Top 10 Considerations for Uninterruptible Power Supply

If you are looking to switch to a newer, more reliable power supply for your emergency power system, then you probably already know that an Uninterruptible Power Supply or  UPS is the right choice. But how do you know which system to pick? There are ten important things you should consider before you change over to UPS, and we are going to go over all of them in this blog post along with what the main types of UPS are. Let’s get started!

Types of Uninterruptible Power Supply Systems

There are three main types of UPS power supply systems, and these are standby, line interactive, and double conversion. All three types of UPS systems come in various capacities to suit your needs. A standby UPS is also known as an offline UPS or VFD (Voltage and Frequency-Dependant) UPS, and it is the most common of the three. It offers very basic power protection and battery backup, defending against blackouts, voltage surges, and spikes. But the drawback of a standby UPS is that it cannot regulate a power dip or transient voltage.

For that capability, you need a line-interactive UPS power supply system. This is the next step up in both power protection and price. In this type of UPS, the inverter is always on and connected to the output. Line-interactive UPS uses automatic voltage regulation (AVR) to keep the voltage within a certain high/low limit. A standby UPS would switch to battery power in such a scenario, but line-interactive UPS does not, conserving battery power and life at the same time.

Lastly, an online UPS (also called an online double-conversion) provides the highest possible protection. They are called double-conversion because they work by converting incoming AC power to DC, and then that DC power is converted back to AC via the inverter. This prevents any irregularities and defends against all power issues. 

Considerations When Selecting Your Uninterruptible Power Supply System

Here are the top ten things you should consider when selecting your new UPS power supply system:

Power Environment:

First and foremost, you must understand what your current UPS power supply is. You may think you want to focus on a bigger three-phase UPS system, but you may actually want to choose single-phase equipment instead. The single-phase is most appropriate for small to mid-sized data centers and computer rooms, while ground-up designs are often three phases.

Installation Environment:

How will your new UPS system be deployed? This is important to know because many environments can support several different UPS.

Power Load:

You must know the VA or watt rating of the power source when you are considering which UPS power supply is best. The size of the UPS further narrows the selection, along with the power environment and whether you are dealing with a single phase or three phases. 

Availability and Battery Runtime:

Determining your actual runtime requirements is critical, and most people think it is an easy thing to figure out. Knowing the facts behind the numbers is important, though, and the amount of runtime required influences the total cost of your UPS solution.

Form Factor:

How much space are you willing to sacrifice for your UPS? Where do you want to install it? These are questions you must answer before you decide whether you want a tower or rack mount model. There are even some UPS systems that have 2-in-1 form factors, so you can install the unit in whatever way is most convenient.

Scalability:

Ideally, you want to be able to scale up your utility power if necessary without needing to purchase additional hardware. You should look for a unit that allows you to add capacity with power or battery modules. 

Power Distribution:

Consider how the input power or utility power will reach your equipment. There are some things that can be plugged directly into the UPS, but others require a PDU (Power Distribution Unit). There may also need to be rack-based PDUs incorporated into the overall design.

Manageability:

You must have power management software to ensure that your work in progress is being saved and connected equipment is shut down properly in case of output voltage exceeding battery runtime. Without software, the UPS will run until the batteries are depleted.

Operation/Maintenance:

On-site services or advanced UPS exchange agreements are preferred by many professionals. You should assess your own service capabilities before you decide whether you will opt to let experts perform your maintenance.

Budget:

You should be ready to prioritize your needs, because your UPS system should fit within your budget. You may have to get the package that is right for you as opposed to the one you are dreaming of.

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