There are many models and a lot of opinions about which PPSs are best. In such a competitive field, there will inevitably be rapid innovation that will make today’s recommendations irrelevant tomorrow. So rather than recommending particular models, I’ll mention some features to look for upload.
There are two numbers you want to look at when assessing a PPS’s power. Watts (W) tells you the maximum amount of power it can deliver at a time. The higher the maximum output in watts, the more energy-hungry devices you can run on it. Watt-hours (Wh) tells you the PPS’s storage capacity.
Choose a model rated for the highest-demand item you plan to run on it. Small heat producers like coffeemakers and toaster ovens require a surprising amount of power. If you have a 10-cup coffee maker that draws 1500 W, you need a PPS rated for at least 1500 W. If your staff simply cannot operate without coffee, have them bring in thermoses, run the coffee maker once in the morning and have everyone fill up, then turn it off for the rest of the day. You may want to use this kind of batching for other electric devices like the postage meter. Set a time when you will run all the mail and keep the meter unplugged the rest of the time.
PPSs will not support high-draw items like heating and air conditioning or laser copiers and printers (inkjets need far less power because they don’t require heat to fix toner to paper). If you want to keep servers running (they generate heat and need to be continuously cooled), you may need one PPS dedicated exclusively to the servers and another for everything else you want to power.
It’s unlikely that a PPS with anything with less than 1,000 maximum continuous watts will be adequate for your office. Depending on the size of your office and what you want to power, it may make sense to have more than one PPS. To calculate the size that you will need, think about what will be critical to keep powered during a blackout. Create a spreadsheet of everything in your office that draws power.
This will help you identify what you can and cannot live without to keep basic operations running. With this information and a target of how many days you anticipate being without power, you can choose the size and number of PPSs you'll need.
Despite their name, PPSs are energy storage devices, not generators. For longer outages, you need a strategy for topping off the charge.
Many models can be attached to portable solar panels. Be sure you can run a power cord out a door or window to a place that gets a lot of sun and be prepared to move the panel as the sun moves. Assign someone to set a timer for every half hour and move the panels to follow the sun. The amount of recharge you will get from solar panels is limited and varies depending on the time of year, latitude, and cloud cover. Several sets of panels can be daisy-chained together to produce faster recharge.
If the outage is in a limited geographic area and you have a friend or colleague who still has power, you can top off your PPS when your office is closed by plugging it in at their home or facility (be sure to compensate them for the electricity you draw). Remember the devices are heavy, so have a plan for moving the device that will not result in a workplace injury. Most models can also charge from a car battery. Just be sure not to drain the car battery below the point where you will be able to restart the vehicle.
Buy your PPS well in advance of the season you anticipate needing it and test all parts of it. At the onset of a power outage is not the time to find a defective part that needs to be replaced. A dolly or hand truck will enable you to move the PPS from one workstation to the next for staff to charge up their laptops and phones.
Be sure to consider how many and what type of power delivery ports the PPS has. The more ports, the more devices you can charge simultaneously. Be sure that your charging cords are compatible with the power delivery ports on the PPS. Regardless of what kind of ports your computer and phone have, you have to have a charging cord that will plug into the PPS’s ports (USB-A, USB-C, etc.).
Invest in a model with a pure sine wave inverter. Cheap modified sine wave inverters can fry your electronics.
In a shutdown, you’re suddenly aware that energy is a precious and limited resource. Your view of what is essential may change quickly as you watch your battery drain. Plan ahead so you have the storage and recharge capacity you need.
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