April 2022
BATTERY PACKS VS. SMALL INVERTERS VS. BIG INVERTERS - HOW TO CHOOSE
TOPIC
Background
Considerations
- What We're Trying to Solve
The Results
Chalk Talk
Overview
- The Hardware
- Accessories Required
- This Is Complicated...
- The Rules of Engagement
- Our Example's Total Cost of Ownership
- The Example We're Using
- Installation Labor and Consumables
- The Maintenance
What We're Trying to Solve
- Building a framework to evaluate the cost associated with emergency lighting systems
ISOLITE
BATTERY PACKS VS. SMALL INVERTERS VS. BIG INVERTERS - HOW TO CHOOSE
Chalk Talk
I. BACKGROUND
- Focused on Emergency LED Drivers, Small Inverters and Large Inverters
- Not focused on traditional unitary emergency lights or generators
- Mostly ignoring the functional differences and preferences (like aesthetics) for this analysis
- Some of these do have cost implications, which will be touched on
The Rules of Engagement
- Trying to make this as apples to apples (to apples) as possible
- 100 Fixtures, 30 Watts Each
- Comparison Points Will Be:
ISOLITE
BATTERY PACKS VS. SMALL INVERTERS VS. BIG INVERTERS - HOW TO CHOOSE
Chalk Talk
I. BACKGROUND
- We're using something that approximates a "MSRP/list" cost for products since Chalk Talks are public. The numbers are the same relative to each other.
- Keep in mind, options can change the cost structure as can installation oddities
- 100x 25W Emergency LED Drivers
- 6x 500W E3 Inverters
- 1x 3,000W E3MAC Inverter
The Example We're Using
Basic Commercial Construction
ISOLITE
BATTERY PACKS VS. SMALL INVERTERS VS. BIG INVERTERS - HOW TO CHOOSE
Chalk Talk
I. BACKGROUND
- 100 Fixtures, 30W Each
- 25 zones contain emergency lighting
- All zones are controlled by some sort of lighting control
- Small inverters are distributed
- Big inverter is centrally located
- Emergency LED drivers are factory installed
- Electrical Labor is $50/hr
The Hardware
"Basically" because we know we need additional hardware for the inverters...
What We Need, Basically
II. CONSIDERATIONS
ISOLITE
BATTERY PACKS VS. SMALL INVERTERS VS. BIG INVERTERS - HOW TO CHOOSE
Chalk Talk
This doesn't account for any of the installation labor/materials
Totals
Inverter Cost Advantage Point
25W LED Driver
500W Inverter
3000W Inverter
Count
Cost Each
Cost Total
100
6
1
$200
$2,400
$13,000
$20,000
$14,400
$13,000
Device
LED Drivers: $20,000
500W Inverters: $14,400
3000W Inverter: $13,000
The Accessories
- Every ZONE of inverter-backed lighting will have to have 1 ALRC (ELCD/ELCD-F/ELCD-FD)
II. CONSIDERATIONS
ISOLITE
BATTERY PACKS VS. SMALL INVERTERS VS. BIG INVERTERS - HOW TO CHOOSE
Chalk Talk
Totals
LED Drivers: $20,000
500W Inverters: $16,900
3000W Inverter: $15,500
- We'll call this $100/zone for this example
- Inverter costs each go up by: $100 x 25 Zones = $2,500
Installation
The LED Drivers
II. CONSIDERATIONS
ISOLITE
BATTERY PACKS VS. SMALL INVERTERS VS. BIG INVERTERS - HOW TO CHOOSE
Chalk Talk
- LED Emergency Drivers can be factory or field-installed (in most jurisdictions)
- Field installation is costly/complicated due to the number of wires that have to be terminated
- Factory installation costs are all over the place, but we'll estimate it at a $25 adder per fixture
- LED Emergency Drivers factory installed in Fixtures = $22,500
Totals
LED Drivers: $22,500
500W Inverters: $16,900
3000W Inverter: $15,500
Installation
Labor Rates
II. CONSIDERATIONS
ISOLITE
BATTERY PACKS VS. SMALL INVERTERS VS. BIG INVERTERS - HOW TO CHOOSE
Chalk Talk
- Inverters do require more from an installation standpoint due to their size.
- For the large inverter we'll budget 4 hours, 1/2 a day, of labor, $200
- For small inverters we'll budget 2 hours each, 6 * 2 * 50 = $600
Totals
LED Drivers: $22,500
500W Inverters: $17,500
3000W Inverter: $15,700
Installation
II. CONSIDERATIONS
ISOLITE
BATTERY PACKS VS. SMALL INVERTERS VS. BIG INVERTERS - HOW TO CHOOSE
Chalk Talk
Normal
Emergency Driver
Inverter
1
2
4
5
3
1
Installation
- The wire lengths required are different for each of the scenarios
Materials
II. CONSIDERATIONS
ISOLITE
BATTERY PACKS VS. SMALL INVERTERS VS. BIG INVERTERS - HOW TO CHOOSE
Chalk Talk
- We'll normalize for the emergency driver and only count additional wiring needed for the inverter systems
- Wire is budgeted at $0.50/ft which includes installation labor to pull it
- We'll estimate that the average zone on the smaller inverters requires an extra 100ft of wire (25 * 100 * $0.50 = $1250)
- We'll estimate that the average zone on the large inverters requires an extra 200ft of wire (25 * 200 * $0.50 = $2500)
Totals
LED Drivers: $22,500
500W Inverters: $18,750
3000W Inverter: $18,200
Freight
II. CONSIDERATIONS
ISOLITE
BATTERY PACKS VS. SMALL INVERTERS VS. BIG INVERTERS - HOW TO CHOOSE
Chalk Talk
Totals
LED Drivers: $22,500
500W Inverters: $19,150
3000W Inverter: $18,650
- We'll normalize around the pre-installed LED drivers since the fixtures have to ship anyway
- Shipping is going to vary by location but we'll estimate high
- The 500W inverters would most likely ship UPS ground, totaling roughly $300
- The 3000W inverter would ship via freight, roughly $450
Purchase Price is One Thing...
Our example has led us to the total cost of installation of:
What it costs to get these installed
II. CONSIDERATIONS
ISOLITE
BATTERY PACKS VS. SMALL INVERTERS VS. BIG INVERTERS - HOW TO CHOOSE
Chalk Talk
Totals
LED Drivers: $22,500
500W Inverters: $19,150
3000W Inverter: $18,650
Solution
Total Installed Cost
$22,500
$19,150
$18,650
(100) Emergency Driver
(6) 500W Inverter
(1) 3000W Inverter
The Maintenance...
- Emergency Drivers will have to be inspected/documented monthly (est. 4 minutes each)
4 min * 100 drivers * 12 mo/yr * $50/hr * 1/60 = $4,000/yr
II. CONSIDERATIONS
ISOLITE
BATTERY PACKS VS. SMALL INVERTERS VS. BIG INVERTERS - HOW TO CHOOSE
Chalk Talk
- 500W Inverters have to be inspected once yearly (est. 15 minutes each)
15 min * 6 inverters * $50/hr * 1/60 = $75/yr
- 3000W Inverters have to be inspected once yearly (est. 30 minutes total)
30 min * 1 inverter * $50/hr * 1/60 = $25/yr
- NFPA 101 mandates monthly testing (self-diagnostics still requires documentation)
- NFPA 111 mandates yearly inverter maintenance
Total Cost of Ownership
This doesn't include battery replacement
III. THE RESULTS
ISOLITE
BATTERY PACKS VS. SMALL INVERTERS VS. BIG INVERTERS - HOW TO CHOOSE
Chalk Talk
- LED Drivers est. 5-year replacement horizon
- Inverters est. 10-year replacement horizon
Installed Cost
5-Year Cost
10-Year Cost
$22,500
$19,150
$18,650
$42,500
$19,525
$18,775
$62,500
$19,900
$18,900
Solution
(100) Emergency Driver
(6) 500W Inverter
(1) 3000W Inverter
The Average Is Never Truly Achieved
- The total cost of ownership is always going to sway you towards larger inverters
- Labor costs and installation "proximity" are going to impact the installed cost numbers
Our Example
III. THE RESULTS
ISOLITE
BATTERY PACKS VS. SMALL INVERTERS VS. BIG INVERTERS - HOW TO CHOOSE
Chalk Talk
- Almost every detailed analysis we've done still has inverters resulting in a lower installed cost
- The ability to do exit signs off the inverter makes this a lot more cost effective, too
- We'd love to assist you in this analysis for your jobs, just reach out...
Sales Materials
- Training Video Link (Public - For Agent Only)
- Sales Presentation PDF (Public - For Agent Sales Presentations)
Available within Follow-up Sales Packet
III. TOPIC
ISOLITE
BATTERY PACKS VS. SMALL INVERTERS VS. BIG INVERTERS - HOW TO CHOOSE
Chalk Talk
Need Further Assistance?
Team of Experts
Schedule a Webinar for Advanced Sales & Engineering Training
III. TOPIC
ISOLITE
BATTERY PACKS VS. SMALL INVERTERS VS. BIG INVERTERS - HOW TO CHOOSE
Chalk Talk
THANK YOU