How Do Commercial Backup Generators Work?

As a business owner, you likely know that power outages are more than a mere inconvenience or a frustrating occurrence. Beyond being expensive, downtime caused by a loss of power can have some detrimental effects on your business, depending on your industry.

Luckily, commercial backup generators and standby systems allow businesses to operate without electricity from the grid. Learn about how standby generators work and how they benefit the various industries.

Table of Contents

• Why Are Generators for Businesses Important?
• The Difference Between Residential and Commercial Generators
• How Do Standby Generators Work?
• Which Industries Benefit From Generators?
• Minimize Downtime With Foster Fuels

Why Are Generators for Businesses Important?

Most businesses and corporations depend on electricity to run their operations every day. Power outages can have catastrophic consequences for industries such as health care or finance that require 100% uptime, potentially leading to the loss of lives or financial collapse. While preventing outages caused by extreme weather or electrical grid overloads is impossible, standby backup generators detect when the electricity cuts out and instantly restore power. This way, companies enjoy uninterrupted operations, and they can ensure they have enough power for critical equipment to remain functional until the electrical grid turns back on.

Even if the impact of an outage is less severe for your business, unplanned downtime may cost you thousands of dollars. Lost customers, decreased employee productivity, customer service challenges and damaged equipment may all lead to lost revenue. Though the amount you can lose varies by industry, research shows the average cost of interrupted activity can be as much as $9,000 a minute for larger organizations. With a generator, you have peace of mind that you can mitigate these possible losses.

The Difference Between Residential and Commercial Generators

Commercial standby generators are similar to residential ones as they have the same purpose — providing power during a blackout or outage. However, commercial models are typically much bigger and have a higher power output, which is needed to power essential systems and equipment at business facilities.

Additionally, generators manufactured for businesses are usually built with stronger components. Though different models have a specific design or particular features for various applications, these components can include:

• Engine: This is what transforms chemical energy, such as propane or diesel, into mechanical energy. The engine’s size correlates to the maximum power output the generator can supply, which is why commercial machines are bigger. Yet, parts of commercial models, like the pistons, crankshafts, and intake valves, can be the same as their consumer counterparts.
• Generator end: Also known as an alternator, this part converts mechanical energy into electricity via movement between electric and magnetic fields.
• Fuel supply system: This system supplies the fuel that allows the generator to create electricity. It typically features a fuel tank and the necessary delivery piping.
• Voltage regulator: This part helps ensure the generator’s voltage matches the voltage of your main power supply, which is essential for protecting major appliances.
• Cooling and exhaust: There are two main ways to keep a generator cool and reduce the likelihood of a fire. Some models have a radiator, often located next to the engine. Others use a heat exchanger, which takes water from an external source to cool the engine. Additionally, the ventilation system helps displace toxic gases from enclosed spaces.
• Batteries: These provide the power to start the generator during an outage.

How Do Standby Generators Work?

With the core components in mind, let’s look at how generators work.

1. The Engine Starts

Most businesses’ standby generators are connected to the main electrical system and identify a loss of power in seconds. Then, the automatic transfer switch (ATS) moves over from the primary system to the generator, starting the engine.

Fuel powers the generator, making it possible for the engine to run. Commercial generators can use the following fuels:

• Gasoline: Gasoline is widely accessible and can be purchased easily. It’s also highly flammable, making storage tricky. Burning gasoline also contributes to air pollution.
• Diesel: This is a reliable and efficient fuel that burns more cleanly than gasoline.
• Propane: Besides being the fuel of choice for many businesses during natural disasters and extreme weather, propane is an approved clean fuel under the 1990 Clean Air Act. Using propane to power generators can reduce greenhouse gases and pollutants. Plus, propane-run generators are much quieter than their gasoline counterparts.

2. The Engine Generates and Transfers Energy

Once the engine is running, it uses the fuel to produce mechanical energy, which is moved through the circuit to generate an electrical current via the generator end.

Through the mechanical power created by the engine, electromagnetic induction generates energy at a voltage matching the frequency and voltage of a facility’s original electrical system. The power is transferred through the ATS and into the facility, resulting in uninterrupted operation.

3. The Power Is Distributed

After the generator supplies the power, the facility’s electrical system distributes this electricity. Depending on your business’s needs, you could use standby generators to keep only certain appliances running, such as computers, refrigerators or HVAC systems.

Businesses usually have enough power to continue operations until the main power system is up and running again. However, this will only be the case if the generator is properly working — adequate maintenance is nonnegotiable to help ensure your generator functions as it should during an outage.

You should ensure your storage tanks are always filled with fuel, frequently change your generator oil and stock up on filters. Like most substances, fuel can expire. Partnering with fuel service experts such as Foster Fuels to schedule regular maintenance checks to maintain fuel quality can also be beneficial. Along with fuel delivery for emergency generators, we offer tank monitoring services — this way, you always have fuel in an emergency.

Which Industries Benefit From Generators?

As they start working instantly and automatically, commercial backup generators are a reliable power source for various businesses and organizations during outages or emergencies. The following industries all benefit from standby backup systems:

• Data centers: These centers store, process and distribute an organization’s mission-critical data. A power outage could lead to the loss of this data, negatively impacting daily operations in the long term. Generators help ensure continuity, which is essential to secure such crucial information.
• Health care: The proper functioning of medical equipment is quite literally a matter of life and death. Hospitals generally have backup generators to provide the necessary care without interruption.
• Finance: As transactions occur each second, even brief outages could drastically affect banks, insurance firms and companies involved in the stock market. Online brokerages can expect to lose $6.48 million each hour out of action. Financial businesses can use generators to power various aspects of their operations.
• Schools and universities: Beyond missed classes, extended outages can impact student and staff safety due to a lack of heat or impaired visibility. During a blackout, educational institutions often rely on generators to power educational tools and other equipment, such as elevators and refrigerators.
• Government and military: Both divisions work to protect citizens during disasters. As power outages could leave the country vulnerable, government entities have installed backup generators to allow them to maintain full activity when there is no electricity.
• Construction: Whether an outage is caused by the weather or a severed power line, contractors may experience delayed deadlines and blow their budget due to expensive downtime. Backup generators can help businesses in this industry have a contingency plan in various circumstances.
• Government contractors: Contracts with the government often include clauses regarding business continuity planning. By using generators, contractors can fulfill their contractual duty.
• Media communications: Broadcasting services need a continuous, dependable electricity supply to provide people with news, entertainment, and other communications — outages can create distrust amongst audiences. Backup generators allow these businesses to keep communication lines open.
• Power companies: Power plants need a trustworthy backup generator to keep their businesses running, helping the companies they serve minimize revenue loss, maintain productivity and safeguard their reputation.
• Property management: More than an inconvenience, blackouts can pose a safety hazard for tenants or guests. For example, fire alarms won’t work, and excessive heat or cold can cause health issues. A backup power source can protect guests, preserve the facility’s food and beverage operations, and keep amenities such as high-speed internet running.
• Retail and wholesale: Power outages can halt production and sales, ultimately affecting revenue. With millions of dollars at risk, wholesale and retail companies must plan to reduce downtime. Generators are essential to this plan and help keep these businesses running.

Minimize Downtime With Foster Fuels

No matter your industry, investing in an emergency backup generator is a wise decision. However, these generators are only effective if they have the necessary fuel to power your business. As power outages can occur anytime, Foster Fuels provides generator fuel delivery services to help ensure you are always prepared.

As a trusted fuel supplier for many businesses since 1921, Foster Fuels understands that each company is unique and offers emergency fuel contracts that suit your business or organization’s needs. We take pride in our partnerships with those needing fuel and work with our clients to protect their businesses. When you partner with us, we’re always ready to help so you can keep downtime to a minimum when running on generator power.

If you need an emergency fuel delivery, contact our Mission Critical division today!