Hey everyone! I've got a Growatt 5000 watts solar inverter and I've noticed something weird. It's pulling about 4 amps even when nothing is consuming power. I measured this with a clamp meter, and it's consistent day and night. I'm curious if anyone knows why it's consuming this power through the AC input when it seems like nothing should be running?
2 Answers
Yeah, it can be frustrating to see that kind of usage! You aren't saving electricity 100% since those 80 watts per hour add up. Unfortunately, it’s pretty standard for inverters to have some baseline consumption like that. You might check if there's an energy-saver mode on your model, but it’s common for these units to draw some power even when idle.
What you're seeing is likely "Parasitic Consumption." This is the power the inverter uses to stay operational, even when you're not actively using any electricity. It sounds like your inverter is just doing its job to manage itself and ensure it’s ready when you need it.