About the Brand – APC
APC – The name which is well-known in UPS industry, gives more value to this Home Inverter model BI850sine.
This is not an Indian Product 🙁 , actually APC is owned by a French company called Schneider, which is operating worldwide. Schneider is industry giant in power backup equipment manufacturing, power management components and Energy distribution.
In recent years, Schneider has acquired several successful companies in India (including Luminous) and has strong market share in UPS inverter industry.
APC is clearly leading in manufacturing of UPS for IT industry and Data centers. They don’t compromise in quality and their products are known for its good quality components and better back-up.
APC is the choice of Customers with some technical knowledge. Though APC’s service network is not so good, customers from IT background mostly prefer APC Home UPS for its excellent performance.
Compare APC Home UPS with Su-Kam and Luminous
APC’s Technology is different from the technology of other leading UPS manufacturers in India, so we don’t want to get into that comparison.
It does not mean that our Indian products are cheap in quality. Actually Our Indian products are better and manufactured in a certain way to function flawlessly in Indian conditions.
APC Home UPS comes with some advanced features like 11 volt low cut setting, High temperature protection, Away switch at front panel, Load Indicator and wide range of battery charge current selection. All these features comes for Rs.4500/- which is 1k less than Su-Kam’s flagship model Falcon Plus.
At the same time we should admit that sukam falcon plus has several other advantages which is more than enough for a normal user.
APC Home UPS is certainly a premium Product which cannot be compared with basic sine wave wave Inverters like sukam shiny and microtek inverter models.
Some APC Home UPS users have raised a complaint about humming noise from inverter in battery mode which is very annoying.
Luminous Flagship model zelio 900 VA inverter has LCD display in front panel and MCB at back panel. Price is almost same. we will compare all these models in a separate post.
Why choose APC Home UPS?
# Pure sine wave output – Best companion for your computers, mobile chargers, LED TV’s and all other sensitive gadgets.
# No humming noise from fan and light
# High quality components – ensures long life
# World class Technology & Proven Reliability
# Better battery management technology prolongs the inverter battery life.
# Generator Compatibility
5 Features that makes APC Home UPS a better choice
# Load Indicator
Apc Home Ups has load indicating lights in Front panel, which is more reliable than so called LCD displays in other leading inverter brands which always show some unrealistic predictions about load on inverter and remaining backup hours in battery mode.
# Away Switch
‘Away switch’ is available in front panel, which is very useful when you go for vacation. It maintains your battery charge level and prevents it from deep discharge.
# Battery charge current selection switch
Charge current selection switch with 4 options – 8Amp, 10Amp, 13 Amp and 15 Amp
Normally most inverter models have 2 charge selection options and some advanced models have 3 modes for charge current selection.
APC Home UPS is compatible with batteries from 80ah to 180 ah.
When pairing an 80 ah battery with APC home UPS, you should select only 8Amp charge current. Choosing high charge current for low capacity battery will lead to severe battery damage and it affects your battery life significantly.
| Battery capacity | Recommended Charge current |
| 80 ah battery | 8 amp charge current |
| 100 ah battery | 10 amp charge current |
| 135 ah battery | 13 amp charge current |
| 150 ah to 180 ah | 15 amp charge current |
# Inverter Compatible with Generators
Usually normal sine wave inverters are mostly not compatible with Generators for certain technical reasons. But some inverter models like APC Home UPS and Su-kam Falcon Plus are compatible with generators. This facility might be useful for some users who use Gensets in their Home or Office.
# 11.1 Volt Disconnect – Low battery voltage shutdown enhances battery life
Normally all home inverters are set to shutdown the unit when the battery reaches 10.5 volt in battery backup mode, actually 10.5 low volt disconnect setting will allow us to use the battery power to its maximum and delivers extra backup time, but if we continue to do this regularly then the battery life will be affected severely.
To tackle this problem, APC has set the Low Voltage Disconnect setting to 11.1 volt, which enhances the battery life and reduces the backup time to some extent.
APC is the first company to introduce this setting in the Indian Market. Recently Su-kam also introduces this 11 Volt disconnect setting in its Falcon Plus Inverter model
# Better Battery Management and Fast Recharging without decreasing battery life
APC’s has more than 25 years of experience in manufacturing UPS for computers and this experience helps the company to make a state of art, microprocessor based battery charging and managing software for its Home UPS series. Proven technology makes it more reliable.
A premium 150 ah tall tubular battery is 3 times as expensive as an 850 VA Home Inverter unit, so better battery management is necessary to prolong the battery life.
APC has 3 stage battery charging technology which smartly senses the battery state and gives charge current according to the battery status.
Choosing 15 amp charge current from the back panel does not mean that it constantly supplies 15 amp charge current to the battery. It limits the charge current according to your battery age and condition of cells.
Available Range
APC Home UPS is available in
850 VA (12v single battery model) ( BI850sine )
1500 VA (24v double battery model) (BI1500sine)
850 VA model is sufficient for two bedroom homes and it would cost around Rs.4500/- (excluding battery & other installation charges). It will operate with one 12 v battery, which would cost around 11K)
850 VA sine wave inverter – Rs.4500/-
One 12v 150 ah tall tubular battery – Rs.11,000/-
Installation cost – Rs.1000/- ( this applies only if your home does not have separate inverter wiring)
Total cost – Rs.16500 (approx.)
You could connect
One 32 inch LED TV – 50 watts
DTH box – 20 watts
Internet wifi Modem & router – 20 watts
3 ceiling fans – 80watts x 3 – 240 watts
3 CFL’s – 25 watts x 3 – 75 watts
2 Tube lights – 40watts x 2 – 80 watts
Total power consumption – 485 watts
An 850 VA Inverter would handle load up to 500 watts simultaneously, if you want to run your kitchen mixer/blender with 500watts for few seconds, you should switch off all other gadgets in inverter line for few mins till you finish your work with blender.
Model APC BI1500sine – 1500VA double battery inverter model
Double battery inverter model is better choice for 3 BHK homes and family with more than 5 members. Go for it, if you could afford this inverter.
Inverter Price – Rs.7400/-
Cost of two 150 ah Exide tall tubular batteries with 18+18 months warranty – Rs.22000/-
Installation cost – Rs.1500/-
Total cost – Rs.30,900 (approx.)
For better backup, you could limit the concurrent usage of all the gadgets listed above.
# Price of APC Home UPS
APC Home UPS BI850 – Rs.4500 (approx.) Check Online price
APC Home UPS BI1500 – Rs.7400 (approx.) Check Online Price
# Specs of APC Home UPS BI850sine
Hi admin
wanted to buy a new inverter. I have read few of your articles about apc and sukam falcon inverters. After reading this article I have a doubt regarding APC BI1500sine model. Can I operate this using one battery as I can add another battery If my budget permits in the future. Is there an option to connect some solar panels to charge the batteries
Dear hap,
APC 1500 VA home ups is a 24v system and needs two 12v batteries to operate. You cannot operate it with single battery.
APC 850 VA home ups is good for home use and it operates with single battery.
You can add solar panels by adding one more solar conversion kit to your existing normal inverter.
Hi Ravi, Please recommend the best inverter for home use (650-850VA) for a 100Ah Battery. Looking to replace my troublesome 400VA Mahindra Powerol one. I am confused with different models from Su-Kam & Exide. Appreciate a quick response. Thanks
Dear Sam Albert,
I would like to recommend luminous zelio 900 VA
Best performer available at best price.
Dear Ethan,
APC tubular batteries are good choice for Home UPS systems, but the price is little expensive for a normal home use.
If you have any budget constrain, we would recommend
Exide TM500 tube master 150 ah tall tubular battery – Rs.10500 to 11000
and
Exide Inva Master IM10000 tall tubular 150 ah battery – Rs.12000 to 13000
warranty period is the difference between two models.
Thank you so much for your time and advice.
Dear Sam,
I would recommend Luminous zelio 900va inverter for your load preference.
Dear Syed,
For inverter
We would recommend APC 850 Va , Luminous zelio 900 Va and sukam falcon plus
Sukam shiny 900 cannot be compared with above models.
APC or Luminous Zelio would be a perfect choice for you.
For Battery,
Both Exide and Luminous have entry level tubular battery models with 18 months free replacement warranty.
Exide Inva Master 150 Ah is best for Home use and you can expect better battery life compared to Exide Tube Master.
Choose the best that fits your budget.
Hey,
Will there be any problems if this inverter is not placed horizontally? The wire connecting the inverter to the mains is too short and I have to place the inverter vertically. Will this cause any issues? I’ve checked that the fan vents are not blocked due to this. Technically this should not cause any issues, but just wanted to check.
No problem, make sure it does not block the cooling vent at the back side.
I would like to point out a flaw of this Inverter. This Inverter repair cost is very high. If anything goes wrong you will have to change the entire circuit board as all the components are soldered tightly to the circuit board. Recently my home Inverter faulted. So I had to call the customer care and they said it would cost me about 3k-3.5k which is about 70percent the price of the Inverter.
Yeah that’s a big drawback.
Can you suggest me a inverter for my 150ah invared battery. I gave some thoughts to Luminous EcoVolt 1050(900VA), Microtek SWe2+ 925, Su-Kam Falcon+. I have not considered zelio as some of the store owners told me that the lcd is faulting pretty quickly. Please suggest.
Dear Ganguly,
LCD in both luminous zelio and sukam falcon plus plus will
always show some unrealistic data. But their performance is good in terms of charging and backup.
Sukam falcon plus has no LCD and it is pretty popular among premium range home ups systems.
Luminous zelio is equally good and less expensive compared to falcon + and falcon ++
Sir plz suggest me that what would better Luminous zelio or su kam falcon plus inverter with exide 180ah battery for home use
Dear Gorav,
Both Lumionus zelio 1100 va and sukam falcon plus 1100 va are
premium home inverters, best for home use.
Falcon plus is little expensive compared to zelio. Both are equally good.
Hi,
Shall I use APC 1500va with 2 Exide 100 ah batteries?
My dealer suggests to use only APC batteries with 120 ah only. Please suggest me. Urgent.
Dear Balachandran,
You can use two 100 ah batteries with 1500 Va inverter, no problem.
Keep the inverter in normal charging mode.
I have UPS in my home, in my area there is not power cut normally, there will be power cut one day in month during for maintenance.I understand that inverter consumes power even if though it is not used. Is there any way to install a bypass switch to avoid inverted being charged and enabled when there is a power cut
Dear Admin,
In the process of getting my Square Wave UPS + Old local brand batteries replaced. Narrowed down to SuKam Falcon+ or Exide GQP 850 VA model with Exide Red or Inva master 150 AH battery.
Dealer quotes Exide GQP is better than Falcon+, as exide is the only one that has Copper wiring and grid like sine wave. Current quote from Bangalore dealer is 4500 for inverter 12500 for Inva Red battery.
Can you please comment on the dealer’s offer. I checked your older replies that were 3 yrs ago. Not sure how the prices have varied in 3 yrs. Your quick response is required 🙂
Thanks,
Mani
Dear Mani,
Falcon plus is expensive but it is still the best in terms of waveform and Technology.
Thanks for the quick reply. 🙂
Falcon+ has aluminum wiring? Should I assume the below prices are OK for Bengaluru area?
Falcon+ – 5500
Exide GQP – 4500
Exide Inva Red 150 AH – 12500?
hi admin ravi, i’m planning to buy luminous 100Ah solar battery(5years warranty) which required max 10Amp charging current. Which inverter i can go for Su-Kam Falcon Eco 1000Va or faclon+ (costly) or any other inverter which will not harm abattery by charging 15amp
I recommend sukam falcon plus for better performance and battery safety.
Hi
I am planning to go with APC850SINE 1x 180AH now, Can i connect 2nd 180AH Batt later
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