Frequently asked questions Part 1: Establishing what my load is – how do I calculate this?

When you’re looking for the right UPS system for your equipment, it’s vitally important first to assess your needs.

In addition to understanding what type of equipment or devices your premises operate, you also need to calculate your overall energy load, or kVA.

This will help correctly size the UPS for your business needs and help ensure that it operates effectively. Importantly it will also save precious time and money.

However, calculating the load can be a complicated task, and it’s hard to get an entirely accurate picture. Load depends on a variety of factors and can vary over time according to the operational needs of your organisation.

Here’s a quick guide on calculating your kVA or energy load, including some great tips that will help make the task easier.

1. Check your equipment

The labels on your electrical equipment and any associated user manuals should provide a great deal of information that will help you calculate your overall load. You’ll need information such as:

Supply voltage, supply frequency, number of phases, load current, power factor, power consumption

For ease of reference, it’s a good idea to record this information in a detailed spreadsheet. This can then be used for the final calculations.

2. Understand whether the equipment is single or three-phase

It’s important to know whether the device operates using a single or three-phase power supply as this can affect the type of UPS required.

If any part of the critical load is three-phase, a three-phase UPS must be used. This is usually the case for most business premises.

You should find this information on the labels or in any instruction manuals, then look for the voltage supply requirements. If you find that the consumption is stated in Watts (W), you will need to convert this to VA or kVA.

This can be quickly done in one of the following ways:

3. Calculate your kVA load using an online tool

When you’ve calculated the power requirements of the devices on-site, you can use our online tool to calculate your overall kVA load. This tool can be used depending on your specific setting – office, industrial, transport, emergency, medical, data center – so that you can be even more accurate.

4. Conduct a site survey

Although the above calculations can help you establish what your load is at a particular point in time, it can never provide a completely accurate account of your overall energy usage.

That’s why it’s a good idea to seek out the help of a UPS supplier like Constant Power Services and ask us to complete a site survey for you.

We can temporarily install highly accurate, portable measuring equipment that can monitor your energy usage over a period of time to provide you with a more accurate picture.

With the steps we’ve shared here, calculating your load should be much quicker and more straightforward so you can get UPS system for your needs.

For help with your UPS or to book a site survey, contact us today.