A surprising number of business owners overlook the importance of choosing a reliable generator for an office building. And with that, a surprising number of business owners make a mistake that ends up costing their organizations a lot of time and money.
In this digital age, a power outage can hurt your business as much as poor customer service reviews or a disruptive new product made by your fiercest competitor. Modern-day businesses practices simply aren’t designed with power supply problems in mind.
Having a powerful office generator on standby is a necessity.
Here’s how to choose the best one for your needs.
Opt for a Commercial Backup Generator
First of all, don’t make the mistake of purchasing a consumer generator and hoping it will meet the requirements of your business operations. Unfortunately, it will not. What you need is a stronger solution that was built specifically for commercial applications.
Commercial backup generators have better and more powerful components, a larger engine, and a thicker gauge. They usually also include a system for liquid cooling. Their robust internal electronics are equipped to handle both higher heat and higher wattages.
Commercial backup generator sizing is especially important if your business operations include more than just deskwork. Consumer generators may be able to support a few laptops and printers for a short period of time. They’re not ideal for anything more than that.
Define Your Power Supply Requirements
Commercial generators are custom-made to suit the special power supply demands of your business. This allows you to choose how powerful your generator for office buildings will be, but it also requires you to define your specific needs in order to make the right choice.
Taking a look at your main electrical panel can help you with this.
Most commercial buildings have two electrical panels. In non-technical terms, the first one serves as a conductor that allows electricity to enter the building, while the second one distributes this electricity through the office. Between them is a voltage transformer.
The incoming utility voltage on your first panel is crucial. The electricity most likely enters your building at either 120/208 or 277/480 volts, so pen these numbers down and have them on you when you’re shopping for your new generator for office buildings.
Choose the Right Commercial Generator
If 120/208 volts is enough to power your office building, then your electrical demands fall under the category of a very large household or a small business. In this case, a single-phase generator will be more than enough to keep your business running.
They produce 240 volts and are perfect for basic office operations.
If the numbers on your electrical panel say 277/480 volts, then you need a stronger solution. This calls for a three-phase generator that’s suitable for a specific power type used in your office building. For this, you’ll need to consult your utility company.
Choosing the right type of generator for office buildings will allow your business to stay not only afloat but also fully operational in the event of unpredictable electricity issues and during power outages. Don’t make a hasty decision but take your time. For electrical assistance or advice, reach out to MSC Electrical today!
