Backup power for business is a different job from a house. Loads are bigger, often 3 phase, and some of them cannot stop: tills and card machines, server rooms, medicine fridges, cold rooms, borehole pumps and alarm systems. This page covers how installers approach backup power solutions for business, from a corner shop to a factory: critical loads, 3 phase inverters, larger battery banks, a generator alongside, and maintenance contracts. Send one free, no-obligation request and local installers and electrical contractors quote you directly for your site.
Start with the critical loads
Very few businesses back up everything. A site survey sorts the loads into three groups:
- critical: must never drop, such as servers, the network, card machines, tills, alarms, medicine fridges and emergency lighting
- important: should run during an outage, such as office lights, a cold room, a borehole pump or the reception area
- deferrable: can wait for the grid, such as aircons, kitchens, ovens, compressors and heavy plant
The critical group sets the minimum system, and each step up adds cost. Ask installers to show you the load figures behind their sizing.
3 phase and bigger banks
Most factories, workshops and farms with motors have a 3 phase supply, and many shops do too. A backup power system for them uses a 3 phase hybrid inverter or several units working together, with battery banks of tens of kWh in a rack or cabinet. 3 phase hybrid inverters alone sell for about R38,000 to R65,000; complete business systems are quoted per site, because the cabling, switchgear and battery size vary so much. Ask about battery room ventilation, fire safety and access control, and keep the bank locked: battery theft from business premises happens.
Server rooms and cold rooms
Battery backup for a server room is usually two layers: an online UPS in the rack that never lets the servers see a break, and the main backup system or a generator behind it for longer outages. Remember the cooling: servers kept running in a hot room will shut themselves down anyway. Cold rooms and freezers draw a large surge when the compressor starts, so the inverter needs headroom, and a well-sealed cold room can often ride out a short outage on its own. For computers alone, see UPS for computers and servers.
Generators alongside, and maintenance
For long outages, many sites pair a battery system with a diesel generator. The battery covers the switch-over and short gaps silently; the generator starts for long ones and recharges the bank. Ask how the two are interlocked so they cannot feed each other or the grid. A maintenance contract is worth pricing too: firmware updates, battery health checks, cleaning fans and filters, testing the changeover and checking connections for heat. Ask what is included, in writing, and how fast a technician responds to a fault.
What to include in your request
- Say the type of business and the supply
- List the critical loads and their hours
- Mention any generator already on site
- Say where a battery room could go
- Ask for maintenance options in writing
Business Backup Power for different clients
- Homeowners: a home business or guesthouse needing more than a standard house backup package
- Complexes, estates and body corporates: estate gatehouse, booms, borehole pumps and clubhouse on one managed backup system
- Offices and home offices: servers, network, phones and workstations on a UPS backed by a battery system
- Shops, restaurants and salons: tills, card machines, lights, display fridges and the alarm kept running through outages
- Farms and smallholdings: borehole and irrigation pumps, cold rooms and electric fences on 3 phase backup
- Clinics, surgeries and care homes: clinics and pharmacies keeping medicine fridges, computers and lights on without a break
- Factories, warehouses, schools and churches: control circuits, offices and selected machines on 3 phase banks with a generator
- Electricians, installers and security companies: electrical contractors pricing commercial systems, generator interlocks and maintenance for business clients
Frequently asked questions
What are the best backup power solutions for business?
Do I need a 3 phase backup system?
How much does business backup power cost?
Who will quote for my business site?
Business Backup Power by province and city
- Johannesburg
- Pretoria
- Centurion
- Midrand
- Sandton
- Randburg
- Roodepoort
- Krugersdorp
- Randfontein
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Alberton
- Vanderbijlpark
- Vereeniging
- Durban
- Pinetown
- Pietermaritzburg
- Richards Bay
- Newcastle
- Ladysmith
- Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- East London
- Kariega (Uitenhage)
- Mthatha
- Cape Town
- Bellville
- Paarl
- Stellenbosch
- George
- Worcester
- eMalahleni (Witbank)
- Middelburg
- Secunda
- Mbombela (Nelspruit)
- Rustenburg
- Brits
- Klerksdorp
- Potchefstroom
- Mahikeng
- Polokwane
- Tzaneen
- Kimberley
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Sasolburg