Households relying on solar inverter systems have been advised to operate power-hungry appliances during the day and reserve stored electricity for use at night to avoid running out of power when solar panels stop generating electricity.
Sun King Country Business Leader Elisha Adie said consumers could make their systems last longer by understanding how much electricity their appliances use and planning when to operate them.
He cautioned that appliances such as electric showers, ovens, iron boxes, washing machines, microwaves and electric kettles can put heavy demands on household power systems.
Speaking to Radio Generation on Friday, Adie said households needed to manage their energy use carefully because solar panels generate electricity during the day, while batteries provide stored power after sunset.
“Energy requires discipline because you are only generating energy during the day, and at night you are using your storage. So you have to do all your heavy stuff during the day, so that you save whatever is left in the evening to be drained from the battery,” Adie said.
His remarks come as electricity use continues to grow in Kenya, putting greater focus on how households can manage their energy needs and make the most of available power.
According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics' Economic Survey 2026, domestic electricity consumption rose by 9.6 per cent to 11,783.5 gigawatt-hours in 2025, reflecting increased demand across the economy.
The Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) also reported that domestic consumers used 3,640.32 gigawatt-hours of electricity in the financial year ended June 2025. This represented a 13.03 per cent increase from the previous financial year, with households accounting for 32.13 per cent of electricity consumed across the categories covered in the report.
Adie singled out water heating as one of the activities that can use large amounts of electricity in a home, explaining that electric shower elements can draw between 3,000 and 5,000 watts.
He warned that operating several electric showers at the same time could place more demand on an inverter than some household systems are designed to handle.
“Water heating is one of the heavy consumers. The element that we find in a hot shower, for it to be heated, will be like 3,000 watts, maybe 5,000 watts, and it’s just one component or one appliance in the house.”
As an alternative, Adie recommended solar water heating systems for households looking to reduce the amount of electricity used to heat water. These systems use solar energy to heat water directly, reducing the need to rely on an inverter to power an electric shower element.
He also pointed to ovens and iron boxes as appliances that can use up stored electricity quickly, especially when operated for long periods. Consumers, he said, should consider both the amount of power an appliance requires and how long it is used when planning their daily consumption.
Adie explained that solar panels can power household appliances directly during daylight hours, while any electricity generated beyond immediate household needs can be used to charge the battery.
“From 10 o'clock all the way to the rest of the day, whatever comes in excess or the surplus, that one goes direct to your daily consumption. So you are not utilizing the storage in the battery,” he stated.
This arrangement allows households to use electricity generated by the panels during the day without drawing as much power from their batteries. The stored electricity can then be reserved for lighting, entertainment and other household needs in the evening and at night, when the panels are no longer producing power.
To explain how battery storage works, Adie compared it to a mobile phone battery, whose charge lasts longer when fewer power-intensive activities are carried out.
He said the length of time a solar battery can supply electricity depends on its capacity and the number and type of appliances connected to the system. A fully charged battery, therefore, will not necessarily last the same amount of time in every household, since power consumption varies according to usage.
The advice comes as Kenya continues to record growth in electricity demand. EPRA reported a record peak demand of 2,514.28 megawatts on June 29, 2026, marking an 8.55 per cent increase from the peak recorded in the previous year.
Adie urged households to assess their appliances, daily routines and electricity needs during the day and at night before selecting an inverter system. He said understanding these factors could help consumers choose equipment that matches their needs rather than relying on a system that may not support their expected level of consumption.
Sun King carries out household assessments to determine consumers' energy requirements and recommend systems suited to their individual needs, Adie said.
He maintained that choosing an inverter of the right capacity and adopting careful electricity-use habits would help households make better use of solar power during the day while preserving battery energy for the hours when it is needed most.