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Firgelliauto
firgelliauto.com › firgelli automations › calculators › ups sizing battery interactive calculator
UPS Battery Sizing Interactive Calculator | FIRGELLI
This page covers the full sizing formulas, a worked data center example, engineering theory, and an FAQ on aging, temperature effects, and battery chemistry selection. UPS battery sizing is the process of calculating how much battery capacity you need to keep critical equipment running during ...
Published   March 27, 2026
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Fujielectric
india.fujielectric.com › resources › technical-guide › ups-sizing-calculation
Fuji Electric | UPS Sizing Calculation
When the loads are not operated in a sequence, the UPS capacity is selected based on the summation of rms currents of all the connected loads and the rms peak current of all the connected load as shown in the below formula · UPS capacity in KVA =√3 X V X ∑1n(Irms+ Irms-peak) The purpose ...
Discussions

Calculate UPS size
UPS capacity for how many VA/watts it can handle and how long it will run are completely unrelated. A lot of UPS models in the same line will all use exactly the same battery packs. A typical setup is 2 to 4 7Ah sealed lead acid 12v batteries. If you have a 2-cell battery pack, that's 2*12v*8A == ~170 Watt/hours. Assuming the inverter is 90% efficient, and your 380 watts of power need, expect about a 20 minute runtime. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/homelab
14
15
October 21, 2023
How to calculate runtime on a UPS
It all comes down to energy. Energy is stored in batteries, and used up by devices doing work. The way that energy is transferred is by pushing electrons. Current, measured in amps, is how many electrons are flowing through in a given time. Voltage, measured in volts, is how hard the electrons are being pushed. Power, measured in watts, is the amount of energy transferred in a given time. kilowatt-hours (kWh) is a measure of energy, in more convenient units. So to calculate runtime, you start by measuring the power input into all of your devices. You can get that a couple of different ways. measure the number of kWh used over a time period, and then divide by the number of hours in the time period to get kilowatts. measure the current and multiply by the voltage (power = voltage * current) Once you've got that, you know how fast the energy is draining out of the battery. Now you need to know how much energy is in the battery. According to the specs of the UPS you posted, it has "Battery Volt-Amp-Hour Capacity 845". A volt-amp is the same as a watt (sort of, the difference exsts but isn't important here) so that means the battery has a capacity of 0.845 kilowatt-hours. If the load was 0.845 kilowatts, the battery would last exactly one hour from full charge. If the load is 2.535 kilowatts, the battery will last 20 minutes from full charge. Your power draw in that screenshot is 207.5 volts at 8.6 amps, which is 1.7845 kilowatts. So your battery runtime will be 0.47 hours, or about 28 minutes. There are two caveats for this! The first is that the calculation gives you the theoretical maximum runtime. In reality, it will be less - batteries don't like discharging to zero, and there's always losses in the system. The second is that the calculation is crucially based on that current figure, which will vary from second to second. Device power consumption is never constant, it varies with different computing loads, environmental conditions, which devices are in use and other factors. The most accurate way to get runtime is to measure your total energy consumption over a long period, and then divide by that time period to get an average power consumption. I suspect that the 19 minute runtime remaining is because the UPS is averaging the measured power consumption and that figure is higher than the consumption at the time the screenshot was taken. For your new site calculations, is the site up and running already or do you have to calculate consumption theoretically? More on reddit.com
🌐 r/sysadmin
8
0
April 19, 2024
UPS Capacity Calculation Formula - Anyone has an easy to understand one to follow for those calculations required every once in a while

If you want detailed information you have to rely on the data given by the manufacturer. Batteries behave differently depending on the load. The only thing that applies pretty much every time is: Try not to go over 80% load. Always leave some headroom, the more the better obviously, but 80% max load is a typical recommendation.

Generally, Watts = Voltage * Ampere. Capacity is often specified in AH, or Ampere Hours (Ampere * Hours). If a battery has a capacity of 9AH, that means: 9 = Ampere * Hours. Fill in ampere, which is what your devices draw, and you'll get to the hours. We assume the battery is designed for usage in 110V scenarios.

If your equipment runs at 110 volts and it has a power rating of 500 watts, that gives you: 500w = 110v * A. Divide 500 by 110 and you get approximately 4.5 amps. If you go back to the battery you'll see it has a capacity of 9AH, which means it can supply 9 ampere for 1 hour. Since you only need 4.5 amps, that would give you a runtime of 2 hours.

Here's the thing though: Batteries are limited in how many amps they can supply. You cannot just draw 1000 amps, batteries have a rated output current as well. This is the number you need to determine how much load you will put on the battery. If the battery is rated for 9 amps output current then drawing 4.5 amps would put it at 50% load. And this is where the charts from the manufacturer come in: The efficiency of a battery depends on the load. The basic math holds up, drawing 4.5 amps from a 9Ah rated battery will give you a runtime of 2 hours. But when you factor in the heat generated by the load, the power factor of the battery/UPS, a bit of loss from the cabling etc. then your results can vary quite a bit. This is why the "half-load runtime" isn't twice as long as the "full-load runtime", even though that should be the case. The UPS you linked to mentions a "half-load runtime" of 9.5 minutes; Doubling the amps drawn (to get to full load) should reduce this to 4.75 minutes; half the time. However, with all other factors in play you get a specified full-load runtime of just 2.5 minutes. That is barely more than a quarter of 9.5 and nowhere near half of 9.5 as you would expect.

Ultimately, even though calculating the runtime is fairly easy if everything was working with an efficiency of a 100%, that unfortunately is never the case. Efficiency varies greatly between manufacturers and the load put on the batteries so the only thing you can do is consult the runtime charts of the manufacturer.

In the end what you should do is: See how much current (ampere) you need for your equipment, look at the output rating of the UPS to determine how much load your equipment will put on the battery, then consult the chart to see what runtime you will get. Always leave some headroom, a) because if you do things like shutting down servers once you know the UPS has kicked in those servers might draw more current during shutdown than they would if they were running regularly. The battery needs to be able to handle that load as well, even if it's just for a minute. Also, b) batteries will deteriorate over time. You will get a minute or two less runtime at some point, you need to accommodate for that as well.

To sum it all up:

Q1: How long can I run in minutes my equipment which needs 500 Watts?

Look at the UPS/batteries to see how much load 500 watts would be (calculate your current draw by dividing Watts / Voltage) by checking your current draw against the power current rating. Then check the charts to see how much runtime a load of X% will give you.

Q2: What is the maximum watt usage I can permit if i want to get X minutes of uptime/runtime?

That is pretty much the same question as above. Check the charts of much runtime you will get with 80% load, then multiply the current at 80% with your voltage and you get watts.

Q3: How can i include in my calculation the presence of an extended battery (for models where it is a possibility)?

Just add up the ampere hours of all batteries included.

More on reddit.com
🌐 r/sysadmin
7
1
January 20, 2021
APC UPS Battery Backup - How to Calculate the power input in all my devices to choose the right Battery Backup?
I'd measure the total consumption over a period of time with a meter, or smart plug. Laptop has a battery, consumption will depend on usage and if its charging or not. In case of a long outage it may be acceptable to power down a screen for a bit? More on reddit.com
🌐 r/homeassistant
35
12
January 6, 2024
People also ask

What system voltage should I select for my UPS battery bank?
System voltage selection fundamentally shapes UPS architecture, affecting current magnitudes, cable costs, battery count, and failure modes. Standard voltages follow established patterns: 12V/24V/48V for small systems (under 5 kVA), 120V/240V for medium installations (5-50 kVA), and 480V or higher for large facilities (above 50 kVA). The primary advantage of higher voltage is reduced current—a 10 kW load at 48V draws 208A, while the same load at 480V draws only 21A (both assuming inverter inefficiencies). This tenfold current reduction translates to dramatically smaller (and less expensive) ca
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firgelliauto.com
firgelliauto.com › firgelli automations › calculators › ups sizing battery interactive calculator
UPS Battery Sizing Interactive Calculator | FIRGELLI
How does the Peukert effect impact UPS battery runtime calculations?
The Peukert effect describes the non-linear relationship between discharge rate and available battery capacity, representing one of the most commonly overlooked factors in UPS sizing. Battery manufacturers typically rate capacity at the C/10 or C/20 discharge rate (10-hour or 20-hour discharge to specified endpoint voltage). A 100 Ah battery rated at C/10 delivers 100 Ah when discharged at 10A over 10 hours. However, if the same battery discharges at 50A (C/2 rate), available capacity drops to approximately 85-90 Ah due to electrochemical kinetics limitations and increased internal resistance
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firgelliauto.com
firgelliauto.com › firgelli automations › calculators › ups sizing battery interactive calculator
UPS Battery Sizing Interactive Calculator | FIRGELLI
How does temperature affect UPS battery capacity and what correction factors should I apply?
Temperature profoundly impacts both available capacity and battery service life through electrochemical reaction kinetics. Battery manufacturers rate capacity at 25°C (77°F), but real-world installations often operate outside this reference point. Available capacity decreases approximately 1% per degree Celsius below 25°C, so a battery room maintained at 15°C delivers only about 90% of rated capacity, requiring proportional oversizing. The effect becomes more severe below 0°C, where capacity can drop to 50% or less, making battery warming systems essential for outdoor installations in cold cli
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firgelliauto.com
firgelliauto.com › firgelli automations › calculators › ups sizing battery interactive calculator
UPS Battery Sizing Interactive Calculator | FIRGELLI
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Anker SOLIX
ankersolix.com › anker solix › blog center › battery › battery backup calculator for ups
Battery Backup Calculator for UPS: Sizing & Runtime Guide - Anker SOLIX US
April 7, 2026 - Step 3: Calculating Theoretical Runtime · To estimate how long your battery bank will last, use the following formula: Runtime (hrs) = (Battery Ah × Battery Voltage × Number of Batteries × Inverter Efficiency) / Load (Watts) Note: Most inverters ...
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CalcPanel
calcpanel.com › tools › ups-runtime
UPS Runtime Calculator — Estimate Battery Backup Time at Your Load
Formula: minutes ≈ (V × Ah × strings × efficiency × safety × 60) ÷ load (W). Use the calculator below, compare minutes to your shutdown or generator-start target, then size amp-hours in the UPS battery calculator.
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ACE Battery
acebattery.com › home › how to calculate battery run time for ups?
How To Calculate Battery Run Time for UPS?
To sum up, it will be W = V X A. The total load is represented by Wt which is the sum of the power consumption of all devices. It can be represented as Wt = W1 + W2 + … · Amperage calculation can be found by Total weight/volts. Here, the volt is the battery voltage.
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Eaton
tripplite.eaton.com › products › load-calculator
UPS Load and Runtime Calculator | Eaton
Find the perfect UPS system in two easy steps! Calculate the total power consumption of connected devices then choose a runtime so get your recommendations.
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Facilitygateway
facilitygateway.com › how-do-i-calculate-what-size-ups-i-need
How Do I Calculate What Size UPS I Need?
Divide the new value by the watt load: Watt load / value = battery runtime. Now you have both runtime and load calculations to guide your UPS selection.
Find elsewhere
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/homelab › calculate ups size
r/homelab on Reddit: Calculate UPS size
October 21, 2023 -

Hi all,

I know the average amps and watts of my server and NAS. I want to buy a battery backup UPS but I can't figure out how to calculate how long it will last on battery.

The server draws 140W on average and 1.1 amps (let's say 280 to be safe), while the NAS does about 100 (this is way higher than its actual draw, just trying to be safe).

If I want the battery to last 5 minutes, how many VA would that be?

Yeah I tried finding calculators or formulas on Google. There were no calculators I could find and I was not understanding the equations for manual calculation.

Any help would be appreciated!

 

Edit: u/NoConfidence946 sent me a very helpful chart! Got it figured out :) https://www.apcguard.com/Smart-UPS-Runtime-Chart.asp

Top answer
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UPS capacity for how many VA/watts it can handle and how long it will run are completely unrelated. A lot of UPS models in the same line will all use exactly the same battery packs. A typical setup is 2 to 4 7Ah sealed lead acid 12v batteries. If you have a 2-cell battery pack, that's 2*12v*8A == ~170 Watt/hours. Assuming the inverter is 90% efficient, and your 380 watts of power need, expect about a 20 minute runtime.
2 of 4
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Calculate your budget based on how desperate you are to keep it running. If you can afford an APC 3000 class, get it. If not scale down. No matter how long you think you'll be out, it's longer than that. If you just need to be able to run a shutdown, then any desktop APC with a USB communication will allow it to send a shutdown signal to the PC. If it's critical to you or someone else, you need a big APC and a generator. Since we're in /rhomelab, I'll assume that the desktop version is good enough. FWIW, at work I have APC 3000's backed up by a generator the kicks on in 30 seconds. Which is great on a normal day for peace of mind. But a few years ago Dallas had an ICE storm and we couldn't get diesel to the generators on contracts. The backup to the backup to the backup was a 7kw gas generator and some long 50 amp cables that we ran up the stairwell to the MDF. FWIW part 2, the reason I keep saying the name brand APC instead of generic UPS is that I've never had good luck with the brands like Cyberpower that you can get in stores. I had a new office suite that we just needed to power 1 2960x POE switch off of and it would turn off at least once a week. Apparently it wasn't seeing enough load and just went turned off after a while. We stuck a little APC 1000 in there and never had another issue with it.
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Solidstatecontrolsinc
solidstatecontrolsinc.com › knowledgecenter › ~ › media › 85b8e51754c446bda1f38449f444471c.ashx pdf
Selection and Sizing of Batteries for UPS Backup 875 Dearborn Drive
factor of 0.8 and no additional DC loads. The UPS is a 130 VDC system requiring 60 cells of lead acid batteries and · requiring 30 minutes of back-up time. Utilizing the preceding formula, the kW / cell equals .310.
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Unified Power
unifiedpowerusa.com › home › ups › how to calculate ups load and runtime
How to Calculate UPS Load and Runtime | Unified Power
March 14, 2025 - Enter the number of devices and their respective amps, volts, and quantity to calculate the total VA of your UPS load. This calculation will help you determine the appropriate UPS size for your devices. ... Enter the battery rating, voltage, and number of batteries to calculate the runtime of your UPS.
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Lorbel
lorbel.com › home › how to calculate right battery size for your ups
How to Calculate Right Battery Size for Your UPS - Lorbel
July 31, 2024 - So one should be aware of how much ... required for a specific load. To determine a battery size one has to first calculate the load current of the UPS and then multiply it by the runtime factor....
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Scribd
scribd.com › doc › 147846821 › Battery-backup-Calculation-for-UPS-runtime
UPS Battery Backup Calculation Guide | PDF | Technology & Engineering
The document provides a formula for calculating battery ratings for an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system. It calculates the required amp-hours and number of batteries for a 3KVA UPS with a 1 hour backup time as an example. It also lists the assumptions made in the calculations, which include the DC voltage, end battery voltage, load power factor, and inverter efficiency.
Rating: 4.2 ​ - ​ 5 votes
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Facilitygateway
facilitygateway.com › how-to-calculate-ups-runtime-and-load
How To Calculate UPS Runtime and Load | Facility Gateway
Understanding the backup time allows ... to battery power. The calculation would be: battery Ah rating x battery voltage (v) rating x the number of batteries x battery efficiency....
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Electrical World
electrical-world.com › home › articles › ups sizing guide: complete calculation with battery runtime & load analysis
UPS Sizing Calculation and Battery Backup Capacity Guide
April 24, 2026 - Calculation with margin: Required ... internal battery: 2× 12V 9Ah (24V 9Ah total) Runtime formula: Runtime (hours) = (Battery Ah × Voltage × Efficiency) ÷ ·...
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Calcpanel
calcpanel.com › ups-calculator
UPS Calculator - Runtime, Battery & Load Sizing (Free Tool)
Power factor → kVA: Convert protected kW to required kVA — kW to kVA calculator · UPS capacity calculator · Monthly OpEx: Loss kW × hours × $/kWh — Energy estimator — UPS operating cost · Planning formula: loss kW ≈ no-load kW + (1 − η) × protected kW.
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Backup Battery Power
backupbatterypower.com › pages › ups-run-time-calculator
UPS Run Time/Battery Backup Time Calculator – Battery Backup Power, Inc.
Manual/Generic Calculator: Calculate the estimated run time or battery backup time of any uninterruptible power supply (UPS) using the load in watts, the device load (in watts), number of batteries, battery voltage, and battery amp hours.
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CyberPower
cyberpowersystems.com › tools › runtime calculator
Runtime Calculator | Power Runtime Calculating Tool
December 3, 2025 - This convenient calculator gives you the estimated runtime for any of our UPS models, showing you the total load in watts and the runtime in minutes. You may also use the Select Number of Battery Modules drop-down menu to find runtime information.
Call   +18772976937
Address   4241 12th Ave E STE 400, 55379, Shakopee
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Myelectrical
myelectrical.com › notes › entryid › 164 › ups-battery-sizing
UPS Battery Sizing
Various techniques exist to enable the correct selection of batteries for UPS applications. The procedure described below is one of the more common. It is also possible to use the IEEE 485 method (see link at the bottom of the page).
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Sure Power, Inc
sure-power.com › ups-battery-sizing-calculator
UPS Battery Sizing Calculator - Sure Power, Inc
October 31, 2019 - UPS Battery Sizing Calculator · Contact · Electric power in kVA · Battery cells per string: Power Factor · Number of battery strings · Operating Time · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 · 9 · 10 · 11 · 12 · 13 · 14 · 15 Calculate · Product that meets your requirements cannot be found.
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Calculators Conversion
calculatorsconversion.com › portada › battery calculation for ups
Battery Calculation for UPS - Calculators Conversion
March 18, 2025 - For example, if several devices consume a combined power of 1200W, use this value in the formula. Backup Time (h): The desired operating time during an outage. For example, 3 hours of backup time. Battery Voltage (V): The nominal voltage of the battery used in the UPS.