The backup power cost calculator people are trying to build in their heads

The Nigeria Backup Power Calculator That Actually Pays for Itself

Why this isn't a blank-slate opportunity — and why that's good news

Several sizing calculators already serve the Nigerian market — a solar payback tool and an electricity tariff calculator on afrotools.com, an appliance-based sizing tool on mobility.com.ng, and generic global calculators that rank for the same searches. One live example ([sustifyhomes.lovable.app](https://sustifyhomes.lovable.app/app/solar)) returned a ₦8.49 billion system with an 8,624-year payback period for a typical home — a clear sign that self-serve calculators without validation or a human backstop produce results nobody should trust.

That's the actual opening: not "no calculator exists," but "no calculator here connects to a real supplier network, gives a validated result, and turns into revenue on the spot." That's a gap Everyday Power & Comfort's supplier/installer/financing network is already positioned to fill.

What people are actually asking (the three recurring clusters)

1. What inverter size do I need?— translating a real appliance list + outage duration into a continuous and surge rating.

2. How big should my battery be? — usable kWh, depth-of-discharge tradeoffs, and how many hours/days it actually covers.

3. What does this cost me — now and over time?— capital cost, replacement cost, and a real per-day or per-kWh cost of backup, not just a sticker price.

Verified Nigerian pricing (2026)

Electricity tariffs:

- Band A (20+ hrs/day supply, NERC-regulated): ₦209.5–₦225 per kWh

- Bands B–E (lower supply hours): ₦40–₦63 per kWh

Inverter-only pricing:

- 1.5kVA (1-bedroom flat, basic loads): ₦200,000–₦360,000

- 5–5.5kVA (3-bedroom flat, 1 AC): ₦350,000–₦850,000

- 7.5–10kVA (large home / small business): ₦800,000–₦1,500,000

Battery pricing, per kWh:

- Lead-acid tubular (50–60% depth-of-discharge): ₦100,000–₦150,000

- Sealed GEL (~50% depth-of-discharge): ₦150,000–₦220,000

- Lithium/LiFePO4 (80–90% depth-of-discharge, 6,000+ cycles): ₦182,000–₦221,000

Typical depth-of-discharge by chemistry: Lead-acid 50% · Tubular 60% · Lithium-ion 80% · LiFePO4 90%

Sources: NERC tariff announcements (2024–2026 press coverage); Nigerian market pricing guides (2026). Re-verify against current supplier quotes before publishing, and mark this section with a "last verified" date, refreshed quarterly.

Worked example (proof the tool actually works)

3-bedroom flat, Band A supply, 8-hour backup target, lithium battery:

- Running load: fridge (150W) + 6 LED bulbs (60W) + TV (100W) + router (15W) + fan (75W) ≈ 400W continuous

- With 25% surge headroom → recommend a 2.5–3kVA inverter

- Daily energy need for 8hrs backup: 400W × 8h = 3.2kWh → at 90% depth-of-discharge (LiFePO4), usable battery needed ≈ **3.6kWh

- Battery cost: 3.6kWh × ~₦200,000/kWh ≈ ₦720,000

- Inverter cost: ~₦400,000

- Total estimate: ~₦1.1–1.2 million, against ₦209.5–225/kWh grid cost avoided during outages

This is the kind of concrete, checkable output the calculator should produce for every user — not an abstract formula.

 The funnel: how this generates revenue on the spot

The calculator is not the product — it's the intake form for your marketplace. Every result screen ends in a next step, not just a number:

1. Free instant estimate — inverter size, battery size, rough cost range (builds trust, ranks well, gets shared).

2. Get your exact system + verified supplier shortlist— a small paid unlock (e.g. ₦2,000–₦5,000) that hands the user 2–3 vetted suppliers from your network at their calculated spec. This is where revenue starts immediately, before any full sale closes.

3. Talk to an installer— routes into your installer/maintenance network.

4. Finance this — routes into your installment/financial-partner flow.

5. Supplier/installer lead fee— suppliers in your verified network pay per qualified lead routed to them, independent of whether the user pays for the unlock.

This turns the calculator from a static article into two revenue streams (paid unlock + lead fees) that start earning from day one, while the free layer keeps it rankable and shareable.

What makes it "expensive to leave"

- Saved results— the user's inputs and output are stored (account or downloadable PDF), so redoing this from scratch elsewhere costs them time.

- Visible confidence scoring— each result shows which assumptions are verified (manufacturer datasheet, current local price) versus defaulted, something none of the competing tools currently do.

- A live connection to real suppliers, not just a number — competitors stop at the estimate.

Minimum build checklist, prioritized by revenue impact

1. Appliance-based load wizard producing inverter + battery sizing (core free tool)

2. Cost estimate using the verified pricing above, with a confidence indicator

3. Paid "verified supplier shortlist" unlock, wired to your Supplier Verification Sheet network

4. Lead-routing to installers and financing partners

5. Quarterly price/tariff refresh process, with a visible "last updated" date shown to users

For more details visit www.lavamozu.com.ng