Yes, its load shedding again. We have become so accustomed to the situation that Eskom has put us in. Our emotions vary based on our degrees of tolerance. If it is cool, we are happy but when the temperature rises, we begin to complain.
Here at Standby Systems, we are ready to assist all business owners that would like their computer, network, and security systems to remain up and running during load shedding—to avoid the inconvenience when emotions get heated.
We have the solution: we offer various uninterruptible power supply and standby packages that include our Riello UPS range for commercial use. However, for some reason, some businesses are not willing to pay the price and opt to continue to
lose money during load shedding.
Investing in a UPS vs losing business during load shedding
The cost of a UPS will be recovered when you can continue with business as usual and not experience loss in production or downtime because of load shedding.
UPS compared to Inverter
Let’s take a look at the difference between a UPS and an inverter.
An inverter is a standalone electronic rectifier that converts DC voltage to AC voltage and that is that. It is useless on its own and requires other components to operate in conjunction. It also requires a manual process where you must physically connect the load to the inverter when there is loadshedding and disconnect it again when the power comes back. If you are busy with unsaved work, or helping a client, or occupied with running your business, this interruption may be a problem.
Now, a Riello AROS UPS is an inverter combined with an automatic changeover switch, aka static switch, and normally comes with a built-in battery charger. When loadshedding starts, it changes over automatically and connects the load to the electricity supply—leaving you to run your business uninterrupted! The other component that is required is a deep cycle battery. And no, not a car battery.
What does a UPS cost?
There are many degrees of cost depending on what you want your standby system to do. The basic system starts with the inverter. The first variable—you decide what type of inverter you will require and to what specification it must perform. Standby Systems can assist you with that.
Now you have an inverter, what are you going to do with that? Not much. You need to connect an ELITE sealed battery. The second variable—what type of battery do you need? Elite batteries are specialists in this field as they supply quality standby batteries.
The third variable to consider is if you want a manual system or an automated system. This will also make a significant difference to the price of the backup system.
As I mentioned earlier, the cost of your backup power system is offset by the reduction in lost business and lack of productivity while you wait out the black out.
Manual vs automated changeover system
Let’s stop for a moment and discuss the difference between a manual system and an automated system. With a manual system you switch it on and off as required and you make sure the battery is charged again for the next run. An automated system senses the load shedding and automatically changes over to the backup source. It also charges the standby battery automatically when the electricity comes back on.
Standby vs off-grid
I would say that a standby UPS is the basic setup if you need power for an essential load during load shedding. If you want to go off-grid, then you would require PV panels. Theses are panels that generate DC voltage when the sun shines on them. This energy charges your batteries. When the solar batteries have been charged, it automatically diverts electricity to the powering of essential loads for your business.
It depends on what you want
In summary it all depends on what you want. You need to firstly decide on the system you want, and whether it needs to be a manual or an automated backup system. The second step it to consider what you want the inverter to do. This will determine the specification of the system and the cost of having all the features that you may not require. The last step is to consider the battery backup requirements for your needs. Standby Systems can advise and supply products to meet your budget whether it is for banking, commercial, insurance, medical and other uses.
So, visit our website or be sure to contact us or call 011 794 2541 or 011 794 3406 or WhatsApp 082 450 2361 for advice regarding your specific needs.