For households and small businesses in Lagos watching their electricity bills climb past ₦50,000 monthly under Band A tariffs while still running a generator through the remaining blackout hours — the daily cost of electricity has become genuinely unsustainable. The CM 3.5kVA Hybrid Inverter is built to absorb that combined burden: drawing from solar panels first, switching to battery second, and touching the grid only when both are exhausted, all while handling the full load of an air conditioner, refrigerator, and the rest of a working home simultaneously. SMK Solar has been designing and installing solar systems for Nigerian homes and businesses since 2016, and this inverter sits at the centre of many of our most complete residential and commercial builds.
The CM3500 is a 24V hybrid inverter with a capacity of 3.5kVA — and because it supports an admissible power factor range of 0.6 to 1.0, its real-world usable output for standard home appliances at unity power factor is 3,500 watts of continuous working power. The kVA figure describes the maximum total electrical load the inverter can manage; the watts figure describes how much of that becomes actual energy doing work in your appliances. For this unit running typical household loads, those two numbers are the same.
What “Hybrid” means:
A hybrid inverter manages three power sources simultaneously — solar panels on your roof, a battery bank, and the national grid — and automatically selects which one to draw from at every moment based on availability and the priority setting you choose. During daylight hours with good sunlight, solar panels power your appliances directly and charge the battery at the same time. After sunset, the battery takes over. If the battery runs low and NEPA supply is present, the inverter draws from the grid to maintain your loads and recharge the battery. None of this requires any manual input from you once the system is set up — the inverter executes the switching continuously, day and night, without interruption.
At 3,500W of continuous output and a 7,000VA surge capacity, double the rated output — this inverter is specifically engineered to handle the high startup currents of compressor-driven appliances:
The CM 3500-24N does not support parallel connection — two units cannot be linked together to expand output capacity beyond 3.5kVA. If your load requirements may grow to 5kVA or beyond within the next few years, a parallelable inverter model is a smarter starting point than replacing this unit later. This inverter also does not include lithium battery activation or RS485 lithium communication, which means it is not the right choice if you are planning to pair it with a smart lithium battery pack that requires BMS communication to function correctly. For those use cases, our team in Lagos can point you toward the appropriate model. Electric cookers, electric water heaters, pressing irons, and industrial machinery remain outside the practical range of any 3.5kVA system and should not be connected.
The CM3500-24N operates on a 24V battery system, requiring either two 12V batteries wired in series or a single 24V battery unit. It is compatible with tubular lead-acid and sealed gel batteries — both widely available across Lagos, Abuja, Benin City, Kano and anywhere in Nigeria. Note that this model does not include lithium battery communication, so it is best paired with conventional lead-acid tubular or gel batteries rather than smart lithium packs that depend on BMS communication for safe operation. A 24V, 200Ah tubular battery bank is the most common starting pairing for this inverter in residential installations. For guidance on building a complete system with the right battery capacity for your daily load, our team can help you calculate and source everything needed from a single supplier.
Most inverters at this price point either lack the surge capacity to start an air conditioner compressor or cap solar input too low to meaningfully charge a large battery bank through the day. The CM3500-24N addresses both — with a 7,000VA surge rating that absorbs compressor startups without tripping, and a 4,000W maximum solar input that can charge a full battery bank and power your loads simultaneously on a good sunny afternoon.
A household running a 2.5kVA petrol generator for 8 hours daily at ₦1,500 per litre, consuming roughly 1.5 litres per hour, spends approximately ₦540,000 per year on fuel before a single maintenance cost. Replacing the majority of that runtime with solar-charged battery power through the CM3500-24N — drawing from a 2,000-4,000W solar array during daylight — reduces that annual fuel spend dramatically, with most Lagos and Abuja households seeing payback on the system within 18–24 months.
The CM3500-24N produces pure sine wave electricity — the clean, smooth waveform that inverter air conditioners, modern refrigerators, laptops, and medical equipment are all designed to receive. Modified sine wave inverters, common in lower-cost units sold across Lagos markets, deliver a stepped electrical signal that causes inverter ACs to run inefficiently, shortens compressor life, and can permanently damage variable-frequency drive motors.
The built-in MPPT solar charge controller, automatic source switching, and inverter output are all contained in a single 3.95kg unit that mounts flat and installs faster than a multi-component system. The RJ45 WiFi interface allows optional remote monitoring of solar input, battery state, and load consumption from a phone — without any additional monitoring hardware. Once installed and configured, the system manages itself entirely.
Our team will review your appliance list and show you exactly what a complete CM3500-24N system covers and costs for your specific home or business.
Spec | Value |
Model | CM3500-24N |
Capacity | 3,500 VA / 3,500 W |
Nominal Input Voltage | 230 VAC |
Acceptable Input Range | 170–280 VAC (PC); 90–280 VAC (Appliances) |
Input Frequency | 50/60 Hz (Auto sensing) |
Battery Voltage | 24 VDC |
Floating Charge Voltage | 27 VDC |
Overcharge Protection | 32 VDC |
Charging Method | CC/CV |
MPPT Voltage Range | 30 VDC – 500 VDC |
Max PV Array Open Circuit Voltage | 500 VDC |
Max PV Array Power | 4,000 W |
Max Solar Charge Current | 100 A |
Max AC Charge Current | 60 A |
Max Total Charge Current (AC + PV) | 100 A |
Output Waveform | Pure Sine Wave |
Surge Capacity | 7,000 VA |
Transfer Time | 10 ms (PC); 20 ms (Appliances) |
Peak Efficiency (PV to Inverter) | 96% |
Peak Efficiency (Battery to Inverter) | 93% |
Admissible Power Factor | 0.6–1.0 |
Parallel Capability | No |
Lithium Battery Support | No |
Communication Interface | RJ45 for WiFi |
Dimensions (D × W × H) | 330 × 278 × 98 mm |
Net Weight | 3.95 kg |
Operating Temperature | -10°C to 55°C |
The CM3500-24N provides 3,500W of continuous output, which comfortably covers a 1HP split-unit air conditioner, an energy-efficient refrigerator, up to 10 LED bulbs, two or three fans, a large television, a laptop or desktop, and a WiFi router all running simultaneously. A combined running load of those appliances typically sits between 1,800W and 2,300W — well within the inverter’s continuous ceiling. Electric kettles, pressing irons, electric cookers, and water heaters are not suitable for this system, as their heating elements draw 1,500–3,000W continuously and would consume most of the inverter’s capacity while leaving almost nothing for other appliances.
Yes. The CM 3.5kVA hybrid inverter operates as a full battery backup inverter using only a battery bank and grid supply, with no solar panels required at the point of installation. When NEPA is available, it charges the battery from the grid; when the grid fails, it switches to battery power automatically in 10–20 milliseconds depending on the priority mode selected. Solar panels can be added at any later stage — the built-in MPPT charge controller supports up to 4,000W of solar input and will accept panels as soon as they are connected, with no hardware changes needed.
The CM 3.5kVA hybrid inverter requires a 24V battery system — typically two 12V batteries wired in series, or a single 24V battery unit. It is compatible with tubular lead-acid and sealed gel batteries. This model does not include lithium battery communication, so smart lithium packs requiring RS485 BMS communication are not recommended for this unit. For most Nigerian buyers in Lagos, Abuja, and Benin City, two 200Ah 12V tubular batteries in series provide a practical and cost-effective starting point, with the option to add a second bank in parallel later if more capacity is needed.
MPPT stands for Maximum Power Point Tracking — a technology built into this inverter’s solar charge controller that continuously adjusts how it draws power from your solar panels to extract the maximum available energy at every moment, regardless of changes in sunlight intensity or temperature. A basic PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) controller draws at a fixed rate and can waste 20–30% of available solar energy under real-world conditions. The CM 3.5kVA hybrid inverter’s MPPT controller, rated to accept up to 4,000W of solar input, means your battery recovers faster from overnight discharge — which directly extends your usable backup hours without requiring a larger battery bank.
Please confirm the warranty period for this specific unit with our team at the point of purchase, as terms are confirmed per transaction. As a standard practice, SMK Solar supports warranty claims covering manufacturer defects in materials and workmanship under normal operating conditions, for customers who purchased through our Lagos store or authorised channels. Warranty coverage does not extend to damage from incorrect installation, improperly sized solar arrays causing overvoltage, physical damage, flooding, or connection of incompatible batteries — retaining your purchase receipt and recording your installation date protects your claim position.
A standard inverter converts stored battery power into AC electricity and recharges the battery from the grid — that is the full extent of its function. It has no solar input, no source management intelligence, and no ability to reduce your electricity bill. The CM 3.5kVA hybrid inverter adds a 4,000W solar charging capability and automatic three-source management, meaning it actively decides whether to run your loads from solar, battery, or grid at every moment based on availability and your chosen priority. In SBU mode, it will exhaust solar and battery before drawing a single unit from the PHCN grid — a standard inverter cannot do any of that.
A well-installed hybrid inverter of this class typically lasts 8–12 years under normal residential or light commercial use. The most common causes of premature failure in Nigerian installations are heat accumulation from poor ventilation, undersized battery cables that generate excessive resistance and heat, and battery mismatch that forces the inverter’s charger to work harder than its design allows. The CM 3.5kVA hybrid inverter is rated for operating temperatures up to 55°C — accommodating Nigeria’s hottest climate zones — but installing it in a cool, ventilated, dust-managed location remains the single most effective step toward maximising its service life.
Yes — the CM 3.5kVA hybrid inverter is one of the more capable options for households and businesses in communities like Benin City, Uyo, and parts of Kano where grid supply may be available for only 2–6 hours daily. Its 4,000W maximum solar input means that on a typical Lagos or Abuja sun day, a well-sized solar array can fully recharge a 200Ah 24V battery bank and power running loads simultaneously by early afternoon, leaving the battery at capacity for the evening and overnight period. For communities with outages exceeding 20 hours daily, the right response is a larger battery bank rather than a larger inverter — our team can calculate the exact capacity needed to cover your specific load through your longest typical outage window.
The SBU (Solar → Battery → Utility) priority mode on this inverter is specifically designed for households and businesses dealing with high per-unit electricity costs like Lagos Band A tariffs, currently sitting at approximately ₦206–₦225 per kWh. In SBU mode, the CM 3.5kVA hybrid inverter will not draw from the grid until solar panels and battery are both depleted — meaning on any day with adequate sunlight, your PHCN meter stays inactive for most of the active day. A household running 2,000W of load for 8 hours on grid power under Band A pays approximately ₦3,300–₦3,600 per day; replacing that with solar-charged battery supply through this inverter brings that daily grid cost close to zero on clear days.
Yes, without exception. The DC battery wiring in a 24V system at this capacity carries high current — up to 100A through the charge circuit — and undersized cables at that current level generate serious heat and create a genuine fire risk. The AC output circuit connects to your building’s wiring and powers live appliances. Both circuits require correctly sized cables, correctly rated fuses or breakers, and proper earthing to operate safely and maintain any warranty entitlement. The CM 3.5kVA hybrid inverter’s all-in-one design simplifies the installation by eliminating the need for a separate transfer switch and charge controller, but the job still requires a qualified solar electrician. SMK Solar can connect customers in Lagos, Abuja, Benin City, Uyo, and Kano with certified installers in their area.
Step into any of our branches in Lagos, Kano, Benin, or Uyo to see our SMK technology in action and speak with our technical team.
Tell us what you need to power, and our engineers will design a customized SMK Solar solution tailored to your home or business.
Have questions or need advice? Reach out to our professional team and get fast, reliable assistance.
