Generators & UPS

A power cut can be just a nuisance or a serious problem depending on what relies on electricity. We install generators and UPS that provide automatic backup during blackouts: the UPS keeps sensitive equipment running uninterrupted and the generator lets you keep going during prolonged outages.

We size the equipment to the essential circuits you want to keep — fridge, pumps, lighting, medical or IT equipment — and install automatic transfer switches that start the backup without you having to do anything. It is a very useful solution in inland estates with frequent outages.

The starting point is always the same question: what has to keep running, and for how long. That answer determines the power rating, the autonomy and, to a large extent, the budget.

They cover different parts of the outage. A UPS takes over with no interruption, because the energy is already in its batteries, and lasts from minutes to a little over an hour depending on what hangs off it: enough for a computer not to lose work, for a server to shut down cleanly, or to ride out a brief cut. A generator takes a few seconds to start and stabilise, but can sustain the installation for hours as long as there is fuel.

For equipment that cannot tolerate even a flicker, the combination is the answer: the UPS covers those seconds and the generator handles the rest. For a home with occasional cuts one of the two is usually enough, and which one depends on whether what worries you is the momentary dips that reboot appliances or the long blackouts that defrost the freezer.

The critical part is the transfer switch, and its job is not only to start the backup: it is to physically prevent the installation from feeding the external grid. A generator connected without that separation can push voltage back onto the street line and endanger anyone working on it. This is why a generator must never be connected by plugging it into a socket in the house: the transfer gear is installed in the panel and tested.

The rest is maintenance, and that is where the investment gets lost. Diesel degrades over months, the starter battery self-discharges, and a generator that is never tested is a generator that will not start on blackout day; a monthly test under load solves it. On a UPS the weak point is the batteries, which have a limited life and fail quietly: a UPS with dead batteries still shows its green light and protects nothing.