Larger Jobs
- Integration with Advanced Lighting Controls
- Lower Yearly Maintenance Cost
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BATTERY PACKS VS INVERTERS
What We Are Comparing
EMP
EMP 7 | EMP 12 | EMP 25
IMI
IMI 125 | IMI 250
E3
E3 300 | E3 500
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BATTERY PACKS VS INVERTERS
I. THE BASICS
Cost of Goods
COST PER FIXTURE
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BATTERY PACKS VS INVERTERS
I. THE BASICS
Installed Cost
II. INSTALLATION & MAINTENANCE
The Work Being Done Here is Different, in Practice
- Field-Wiring the EMP is Local to The Fixture, but has a Number of Terminations
If You Are Just Buying Parts & Field Installing, it is a Wash
- The Inverter Requires Fewer Wires, but Will Utilize a Separate Run of Conduit & a Transfer Device
- Buying the EMP Pre-Installed from the Manufacturer
- Field-Wiring the Inverter
The Real Comparison is:
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BATTERY PACKS VS INVERTERS
The Assumptions
Getting to the "Perfect Number" Doesn't Exist...
- $125 Adder for Pre-Installation of the Battery Pack from the Fixture Manufacturer
- 1 ELCD Device per 10 Fixtures on the Inverter
- Labor & Materials for Installation Add Up to $40/Fixture
- Inverters Use Best Practice Loading
What We are Considering
- Project Management Costs of Having Different Fixture Types on Site
- Self-Documenting Features of the Inverter
What We are Not Considering
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BATTERY PACKS VS INVERTERS
II. INSTALLATION & MAINTENANCE
Total Installed Cost
COST PER FIXTURE
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BATTERY PACKS VS INVERTERS
II. INSTALLATION & MAINTENANCE
Maintenance Assumptions
These Assumptions are Even Harder to Deal With than the BOM Costs...
- It takes longer to travel between inverters than to go between emergency drivers
- Documentation takes more time than testing
- All inverters are self-diagnostic
- The labor rate for the person responsible for testing is $60/Hr
What We are Considering
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BATTERY PACKS VS INVERTERS
II. INSTALLATION & MAINTENANCE
Maintenance Cost
COST PER YEAR
EMP
E3 500
E3 300
IMI 250
IMI 125
FIXTURES
7W
12W
25W
$24
$1
$1
$1
$2
$24
$1
$1
$2
$3
$24
$2
$2
$3
$5
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BATTERY PACKS VS INVERTERS
II. INSTALLATION & MAINTENANCE
Where Does This Analysis Fall Apart?
Many Assumptions Can Change This Analysis
The maintenance part is stable and the relative values won't change much, the installed cost could change based on:
- More small zones could require more ELCD devices for control, driving the per-zone inverter cost up. Larger zones drive the inverter cost down.
- Labor rates have a more significant effect on inverters.
- We didn't cover it here, but the project management costs of battery packs is relevant. Having multiple fixtures that all look the same is challenging.
- Remember that inverters can also power exit signs and other non-lighting loads. That heavily shifts the benefit to them.
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BATTERY PACKS VS INVERTERS
II. INSTALLATION & MAINTENANCE
The One-Pager
III. SUPPORT TOOLS
- PDF Will Be Sent Along with Course Overview Email
- PDF Will Also Be Put on the EMP & IMI Product Pages
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BATTERY PACKS VS INVERTERS
Need Further Assistance?
Team of Experts
Schedule a Factory Visit or Advanced Sales & Engineering Training
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BATTERY PACKS VS INVERTERS
III. SUPPORT TOOLS