By George Senzere, solutions architect: secure power, Schneider Electric.
South Africa’s electric grid goes hand in hand with unpredictability and downright volatility at times. And as we are all too aware, a less reliable grid translates to more frequent blackouts, which directly impacts business and residential communities.
George Senzere.
It is hard to accomplish anything in the modern world without electricity. And with many organisations following a hybrid work model, backup power has become non-negotiable. To this end, backup power such as UPSs should therefore become part of electrical contractors’ proposals when tendering for a business project or working on a residential contract.
Adding a UPS to your quote is relatively straightforward and you can do the installation yourself. If you need assistance to plan and size the most suitable UPS for the job, you can work with a channel partner of a reputable UPS brand to select and propose the appropriate option. For larger facilities, Schneider Electric works hand in hand with its channel partners to ensure your UPS installation is done properly and to the highest standard.
Additionally, if a UPS is not requested in a project, you can recommend it as an additional value-add for your electrical upgrade or installation points. Here are some important points which should form part of your proposal:
• What are the short- and long-term financial impacts on the business if the power goes out?
• How would an outage impact the customer’s operations?
• Do life-safety risks increase when there is a power outage?
• What’s the downtime cost of a production machine?
By providing UPS technology, you can expand the scope of your services through long-term contracts that also include UPS servicing and remote monitoring. Most of Schneider Electric’s large and industrial UPS have data-capture and monitoring capabilities in order to optimise their health and performance.
Furthermore, you can deliver the monitoring services or sub-contract to a vendor, such as Schneider Electric, to monitor backup operations while you maintain contact with the customer. Essentially, as an electrical contractor, you could expand your services by moving into the managed service provider space and thereby increase your business margins.
Installation, as well as post-implementation monitoring and maintenance services, will keep you linked to the customer for the long term. You can use these services as a differentiator over other contractors, ensuring you can foster a long-lasting and mutually beneficial relationship with your customer.
Ultimately, by proposing a backup solution such as UPS, you are showing initiative and forward-thinking in protecting your customer’s valuable assets and productivity environments.
Grid to backup power in zero seconds
Electrical Power & Protection
South Ocean Electric Wire has completed a solar installation that marks a global first: a seamless switch from grid to backup power in zero seconds.
Read more...Protecting buildings’ embodied carbon with retrofitted systems Schneider Electric South Africa
Sensors & Transducers
The World Economic Forum has said that around 80% of the buildings in existence will still be around in 2050; it is therefore essential that in order to combat climate change we retrofit them for energy efficiency.
Read more...Three decarbonisation myths and how organisations can debunk them Schneider Electric South Africa
Electrical Power & Protection
A UN Climate Change Report revealed that the world is on track to miss its 2050 net zero targets, with temperatures expected to increase by over 2,4°C by 2100. To help shift positive intent to concrete action, Schneider Electric outlined three of the most common myths surrounding decarbonisation and how organisations can get started on their decarbonisation journey.
Read more...Tackling the barriers of renewables and empowering the manufacturing sector
Electrical Power & Protection
Solar energy is surging in South Africa, but the energy is primarily self-consumed, meaning many manufacturing sites draw power directly and don’t gain more energy independence through comprehensive energy storage or hybrid energy solutions.
Read more...Three-phase filters for electromagnetic interference Vepac Electronics
Electrical Power & Protection
Vepac Electronics has available three-phase filters that provide a solution to electromagnetic interference generated by equipment or from an AC source.
Read more...The age of grid defection is upon us
Electrical Power & Protection
Solar and battery systems have got so cheap that many private individuals, farmers and companies are waking up to the fact that in many locations in South Africa it is now less expensive to be off the electrical grid than to be on it.
Read more...Connectors for quick, easy and tool-free in-field termination
Electrical Power & Protection
KYOCERA AVX has released the new 9288-000 Series hermaphroditic wire-to-wire and wire-to-board connectors for lighting and industrial applications. These unique two-piece connectors facilitate WTW termination with two identical mating halves, which simplifies BOMs.
Read more...Biomass is building up steam
Electrical Power & Protection
Pressure is mounting for local manufacturers to swap fossil fuels for biomass to reduce their carbon footprints and mitigate carbon taxes. Experienced steam and boiler operations and maintenance service provider, Associated Energy Services has spent the past 14 years reviewing solutions.
Read more...Future-ready I/O to redefine connectivity Schneider Electric South Africa
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
Schneider Electric South Africa has launched its state-of-the-art Modicon Edge I/O NTS. This future-ready I/O redefines connectivity, data aggregation and operational efficiency for industrial applications.
While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, the publisher and its agents cannot be held responsible for any errors contained, or any loss incurred as a result. Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. The editor reserves the right to alter or cut copy. Articles submitted are deemed to have been cleared for publication. Advertisements and company contact details are published as provided by the advertiser. Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or veracity of supplied material.
printer friendly version