Are You Prepared If Disaster Hits? Developing Your Emergency Backup Power Plan

We often take for granted that electricity from the power grid will always be there — until a sudden power outage occurs. Storms or other natural or man-made causes can create an outage that lasts a few minutes, several hours or much longer.

If you’re a business owner, even a brief power interruption can have devastating consequences. The inability to conduct transactions can lead to a substantial income loss for your company or organization. A lack of electricity may also pose a safety hazard for your employees and customers.
Is your Southeast Texas business equipped to deal with a power loss? If you haven’t developed a comprehensive emergency backup power plan, you could be left unprepared during an outage. The proximity to the Gulf of Mexico increases the region’s vulnerability to severe weather events that could knock out the electrical supply for days.

Emergency Backup Power Planning Essentials

We’ve put together the following guide to help you create a reliable commercial power backup plan for your organization. Here are examples of the power generation equipment and other considerations that should be part of your planning process:

• Generators: Standby generators are vital components in any business power backup plan. They activate automatically and almost immediately when an outage occurs, providing a continuous supply of electricity. Standby generators are available in multiple sizes, configurations and a variety of fuel sources such as diesel and natural gas.
• ATS: How does the power move from your facility’s primary source of electricity to the standby generator? When an outage occurs, an automatic transfer switch (ATS) breaks the connection with the utility and transfers essential load connections to the generator. This process enables the latter to operate and begin to supply electrical power.
• UPS: Data centers and other businesses that rely heavily on computers and sensitive telecommunications equipment should consider installing an uninterruptible power supply. The UPS delivers emergency power to a load whenever the main power source fails. Models are available in various sizes to protect everything from single devices to entire facilities.
• System and component testing: Since standby generators and other power system components don’t receive frequent use, timely maintenance and testing are essential to ensure they function correctly when needed. Your business power backup plan should include routine load bank testing to assess the performance of the generator and UPS under load conditions and routine preventative maintenance at regularly scheduled intervals.
• Fuel management: While standby generators will keep the electricity flowing, they could run out of fuel during an extended outage. Your emergency backup power planning should consider steps for locating and acquiring more natural gas if the lines are down or extra diesel fuel if delivery trucks can’t reach your facility to refill your tanks.

How Mustang Cat Can Assist With Emergency Backup Power Planning

At Mustang Cat, we specialize in high-quality power generation solutions from Caterpillar® that will serve as a reliable source of electricity for your Southeast Texas business. We carry Cat® diesel and gas standby generators in multiple sizes, configurations and output capacities to meet any power requirement. Towable generators are also available to provide electricity at remote job sites and other locations where grid power is unavailable.

We also carry all the support equipment you need to design and implement a fully integrated power system at your facility. You’ll find an assortment of ATS and UPS options as well as switchgear and paralleling controls for efficient system management.

At Mustang Cat, we’ve been providing reliable, cost-effective heavy equipment solutions to businesses in Houston and the surrounding areas since 1952. Count on our experience and expertise to help you design and implement a power system that meets the requirements of your commercial power backup plan. We can also help with routine maintenance and testing to ensure you’ll have electrical power when you need it.

Contact Us to Learn More About Emergency Power Equipment

Houston-based Mustang Cat is here to assist your Southeast Texas company with its power needs. We offer a wide range of commercial power system solutions that won’t leave your business in the dark when disaster strikes.

If you’re ready to start crafting a commercial power backup plan for your business, get in touch with Mustang Cat to discuss your equipment and other preparation requirements. Give us a call at 800.256.1001 today or contact us online to request additional information and a no-obligation quote.