Contingency Planning for Disrupted Electric Power

The Case for Partnering with a Strong Rental Power Supplier

by George Schalk
General Manager, Rental Power Division

In today's global economy, every second of business time is crucial and can represent millions of dollars in revenue. A company's ability to recover from, or adjust easily to, planned or unexpected electric power disruption can be a vital element of its financial success and competitiveness. Power disruption comes in all forms and durations, and is not always predictable or preventable. Power generation suppliers are in business to alleviate operation downtime losses by minimizing a company's risk of being stuck without power.

By planning ahead for potential power failure, and developing a contingency plan that includes a rental power option, a company can reduce future headaches from power disruption. An effective contingency plan requires simply understanding a business facility's needs, and knowing both how to react quickly and who to call when the power goes out. Rental power is designed to keep a business functioning and on schedule when local power sources are unavailable or inadequate.

"Whether it's a scheduled shutdown or an emergency outage, facility managers and plant engineers can save time and money by planning ahead to secure portable rental generator sets to meet their temporary electric power needs." [Smith 1] Stand-by generators can continuously monitor a business's power consumption, and are able to automatically start up if power is interrupted and shut off when primary utility service is returned. This continuous power helps a company maintain operation, avoid revenue loss, and ultimately, protect the bottom line; providing the advantage of reliability when competitors go down.

Key Issues:

1. Before Power Disruption: How to Plan Ahead

Power disruption can result from: natural causes, such as weather; technological failures involving equipment or wiring malfunctions; and human error. Read more...

2. Determine Your Power Needs

Properly determining your business facility’s power needs is essential to setting up a fast response and cost-effective system that will ensure that you find the right rental supplier. Read more...

3. What to Look for in a Power Rental Supplier

Knowing the facility’s power requirements will help in finding the right power rental company that can supply the best equipment to meet the needs. Read more...

4. kVA/kW Amperage Chart – 80% Power Factor... download the complete white paper for more