Reliable Backup Power is Crucial for Mission Critical Systems
Every minute of unplanned downtime can cost a business thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars in lost productivity and revenue. According to the Uptime Institute’s Annual Outages Analysis in 2023, 70% of data center outage incidents cost $100,000 or more, with 25% costing more than $1 million. Plus, downtime can result in loss of customer trust and long-term damage to your company’s reputation.
You probably rely on your UPS systems for backup if the power to your mission-critical equipment goes out. But will they provide a bridge of power long enough for what’s needed?
For backup power in data centers and commercial settings, generally a UPS runtime target of 5-15 minutes allows enough time to safely shutdown your IT equipment or to switch to generator power. Longer runtimes may be needed if generators are not used and when critical systems need to remain operational during extended outages.
Runtime Requirements
We will provide a step-by-step approach to determining runtime requirements so you can find the right battery backup for your data center, business, or industrial environment.
The first thing to consider is how much backup power you need. Most power outages may only last for a few minutes, but some can be longer. To make sure your UPS systems provide enough backup power for your most critical equipment, you need to understand runtime requirements.
To calculate the required runtime, you first need to determine how much power, or load, is needed by your connected equipment and the capacity of the UPS system batteries.
Calculate Total Wattage of Protected Equipment
There are three ways to find the wattage of your connected equipment:
- Often the wattage is specified in the equipment’s user manual
- Frequently, it is located on the safety label of the device or the device’s power supply (specs are usually on the transformer)
- If the wattage is not listed on the equipment, it can be calculated from the voltage and amperage information:
Voltage x Amperage = Wattage
Note: When calculating the wattage load, your load level should not exceed 80% of the capacity of the UPS system. To establish the overhead capacity, multiply the total load by 125% to calculate the minimum capacity needed for the UPS system.
Example wattage calculation
Note: In this scenario, the Total Load was multiplied by 1.25 to determine the UPS size with overhead.
Runtime Resources
Once you determine your wattage, you can use this calculator to determine which UPS system is appropriate for the connected equipment in your data center: https://www.cyberpowersystems.com/tools/runtimes/
If you’re still unsure if you have enough runtime, use our power assessment tool: https://www.cyberpowersystems.com/power-assessment/
Need Extra Runtime?
If your power needs change, CyberPower recommends that users test the runtime provided by the UPS batteries with a full load. This can be done by utilizing monitoring software, such as PowerPanel® Business. PowerPanel Business can provide an accurate estimate of the runtime of your UPS system based on the devices connected to it during a power outage.
If you need more runtime, you may need to get UPS systems with more capacity or add battery modules. Available for select UPS systems, one or multiple battery modules can add runtime. Based on your load requirement, you can add power modules to your system to reach your desired capacity. Other alternatives include connecting your UPS system to generators to gain a longer period of backup power.
Want to learn more?
https://www.cyberpowersystems.com/blog/how-a-ups-system-works-with-a-backup-generator/
https://www.cyberpowersystems.com/blog/runtime-recommendations/
Summary
Power outages are an unfortunate reality for businesses and data centers, but you can stay powered and protected by choosing a UPS system with the appropriate level of backup power and runtime. Now you have the tools to calculate the runtime you need to save your data and safely shutdown your mission critical equipment.
For more information and to find your next 3-Phase UPS system, https://www.cyberpowersystems.com/products/3-phase-modular-ups/
