A voltage stabilizer has become a household name in almost every Indian home because voltage fluctuations are common throughout India. So every home has a minimum of one, if not more, voltage stabilizer to protect its expensive electrical equipment like refrigerators, air conditioners, LED TVs, and others.
Therefore, people are conversant with terms like kVA (Kilo Volt-Ampere) and kW (Kilo Watt) that we usually associate with voltage stabilizers. This article discusses 4kW stabilizers and 5kW stabilizers and when to use them. But before that, let us understand the relation between kW and kVA.
Relation between kW and kVA
Kilo Watt or kW is the unit estimating real power, whereas Kilo Volt-Ampere or kVA is the unit estimating evident power. Therefore, the difference between the two terms is significant. For instance, kW denotes the actual power of an electrical framework, whereas kVA signifies the amount of power used by the framework. So, if the electrical framework’s productivity is excellent, kW will be equivalent to kVA. However, in reality, it is never so.
The kW to kVA Formula
The formula says kW = kVA x PF, where PF is the Power Factor. So, kW is directly proportional to kVA. However, the Power Factor is an approximate value and is considered to be around 0.8. Therefore, kW = 0.8 x kVA. Therefore, kW will always be less than kVA. Generally, the US uses the kW term, whereas the rest of the world measures voltage stabilizer capacity in kVA.
If you have a voltage stabilizer at home, you must have noted that the capacity is denoted in kVA. This formula detailing the relationship between kW and kVA should help you understand the ideal voltage stabilizer capacity required for securing your expensive electrical devices.
Let us take a practical example.
For example, you have a 1.5-ton AC in your home and need a voltage stabilizer to secure it. What is the voltage stabilizer capacity you should use?
Answer: Use the Ton to Watt conversion table to get the wattage of your AC. This table shows that 1 ton equals 1.2 kW or 1200 watts. Therefore, 1.5 tons should be equal to 1.8 kW or 1800 watts.
Therefore, your AC uses around 1.8 kW of current. Now, we use the kW to kVA formula to understand your required voltage stabilizer capacity.
1 kW = 0.8 kVA. Therefore, 1.8 kW = 1.8 / 0.8 kVA = 2.25kVA. So, it would be best if you used either a 2kVA or 3kVA voltage stabilizer. It is better to be safe and opt for a higher capacity. However, a 2kVA stabilizer can also support a 1.5-ton AC.
Accordingly, you can calculate the total power requirement of your connected devices and install voltage stabilizers with appropriate capacity.
What are 4kva and 5kva stabilizers?
Applying the formula discussed above, a 4kW stabilizer equals 5kVA, and a 5kW stabilizer equals 6.25kVA. Therefore, the stabilizer you choose depends on the actual power usage by your electrical equipment. So we can add the total wattage of your electrical equipment and use the formulae described here to select the appropriate voltage stabilizer.
How much can a 4kW and 5kW stabilizer support?
Our discussion shows that a 4kW voltage stabilizer should support electrical loads up to 4kW or 4000 watts. Similarly, a 5kW stabilizer should support up to 5000 watts. Therefore, calculating the total power load in the house is crucial before deciding on the ideal voltage stabilizer.
The following example should prove the point better.
- Let us assume you have the following electrical equipment at home that you want to protect using a voltage stabilizer.
| Appliances | Capacity | Watts | Total units | Load in Watts |
| Television | 200W | 200 | 1 | 200 |
| Air conditioner | 1.5-ton | 1800 | 1 | 1800 |
| Washing machine | 700W | 700 | 1 | 700 |
| Refrigerator | 200 liters | 120 | 1 | 120 |
| PC/laptop | 100W | 100 | 1 | 100 |
| Total | 2920 |
So, our total consumption is 2920 watts. It equals 2.92kW. Therefore, you will need a voltage stabilizer with a capacity of 2.92 / 0.8 = 3.65kVA. Therefore, a 4kVA voltage stabilizer should be perfect.
Thus, the typical requirement for an Indian home is a 4kVA voltage stabilizer. It can handle up to 3000 watts of power consumption. Accordingly, you can calculate your home consumption and arrive at the approximate voltage stabilizer capacity.
4kW and 5kW stabilizers are powerful stabilizers that can handle up to 4000 or 5000 watts of power consumption. From the above calculations, a 5kW voltage stabilizer can comfortably protect two 2-ton AC.
Final Thoughts
We have discussed 4kW and 5kW stabilizers and understood that these stabilizers are powerful and can handle heavy loads. The US generally uses terms like kW for denoted voltage stabilizer capacity. India uses kVA, and we have seen the conversion and relation between kW and kVA. We trust the concept is now clear.
