Security & technology
UPS systems
Specification, installation and service of the systems that keep critical circuits running without interruption.
A UPS sits between the incoming mains and the equipment that cannot tolerate a break in supply. When the voltage disappears or drifts outside its permitted limits, the load moves onto the batteries within milliseconds and the equipment never registers the transfer itself. Beyond that transfer, a UPS corrects the sags, surges and frequency deviations that wear out power supplies over the years. What it buys is time: either the system shuts down in an orderly way, or the standby generator of the building takes over the load.
The first thing to establish is what actually sits on the protected circuit: a server and its network node, a medical device, the power feed of the security systems, a checkout station. Adding up the figures printed on the labels does not replace that list, because what counts is the real draw, the power factor and the inrush current: some equipment pulls several times its rated current at the moment it starts, and those few seconds are what test a UPS. The second figure is autonomy, meaning how long that circuit truly has to run without mains: a few minutes cover an orderly server shutdown, holding out until a generator starts takes even less, and carrying on without a generator takes considerably more. Capacity, the number of batteries and their weight, single or three-phase supply and a maintenance bypass all follow from those two figures, and without that bypass changing a battery means dropping the whole load.
In the first seconds after a cut almost nothing changes inside the building: the lights may flicker, but the server does not restart, the camera recording does not break, the checkout does not lose its transaction and the medical device does not enter a shutdown cycle. That calm does not appear by itself: it comes from the load list, the calculated autonomy, the schematic and the test carried out at handover, which shows that the system really does hold for the time written into the design. A correctly sized UPS is invisible until the power goes, and that is the moment it decides whether the building keeps working.
What it covers
- Assessment of power needs and risks
- Selection of the right UPS system
- Installation into existing infrastructure
- Testing and reliability verification
- Scheduled maintenance
Where it applies
- Server rooms and network hardware
- Clinics and medical equipment
- Video surveillance and access control equipment
- Office buildings and business centres
- Retail chains and checkout systems
- Plants and process lines
Standards and regulations
The UPS itself, as a device, is described by the IEC and EN 62040 series, which sets out safety, electromagnetic compatibility and the classification of operating modes, including the VFI class, in which the output voltage and frequency no longer depend on the input. Cabling, protective devices and earthing are a matter for the low-voltage installation series IEC 60364 and for the Georgian rules on electrical installations. The European safety standards for stationary battery installations govern siting and ventilation separately, so that the hydrogen released during charging cannot accumulate and the batteries stay accessible for service. Fire detection is a separate case: the EN 54 family of standards requires the fire alarm system to have its own power supply equipment and standby battery, and a general-purpose UPS does not replace it.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a UPS and a generator?
A UPS covers the interruption instantly, but only for a limited time, because it holds its energy in batteries. A generator needs time to start and can then run for hours, but it is exactly during those seconds that the load is left without supply. Where both exist, one does not replace the other: the UPS holds the load until the generator is up and running.
How long does a UPS run after the power goes off?
Autonomy is a design decision, not a property of the device. A few minutes is enough for an orderly server shutdown or for a generator to start, while long autonomy means more batteries, more weight and more room. That time has to be set in the design in advance and confirmed by a test.
How long do UPS batteries last and do they need checking?
Battery life is limited and depends heavily on temperature: in a warm cabinet they age faster than the calendar does. A UPS that nobody checks will still show a green indicator while its real autonomy is close to zero. Periodic inspection and a discharge test are the only way to establish how long the system will actually hold and when the batteries are due for replacement.
What does the cost of a UPS system depend on?
Batteries account for a large part of the outlay, so two things weigh most heavily on the price: how many kW the protected circuit carries and how long it has to hold without mains. Capacity determines the class of the device itself, while autonomy determines the number of batteries, and doubling the autonomy effectively means doubling the batteries, together with the space and the ventilation they need. The rest is settled by single or three-phase supply, the maintenance bypass and the conditions for connecting into the existing wiring. The price is therefore set by the load list and the autonomy required, not by the model of the device.
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