PacB Group // Generators Can Also be a Sound Investment for Office Use

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Generators Can Also be a Sound Investment for Office Use

While, at one time, South Africans might have dismissed the means to generate electricity as a requirement that was exclusive to power stations and the nation’s industrialists, circumstances have since changed. Whereas we may have tended to take for granted that the act of depressing a switch would always provide instant power to overhead lights, cookers, television sets, and a host of other modern gadgetry, this can no longer be guaranteed. Now, generators for office use, and even for use in the home, have become necessary, as the result of the growing difficulties now faced by the national service provider to fully meet the rapidly growing demands posed by millions of the nation’s consumers.

A report published by Deloitte Consulting in February 2017 reveals that, between them, heavy industries, agriculture, and the transport sector accounted for all but 35% of the electricity produced. Given that much of their activity is crucial to the national economy, it has been necessary to shield these sectors, as far as possible, from the effects of the power outages deemed by Eskom to be essential to maintain reserves. The knock-on effect has been to increase the need for emergency generators both for office and residential use. Residential users account for 20% of the country’s power consumption, while commerce and public services account for the remaining 15%.

Where the average office worker was once armed with a typewriter, and paper records were arranged in alphabetical order in metal filing cabinets, this scenario has also changed. Even the electric typewriter has had its day. In today’s world, records and communication are generated electronically with personal computers, and are stored on document servers. So, for the office employees of today, generators represent far more than just a means to keep the air conditioners running, the coffee machine operational, and to lighten the darkness whenever the national service provider proves unable to do so.

If preserving electronic data was the sole concern, then it might be sufficient to rely on the battery power provided by an uninterruptible power supply (UPS). A typical system might divert a portion of the mains power, while available, to charge the battery, switching instantly to the stored source in the event of a mains outage. This provides sufficient time for IT staff to power down the company’s systems safely, and without the loss or corruption of data.

Generators for use in the average office will generally be more compact, and designed to support smaller loads than those intended for industrial use. Nevertheless, where they are considered necessary in order to maintain productivity, they can be noisy, and, in addition to producing electricity, their diesel engines also produce exhaust fumes. Ideally, these machines should be located outside of the building, perhaps in a courtyard or on a flat roof, protected from the effects of elements. The sound is also muffled by a suitable canopy.

When intended for use in large office blocks, the generators required will also need to be proportionately larger in order to meet the load requirements. The precise power requirement will be determined by the maximum load that a given machine may be called upon to support. This can be calculated by summing the wattage of each individual item, right down to the last light bulb that needs to be powered, both when starting up and when running normally. In practice, it is quite possible for anyone to perform these calculations. However, being certain that they have been performed accurately, could prove crucial to avoid any significant shortfall or excess of emergency power, either of which could have damaging consequences.

A reputable supplier will not only be the best option when purchasing generators for office or other use, but is also qualified to help clients determine their power requirements, and to recommend those products that are guaranteed to meet it.