If your business lies in the path of seasonal severe weather, you’ll likely experience a power outage throughout the course of the year. The duration of an outage is beyond your control, but your ability to power your business with a backup source can mean the difference between a minor inconvenience and closing your doors for good. The following are a few ways having a generator can help your business.
Essential equipment
In areas prone to flooding, you may need sump pumps to keep floodwaters from damaging interior spaces. The loss of climate control could lead to burst pipes, damage to sensitive electronic equipment, and dangerous health issues for employees sheltering onsite. Alarm systems and surveillance equipment without a backup power source can increase the potential for air quality issues like carbon monoxide poisoning, fires, and even looting to occur when no alarm sounds.
Once the initial threat has passed, if there has been any water damage to your business, you won’t be able to begin remediation efforts until power is restored. Moisture quickly wicks into walls, flooring, furniture, and insulation, and mold and mildew will grow rapidly without treatment, humidity, and climate controls in place. HVAC, fans, dehumidifiers, wet-vacs, and other cleaning equipment can preserve the integrity of your building and keep damage from spreading to unaffected areas. Since public utilities may not be available in areas with widespread damage, backup power might be your only solution for rapid response to water damage.
Public utilities
While power and natural gas providers do their best to stage work crews ahead of large storms, widespread damage can take up to weeks to repair. If your business must rely on the restoration of power to resume operations, your employees could be out of work for a significant amount of time. Inability to access company servers or computers could mean that important customer or vendor contact information is unavailable. Something as simple as inadequate lighting can hamper your ability to work without power while production equipment sits idle.
On islands or in remote areas with few alternative routes for power lines, it can take utility companies longer to order and ship damaged equipment to the area to restore damaged substations and networks. The fuel supply that runs the public utility power source, such as coal or CNG, could also be interrupted, further hampering their ability to get the lights on quickly after a storm.
No matter how many times a utility service completes drills, disaster plan reviews and preparations, storms are often unpredictable. As the severity and frequency increases, new problems in the community arise that may not have been part of the initial contingency plan. It isn’t uncommon for local officials to be broadsided or simply overwhelmed by the sheer volume of damage and the work required to restore services. With an independent power supply, you are less affected by unexpected delays while emergency management teams struggle to come to terms with widespread damage.
Personal necessities
Food storage, water purification, and sanitary restroom facilities all need to be addressed after a severe weather event before your employees can safely return to work. A backup power system might be necessary to run water pumps, refrigerators, and temporary equipment like portable air conditioners and dehumidifiers. Everyone will need to communicate with family, insurance adjusters, and relief agencies after a disaster, so power for electronic devices is a critical element to provide while life returns to normal.
Protecting your business with one of Welland Power’s diesel generators can significantly reduce your downtime and risk exposure. Whether you are located in Europe, Asia, or the US, working with an award-winning reputable firm that supplies products to an international market ensures your backup power supply is dependable and reliable when the need for it arises.
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