As our reliance on electricity gets larger, so does the influence of a power outage. Homes, health care facilities, industry, and business all rely on electrical power not just for comfort, but to manage safety systems and defend property.
The capability to sense that there is no power and initiate automatically is what is key to a standby generators system . Combined with an automatic transfer switch, they are permanently set up systems that detect a power outage and then provide the home or facility with power until the electric utility is able to restore service. The generator will also automatically shut down once utility power is restored.
Critical Environments
Critical environments are those that cannot tolerate a power interruption. These include hospital operating rooms and intensive care units, computer installations, and other critical systems. To prevent going without power for even a few seconds, these systems utilize uninterrupted power as their main preventative action.
Electrical power is stored in batteries. Powering the equipment that is directly connected to it, an inverter does the job of converting the battery power to the same usable power supplied by the utility. If power is interrupted, the batteries continue to supply power until the standby generator comes online and takes over keeping the batteries charged until the utility restores power .
In hospitals, other systems may not require uninterrupted power, but they cannot be out of service for any amount of time. During an outage, standby generators are the ones keeping these systems operational.
Commercial Facilities
Large commercial buildings have safety systems that rely on electrical power. Until the electric company turns the power back on standby generators will fill in and power everything from emergency lighting to fire safety systems and ventilation when the gas is out. Only a few hours of useful battery life may be available in emergency lights during a long term outage. Emergency lights will fade and building occupants will not be able to navigate their way around without a standby generator taking over.
Industry
Standby generators can serve double duty in large factories. Often, manufacturers have agreements with electric utilities that allow the utility to interrupt power on brief notice when demand exceeds the obtainable supply. A factory might run standby generators to supply power during an unplanned outage. Having an alternate supply of power allows the facility to carry on operating during the outage.
Likewise, during an outage the standby generators can supply critical safety systems with power. Such safety systems are usually mandated by building codes and the installation of a commercial standby generator is not optional, but required.
Retail
Preventing a large scale loss of food products, commercial standby generators will make sure refrigeration units and freezers are kept functioning. When the power goes out, temperatures begin increasing in large walk-in freezers and refrigerators. Fresh meats and dairy products must be maintained at 33 to 40 degrees F. or they cannot be sold. Frozen foods require temperatures at or below 0 degrees F. to prevent spoilage.
Without standby power, a power outage could trigger restaurants and grocery stores to lose their inventory and suffer large financial losses. Even small grocery stores have cold food inventories valued at tens of thousands of dollars, and that number increases to more than a million dollars in large stores.
Power from a standby generator can also keep an establishment’s doors open and the business operating while other businesses are closed.
Homes
Most people spend at least a third of their lives inside or around their homes. When storms or mishaps cause power interruptions, a home can speedily become uncomfortable or even unlivable.
The loss of power causing loss of heat will also turn into an issue in the cold winter months. Without heat, pipes can freeze and break, and when they thaw again the home can flood. In the summer, the heat can be insufferable or even harmful for some people. Refrigerated food will spoil after a day or so without power, and frozen food won’t last much longer.
Electrical Power also keeps a home dry and mold-free by removing water from the foundation. A standby generator for home use keeps the power on, even if the homeowner is not present.
For more info go to: www.BackupHomePower.com