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LiFePO4 Battery Runtime Calculator

Turn your battery specifications and appliance load into a practical backup-time estimate.

How long can a LiFePO4 battery run your appliances? Enter the battery’s nominal voltage and Ah rating, your total AC load, and your inverter assumptions to estimate runtime. The calculator also compares estimated nominal-voltage DC current with the BMS rating you enter.

Formula and assumptions: nominal Wh = voltage × Ah. Usable AC Wh = nominal Wh × usable fraction × inverter efficiency. Runtime hours = usable AC Wh ÷ (AC appliance watts + idle watts). The enhanced v3 model treats idle draw as AC-equivalent demand; it does not silently reinterpret a manufacturer’s DC-side idle specification. Batteries start at 100% charge. Current = effective watts ÷ efficiency ÷ nominal voltage, so actual current can rise as voltage drops.

Household example: a 25.6V 100Ah battery contains 2,560 nominal DC Wh. At 90% usable capacity and 90% inverter efficiency, usable AC energy is 2,073.6Wh. A steady 300W load plus 20W AC-equivalent idle draw gives 6.48 hours, displayed as about 6h 29m. Estimated current is 13.89A at nominal voltage. These illustrative values do not promise an appliance can start or that a specific battery supports the load.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does 100Ah always mean the same stored energy?

No. 100Ah at 12.8V is 1.28kWh nominal; at 25.6V it is 2.56kWh; at 51.2V it is 5.12kWh. Nominal energy is different from usable AC energy after discharge limits and losses.
Battery temperature and age, inverter standby behavior, changing loads, low-voltage cutoffs, and startup events can change the result. A BMS current comparison at nominal voltage is only one check, not an installation approval.
Battery and load
Enter measured or specified idle draw. Use 0 for a simplified comparison.
100A is illustrative. Check the actual battery specification.

Your estimate
Simplified energy model: nominal voltage × Ah × usable fraction × conversion efficiency ÷ (appliance watts + idle watts). Starts at 100% charge. Idle draw is treated as additional AC-equivalent power; some manufacturers specify DC-side idle power, so real runtime can differ. Current uses nominal voltage and increases as battery voltage drops. This does not check surge current, wiring, charging, low-voltage cutoffs, temperature, battery age, or manufacturer-specific limits.
Estimated runtime
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Nominal DC battery energy
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Usable AC energy after losses
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Effective power demand
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Estimated DC current
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