Energy Efficiency Consulting
The speed of the charging and discharging chemical reactions occurring inside a lead-acid battery is governed by temperature and charge/ discharge current. The colder the temperature the slower the reactions and conversely the warmer the temperature the faster the reactions. Hence a cold battery will deliver less amperage in any given time frame as compared to a warm battery. Most of us have experienced this effect when trying to start our cars on a cold morning; the engine just doesn’t turn over as quickly if at all. Warm that same battery up and you will see a major improvement.( see the bar graph of temperature effects below).
The optimum temperature for a lead-acid battery is around 77° F, but 60-80° Fis acceptable. For this reason we like to see batteries placed indoors or in a heated and ventilated space to maintain them between 60° to 80°F. If you do install them in an unheated space, battery capacity must be increased to compensate for this derating. On the other extreme, high temperatures (110° F +) can drastically shorten the life of the battery and should be avoided as well.
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