Business Profile
THE UK energy gap is growing faster than anticipated. Much has been published in the press recently covering many aspects of this situation but predictions still stand that within 10 years, power outages and the loss of business continuity that results, could cost UK businesses in excess of £108bn each year.
In common with the rest of the UK, West Berkshire continues to generate an increasing demand for power with new housing developments across the region, and major projects such as in Park Way, Newbury, contributing to a steadily climbing load on the local energy infrastructure.
With increasing pressure on an already over-burdened National Grid, the result could well be a greater number of blackouts or smaller scale fluctuations in power supplies which will affect most IT and communications infrastructure within a business.
Reports from Parliament suggest that over the last five years, businesses across England and Wales have experienced approximately 96m unplanned power interruptions. It should be no surprise that maintaining business continuity and improving power reliability has become a top priority for many business managers.
The real cost of downtime
Blackouts are expensive. On average it is estimated that each hour of a blackout for a business costs £800 for SMEs and £8,500 for large industrial and commercial organisations.
While many office organisations could lose power for short periods without too much business disruption (although lost data and data disruption certainly would cause issues), manufacturing plants such as printers, who require continuous running of machinery for an entire production run, power outages could result in not only lost production time but entire batch losses and the knock-on effect of deliveries to customers.
However, businesses can avoid these costs. There are many standby power solutions available on the market today, which use uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) which incorporate a number of sources of power such as batteries, flywheels, generators and fuel cells to provide both conditioning to remove surges, spikes and other power anomalies, and a back-up power source should it be needed.
The kind of standby power solution that businesses choose usually depends on the sensitivity of their equipment. For example, for some organisations, the effects of a power interruption, even if only for a few milliseconds, can severely disrupt or damage their business critical systems.
Independent advice
Hungerford-based UPS Systems plc has been helping organisations of all sizes to select the best standby power solutions for their needs since 1993. By offering completely independent advice and acting as a consultant and integrator for standby power products, it has grown to be the largest vendor-neutral supplier of standby power solutions in the UK.
It has distributor relationships with the world’s leading manufacturers including APC, Emerson, Eaton and Riello and prides itself by working on a very consultative basis with clients to create a power continuity plan not just for their immediate needs but also for the future, taking into account such factors as expansion and growth .
Despite the recent difficult market conditions, UPS Systems continues to grow and develop new partnerships with leading manufacturers of generators, UPS and new ‘fuel cell’ products.
In 2010 it relocated to new premises in Hungerford, effectively doubling its operational space to allow for greater flexibility in developing its product and service offerings including a growing maintenance department and providing complete turnkey solutions for all size of server room through to the largest data centre.
Service is key to growth
To ensure that standby power equipment provides vital protection when it is called upon, the components need to be regularly serviced. UPS Systems removes this burden by offering a broad range of services to help maintain equipment –from regular preventative maintenance to repairs, battery disposal and equipment hire.
UPS Systems’ servicing capabilities extend beyond standby power equipment. Its engineers are qualified to maintain heating and cooling systems, and other essential electrical infrastructure equipment.
UPS Systems has also developed a unique remote monitoring system called REMO. Unlike other systems, it protects all UPS and the majority of generators. Users can see the status of their equipment ‘live’ at any time via a mobile phone, PDA or laptop and have it notify them about power interruptions, faults or even low generator fuel levels. It offers complete peace of mind through its 24/7 protection, 365 days a year as it is also constantly monitored by their in-house service team which can react to any situation if needed.
Fuel cells for cleaner energy
Simply put, a fuel cell is an emissions-free, low-noise ‘generator’. Unlike a traditional generator a fuel cell generates electricity by reacting fuel and air without burning and without the need for a traditional internal combustion engine. They provide a much cleaner alternative to both generators and in many ways, mains grid power.
Fuel cells can provide both prime (ie continuous) and standby power, and are useful across a broad range of power outputs; powering anything from a mobile phone through to cars and data centres. To date, UPS Systems has installed more fuel cells in the UK for portable and stationary applications than any other provider and has its own fuel cell based standby power system in its Hungerford offices. While fuel cells are still relatively new to many people, they are a viable and real technology for incorporation into many businesses today.
UPS Systems is also actively involved in spreading the word about this new clean-energy technology and has been involved in large-scale pioneering hybrid installations incorporating wind, solar and fuel cell technologies for truly green solutions such as at the Environmental Energy Technology Centre (EETC). The EETC incorporates a system that can generate hydrogen from renewable energy sources which then fuels the fuel cell which in-turn provides power to the building.
As part of this educational programme, the company also hosts ground-breaking seminars communicating to delegates, about the various ways that organisations are using fuel cells today commercially with true benefits to their businesses.
UPS Systems’ commitment to West Berkshire
As well as its commitment to its customers, UPS Systems is also committed to business within West Berkshire and plays an active role in the local community. Throughout the year its staff undertake a number of fundraising activities to benefit a nominated charity and its management team also participates in the Education Business Partnership West Berkshire with the ‘Champions of Enterprise’ competition, helping to prepare young people for the world of business, as well as a number of other local business events .
UPS Systems plc
Web: www.upssystems.co.uk
Phone: (01488) 680 500
Email: sales@upssystems.co.uk
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