Rising energy costs, declining power quality and concerns over carbon emissions have highlighted the vital role of energy-efficient uninterruptible power supply systems (UPS), according to a recent report by business research and consulting firm Frost & Sullivan.

Commenting on the report, Peter Bentley, sales and marketing director for Uninterruptible Power Supplies Ltd (UPSL) said: “Concerns over relatively high initial prices have in the past inhibited the uptake of energy-efficient UPS systems. However, as energy costs continue rising, total cost of ownership (TCO) increasingly favours a high efficiency solution as savings quickly compensate for the initial purchase premium.”

By comparing the TCO for a traditional UPS and for an advanced modular system the savings become very apparent. The TCO advantage of a modular UPSs derives from factors including size, transport and installation logistics, power security, maintenance, training, spare parts and upgrading, as well as energy costs and carbon emissions.

Class leading modular systems such as UPSL’s PowerWAVE range bring efficiency through modularity. This improves efficiency by working closer to the load capacity than traditional UPSs but without sacrificing the security of the system. The more a load approaches the capacity of any UPS, the more efficiently the UPS operates. A traditional standalone parallel redundant system is typically just 50 percent loaded while a modular solution typically achieves a 70 percent or higher loading. This reduces both energy and UPS cooling costs.