Frequently asked questions part 2 – Now I know my load, what UPS do I need?

Frequently asked questions part 2 – Now i know my load, what UPS do i need?

Working out what UPS system you need for your business can be a straightforward task once you’ve worked out your overall energy load (kVA). 

[We explained how to calculate your load in the blog post, “Frequently Asked Questions Part 1: Establishing What My Load Is – How Do I Calculate This?” Read it here if you haven’t already.]

There are just a few additional factors that you should take into consideration before you make your investment:

Step 1: What types of power problems are you likely to have? 

Step 2: How much runtime do you need?  2

Step 3: What do you want your UPS to look like?  2

Let’s now look at each of these in greater detail.

Step 1: What types of power problems are you likely to have?

There’s more to power problems than just blackouts. Power problems come in a range of types and will influence which type of UPS will be most suitable for your business or organisation (see below for further information).

The main types of power problem are:

• Surge- An intense spike in electricity that can damage electronic equipment and harm sensitive equipment.
• Blackout– A fancy name for a power cut. It’s usually caused by weather, accidents, utility power shortages, etc.
• Brownout– A drop in voltage for an extended period of time. It can be either intentional or unintentional
• Voltage sag– A type of undervoltage that is brief and sudden.
• Overvoltage– When the incoming voltage is higher than normal.
• Frequency noise– This refers to abnormal system operation.
• Frequency variation– This is common fluctuations in the power supply.
• Harmonic distortion– This is a less than ideal and will affect the performance of your network.

Depending on which of these you are most likely to suffer from, you should choose one of the three following types of UPS.

• Standby: Protect against surge, blackout, brownout
• Line-Interactive: Protect against surge, blackout, brownout, under-voltage, over-voltage
• Double-Conversion: Protect against surge, blackout, brownout, under-voltage, over-voltage, frequency variation, harmonic distortion

Step 2: How much runtime do you need?

Next, consider how much time you will need the UPS system to provide electricity to your equipment. This is known as ‘runtime’ and depends entirely on the needs of your business should you suffer from a blackout.

Will you need to continue to run all the equipment as before throughout the duration of the blackout? Will you need to backup files? Perform a safe shutdown of equipment to prevent damage or data loss?

By considering how long this will take you, you will understand the minimum runtime you need your UPS to supply.

You should also bear in mind how many watts the connected load will be- the greater the load, the quicker the batteries will run out. From this figure, you should also consider ideal timescales for completing other vital tasks and create a range of acceptable figures.

Step 3: What do you want your UPS to look like?

Finally, consider where you’d like to use your UPS and whether there are any limitations when it comes to size, shape and even colour.

UPS systems come in many varieties including desktop, compact, tower, mini tower and rackmount and are more or less suitable for different spaces.

Now you’ve calculated your load, understood your potential power issues and considered optimal runtime, sine output and even shape and size, you can make your decision and invest in a UPS that will protect your business from power outages and keep your business functioning as it should.

Find out more about our UPS systems or ask our team of experts for advice by getting in touch today.