I was surprised to see that Lumos has 2 different types of solar home systems called Lumos ECO and Prime which one of them is used to partner with MTN Nigeria. I didn’t even know the real name of the MTN yellow box until today. However, I saw another MTN solar look-alike that is more powerful and reliable compared to the one MTN is offering presently.
Lumos ECO–Solar Home System
Lumos ECO popularly known as MTN Lumos solar system is a unique portable solar system designed to give your home/offices constant electricity using solar technology. No fuel or gas required the solar system as you know generate its energy from the sun.
How Does it work?
If you have been using MTN mobile solar system then you will better understand how it works, Lumos ECO contains a single 80W solar panel, and indoor controller unit + plus other accessories. The panel generates energy while the indoor controlling units convert and store the energy for use.
Lumos ECO Features
The Lumos ECO Solar Home System includes the following features:
* 1 IDU (Indoor Unit) with 200Wh (Watt-hours) in-built LI-ION battery
* 1X 80W solar panel
* 2 X Cigarette lighter sockets
* 2 X 5V USB
* 4 X 12V DC outlet
The Lumos ECO Indoor Unit is not heavy and only weighs 5kg, portable to carry around to anywhere of your choice.
Lumos ECO solar capacity
We should be looking at the 200Whtt battery here because that’s where the capacity lies, the question s what can a 200Whtt LI-ION battery be able to power. well, from my experience you can’t use this solar system for heavy electrical appliances like Refrigerators, AC or washing machines, etc.
Supported Electrical Apliancies
* LED TVs: The solar system can power your LED TV with a maximum of 45W power input
* Laptops and Phones: You can use it to charge your phone and laptops and it works fine for me.
* DC Fans: I tested this system in different fans except for big OX fans and it works just fine but it’s recommended that you use on DC Fans.
* DC Bulbs: Use any DC bulb or get yourself a good 3 or 5 watts LED bulbs and you will not be thinking about bulb for years to come.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX
When you order the Lumos ECO Home Solar System, you’ll be getting:
* 1 IDU (Indoor Unit) with 200Wh in-built LI-ION battery
* 1 X 80W Solar panel
* 2 X LED bulbs
* 1 X Charging cable
* 1 DC-AC Converter
Lumos ECO price and where to buy
This is not MTN mobile solar electricity that requires a monthly subscription to work, though it’s the same solar system from the same company the difference is that you can buy this system cheaper compared to N4,965.48 monthly subscription that MTN Lumos users are paying now.
You can now buy the Lumos ECO known as MTN Lumos solar at the rate of ₦163,800 promo price from Jumia, you will as well find out more about shipping and installation from their Jumia store.
Lumos Prime–Solar Home System
Seeing the Lumos Prime solar system pushed me to write this post because I have never seen or heard of it before. I regrated getting MTN Lumos type instead of Lumos Prime because it’s more powerful and sustainable compared to Lumos ECO (MTN solar-type) and if you doubt me then check out the specifications before the end of this post.
Major difference between Lumos ECO and Lumos Prime
Lumos Prime doesn’t work differently from MTN Lumos, they both work the same way but while the Lumos Eco comes with a single 80W solar panel, Prime offers double 80W solar panel making it 160W solar panel for fast charging. The battery also differs, Eco solar system is equipped with 200Wh in-built LI-ION battery while Prime is boasting of 330Wh 330Wh LiFePO4 in-built battery, more stronger and reliable. It offers 4 powerful DC bulbs as opposed to the 2 DC bulbs that come with Lumos ECO.
Lumos Prime Features
The Lumos Prime Solar Home System includes the following features:
* 1 IDU (indoor unit) with 330Wh (Watt-hours) LiFePO4 in-built battery
* 2 X 80W solar panels
* 1 X Cigarette lighter socket
* 2 X 5V USB Ports
* 4 X 12V DC outlet
Lumos Prime Indoor Unit still weighs only 5kg despite additional battery capacity. The indoor unit is portable and easy to carry around.
Lumos Prime solar capacity
Without any doubt, Lumos Prime is more efficient than Lumos Eco home solar system but surely comes with extra cost. having 330Wh LiFePO4 in-built battery means it can be able to do most of the things you cannot be able to do with Lumos Eco. Apart from the battery, the two 80W solar panels are another reason why Prime is more reliable than Eco.
Supported Electrical Apliancies
* Small Home Theater/Radio: If you have a sound system that doesn’t require much power to work then this solar system will work with it for sure.
* LED TVs: The solar system can power your LED TV with a maximum of 45W power input.
* Laptops and Phones: Charging your smartphone and Laptop with Lumos Prime Home solar system won’t be a problem.
* DC and AC Standing Fans: Any DC or AC standing fan will work, I have tested it myself and am sure it works
* DC Bulbs: Any DC bulb will work or better still, change your bulbs with 3 or 5 watts LED bulbs and you will enjoy your solar system.
* CCTV: You can power up to 2 CCTV cameras using this system.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX
When you order the Lumos Prime Home Solar System, you’ll be getting:
* 1 IDU (indoor unit) with 330Wh LiFePO4 in-built battery
* 2 X 80W Solar panels
* 1 X Charging cable
* 4 X LED bulbs
* 1 DC-AC Converter
Lumos ECO price and where to buy
Just as I said earlier, this is not MTN solar, no monthly or yearly subscription is required to use this solar system. Once you buy Lumos Prime solar system it becomes yours. You will as well enjoy a 1-year warranty.
You can now buy the Lumos Prime solar at the rate of ₦220,100 promo price from Jumia, you will as well find out more about shipping and installation from their Jumia store.
Lumos ECO VS Prime–Solar Home System – Comparison table
FEATURES | LUMOS ECO | LUMOS PRIME |
Battery Capacity | 200 Watt-hours | 330 Watt-hours |
Solar Panel | 1 Single Panel 80W | 2 Panels 80W each |
DC-AC Converter | Yes | Yes |
Charging Cable | Yes | Yes |
LED Bulbs | 2 Bulbs | 4 Bulbs |
Weight (kg) | 5 KG | 5 KG |
USB Charging ports | 2 X 5V USB Ports | 2 X 5V USB Ports |
Cigarette lighter sockets | 2 X Cigarette lighter sockets | 1 X Cigarette lighter socket |
DC outlet | 4 X 12V DC outlet | 4 X 12V DC outlet |
Price | ₦ 163,800 (Promo price) | ₦ 220,100 (Promo price) |