With all that has happened with hurricanes, snow storms and tornados in the past year, you would think that more people would be prepared for when the lights do go out. But memories are short, and if you're like most, those ten days (or more) in the dark are just a thing of the past - last year's memories.
The fact is that most business managers and property owners have no idea what to do or who to turn to when the lights go out. If your business is affected by Sarbanes-Oxley or ISO certified, then an emergency plan is a must.
Unfortunately, we've seen too many customers live by the "I'll deal with it when it happens" method of business continuity and disaster planning. Sad thing is, for a fraction of what it will cost you in lost business, emergency costs and possible safety issues, a number of basic steps can be taken to insure you're in control when the lights go out.
The Emergency Plan
In reality, there are two primary options to provide emergency power to your business or properties - on-site/permanent or temporary/roll-up generation. In both cases, determination of the loads to be served, size of generator and emergency power plan is common and essential to a proper installation.
If first cost or local permitting issues will not allow a permanently installed generator, quick-connect or tap-boxes are an excellent option. At approximately 1/5 the cost of a permanent generator, the tap box option can keep you up and running on a much more modest budget.
Know Your Options
One way or another, getting emergency or back-up power to your business in the event of an outage has numerous options to consider. The task can seem daunting and expensive, but it's generally much more practical than you might expect.
Step #1 is always to assess your system and needs. What loads do I need to serve during a business interruption? What does it cost me to be out of power? What is the plan when the power does go out? Can I locate a generator on my property? How does a portable generator connect to my building?
Step #2 is where you'll need to engineer a solution including calculating the power required to run your business, designing the operating scheme and development of permitting and support materials.
Step #3 is the selection and installation. Not all solution providers have the skills and resources to accomplish what you'll need. Make sure you provider has experience, depth of capability and technical capability to provide you a system that does what was intended.
Don't Wait for a Hurricane
"Is there anything that you could have done to prevent this?"
If you're the person who'll be asked that question, putting off addressing this topic is just asking for trouble. As businesses become ever more sensitive to critical power issues, waiting until it's too late will continue to eat up more and more to your bottom line.
In today's competitive landscape, we see customers regularly challenging every expenditure and doubt your business is any different. But this is a case where without such an expenditure, you're simply out of business. Can you afford not to address this?
Protect What Matters
PowerHawke, Inc., headquartered in Farmington, Conn., has recently expanded its assessment, engineering and mitigation services to include these types of emergency power systems solutions in an effort to engage more customers in what it believes is an absolute must in today's era of critical power systems.
At PowerHawke, we are working proactively with customers to provide financially flexible yet technically prudent solutions to address all aspects of electric systems in their facilities. We'd love to talk to you more about the topic of emergency power and offer options so that you can be on your way to a plan to protect what matters.

Michael Balinskas is the general manager for PowerHawke, Inc., Farmington, Conn.