Wednesday November 13th, 2019, the extended high pressure weather ridge persisting in Northern CA is threatening more red flag fire warnings and public safety power outages.
APT’s business is built on helping customers measure and control their electrical consumption, cost, and reliability.
In the United States, electric power is delivered to customers better that 99.9% of the time without interruption. But that 0.1% of the time is over 8 hours per year of expected power outage!
The recent PG&E outages have heightened awareness that the flow of electric power can and will be interrupted – and we’re often asked how we help customers prepare for these outages…
Power blackouts are a fact of life, so preparation is key –
APT helps customers determine answers to basic questions that get lost in the dark when the power is out.
What are my critical loads?
Almost everything uses electricity as a prime mover – communications, refrigeration, heating, air conditioning, water pumps, elevators, even lighting and controls. APT helps customers document what loads are fed from what panels and circuit breakers with single lines, power plans, and panel schedules.
What are my backup sources?
Most businesses with critical power needs already have invested in generators. Whether diesel, gas, or propane – these engines can deliver long term back power during extended outages. When a blackout hits, these standby engines can fire within 10 seconds to carry critical loads. APT helps customers manage the loads connected to the generator(s) – overloading can damage your investment, and sitting in the dark is no fun.
How do I switch between sources safely?
The key to minimizing impact to your operations is smoothly and safely switching from utility power to your backup sources. Any critical loads thaty can’t handle even a 10 second outage can be covered with a battery backed Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS). The switching itself is performed by an Automatic Transfer Switch (ATS). APT helps customers monitor these critical pieces of equipment (UPS and ATS) to make sure they operate as expected when needed.
APT provides solutions to help customers reduce consumption, cost, and improve reliability of electric power at their home, business, or institution.
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