Since the early ’90s, emergency energy companies, along with their servicing and maintenance operations, have experienced significant growth and expanded worldwide, including South Africa and neighbouring countries like Mozambique and Botswana. This growth intensified in parallel with the decline of the national power utility, which suffers from ageing infrastructure, poor maintenance, and years of neglect. Although ESKOM has begun to turn things around, UPS systems remain a critical component of any business’s infrastructure and power backup strategy.
The rising cost of electricity and the need for efficient backup power
The cost of electricity in South Africa is the highest on the African continent across all aspects of power, including power generation at the various coal-fired power stations, the transmission systems, and ultimately the distribution of utility power, as well as the amount of power consumed by South Africa.
In past years, the efficiency levels of UPS systems, such as the Riello and Pureline ranges, have been evolving with the drive for zero losses behind them. These increased efficiency levels are assisting UPS users in reducing their power consumption and electrical bills as power becomes increasingly expensive and is set to reach record levels with yearly price hikes.
High-quality, reliable, and efficient UPS systems are becoming increasingly essential for businesses looking to manage rising energy costs. Equally important is ensuring long-term support, as many small companies enter and exit the market, leaving users without assistance. Choosing a system backed by experienced professionals with a proven track record ensures access to spare parts, technical expertise, and reliable service.
Due to all these challenges, the backup power energy demand has increased greatly and resulted in an expanding industry. However, this has also attracted many small companies that come and go, leaving UPS users helpless when it comes to post-sale support. This is why it is highly important to ensure that the system you install will still have support over its 10-year service life expectancy, with spare parts and qualified, well-experienced teams for support over this period.
Read our blog to discover how you can ensure uninterrupted power supply with Standby Systems.
Long-term support matters – choose a reliable UPS provider
The UPS systems for sale by Standby Systems ensure that you have access to a reliable and effective way to protect your business infrastructure from the negative impact of bad power and power outages.
The UPS units available from Standby Systems are highly effective tools against power issues, as they will instantly switch to battery backup power support without any loss of power or power quality to your critical infrastructure. This means you can continue working without any concerns about data loss or corruption, equipment hardware failure, or productivity loss.
When it comes to single- and three-phase UPS production, Riello UPS, with manufacturing bases in Milan and Legnano, Italy, is a world leader in production, sales, worldwide distribution, service, support, and easy, fast-paced spare availability of high-quality systems using state-of-the-art technology and designs. The main goal in the partnership between Standby Systems as the sole distributor and Riello is to ensure you, as our client, receive an easy, trouble-free system with support that is environmentally friendly and easily recyclable at the end of its life. That is why Riello UPS and Standby Systems are your best standby power solution.
What is a UPS unit?
A UPS unit is a backup power system designed and manufactured to keep your critical infrastructure and sensitive equipment—such as computers, data rooms, data centres, production C&I, food production facilities, medical equipment, and thousands of other types of loads—operating 24/7 by keeping the power supply uninterrupted, smooth, and clean.
What types of UPS systems do you get?
The most important thing is to choose the right UPS technology for your application. You will need to consider factors such as load power draw, load location versus UPS, and how critical the equipment is. The last thing you should take into account is the UPS price.
Offline and line-interactive systems are the cheaper choices for single-phase systems, but they do not offer anywhere near the degree of protection that expensive critical infrastructure needs—like an online double-conversion system would. This is by far the best technology, and when it comes to three-phase systems, it is the only solution you should consider.
The cheaper systems are built with lower-quality components and do not function all the time; they only switch on when you have a power failure. As a result, both of them cause a small break in power when transferring to and from inverter battery power.
Online double-conversion UPS technology
Online double-conversion UPS technology from Standby Systems offers you, the user, the best-priced backup power solution possible. While having a generator for long periods of power outages to support equipment is acceptable, if the load is sensitive, then a generator’s voltage, AC power waveform, and frequency will vary greatly every time the load changes. A double conversion UPS between the generator and load keeps the load powered with clean, pure sine wave inverter power, as these units are designed to accept and operate with bad power (up to a point), which would otherwise damage sensitive loads—unless you have a double conversion UPS in between.
Line-interactive UPS technology
Line-interactive systems are cheaper UPS systems for use with less critical loads. They are not suitable for high-end computers, data equipment, and data centres, as they do not fully protect the load and have a switching time where the load loses power while transferring from mains supply to UPS. Often, these units will not function correctly if the power supply is highly unstable.
Offline or standby UPS technology
The cheapest UPS is the offline or standby unit, which only switches on when the power fails. Again, the load loses power for a short period before the inverter starts up on battery. Often, these units use quasi-sine wave or square wave technology, making them unsuitable for anything with a motor, as this can cause the motor to burn out.
In the end, the best UPS for reliability, quality, cost of ownership, and load protection is an online double-conversion system.
UPS system sizes
UPS systems are available in single-phase 220V AC or 230V AC and three-phase 380V AC or 400V AC, with various battery options for different backup times. There is a myth that GEL batteries are the right product for emergency backup systems. This is not true in the case of UPS systems. GEL technology is designed for telecom use, for long, slow discharges of several hours. A UPS requires a high-rate technology battery, such as an ELITE ELG or ELGHR, which is designed opposite to a GEL in that it will provide huge amounts of power over a shorter time period.
When looking for a UPS, you can contact Standby Systems for technical sizing. However, you will need to provide the VA or W of the load, which can usually be found on the equipment labels on the back of the devices, as well as the voltage (AC).
Sizing your load for a suitable UPS system
If you have a generator, then five to fifteen minutes of backup time is sufficient. However, be careful when comparing quotes. Ensure that the backup time is specified at full load because at 50%, 60%, 70%, or 80% load, the battery will be smaller and cheaper but may not actually be the right solution. Generally, UPS units run at about 70% load, so sizing the battery for 70% load to reduce costs is an option.
When considering options from suppliers, always look at the watts (W) of the unit, not just the VA. Watts indicate true power, while VA represents apparent power. You can get the same VA-rated UPS, but one may be rated at fewer watts than another, making it cheaper because it is a lower-power unit.
Loads to be cautious of include LED lighting (due to their leading power factor), motors and heaters (due to their power draw peaking at startup before settling), and other specialised loads like plasma cutters, medical imaging equipment, and laboratory devices. Always have a list of loads available when contacting Standby Systems so our sales engineers can size the system properly.
Why Choose Standby Systems for UPS Units in Southern Africa ?
For over two decades, Standby Systems has been a trusted leader in backup power solutions across Southern Africa, providing businesses with innovative, reliable, and cost-effective energy solutions. With extensive experience in the local power industry, we have been at the forefront of supporting critical infrastructure, ensuring uninterrupted operations in the face of ongoing power challenges.
When you choose Standby Systems, you’re investing in more than just a backup power system, you’re securing engineered solutions designed for maximum reliability and long-term performance. Our expertise ensures that every system we supply meets the highest standards of efficiency, durability, and technical excellence. Our commitment is simple: to exceed your expectations with top-tier products and personalised, expert service.
At Standby Systems, our dedicated team stays ahead of the latest advancements in UPS technology, offering South African businesses tailored solutions that address the unique challenges posed by load shedding, voltage fluctuations, and rising electricity costs. With a broad range of premium backup power options, we have built a reputation as one of the country’s most trusted and dependable suppliers.
With Standby Systems, you receive expert advice, industry-leading AROS Riello and Pureline UPS products, and comprehensive after-sales support. Our backup power solutions ensure peace of mind, keeping your critical infrastructure running smoothly despite power disruptions. Join our growing network of satisfied customers and experience the reliability and expertise that have made us a leader in South Africa’s backup power industry.
When you choose Standby Systems, you choose a name you can trust to keep your business powered—no matter what.
Contact us
Our experienced technical team is ready to advise you on the best UPS unit and battery solutions for your business or industry’s needs and assist in servicing your UPS. Visit Standby Systems’ website or contact us at 011 794 3406 for services, 011 794 2541 for UPS systems for sale, or our UPS contact number at 082 450 2361.
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