Electricity is essential to businesses, and power outages may be catastrophic. Maintaining operations and preventing financial losses require the use of a backup generator. Getting the appropriate generator size is important. There are certain things to keep in mind while choosing the right generator for your business.
What is one small yet powerful factor that affects a business? Electricity! Power!
Every business nowadays relies on electricity. Power outages are something unavoidable. There can be many reasons that can cause a power outage, and you have to bear it. At home, a power outage is highly inconvenient. At work, however, a power outage can prove disastrous. Losing power at your facility can cause financial pain to your pockets. It can make it impossible to meet your contractual obligations.
If you’re like most business owners, you can’t afford to go a moment without power. For this reason, a backup generator is an essential investment for many enterprises. If you’re looking for a generator, it’s important to choose the right workhorse for the job. To choose the right equipment, you’ll need to figure out commercial generator sizing.
For an official commercial generator sizing calculator, read on.
Table of Contents
Why Choosing the Right Generator Is Essential?
In California, the utility company has instituted rolling blackouts for millions of customers. The utility company uses this measure to prevent the spread of ongoing wildfires.
In the news, there are many articles about how rolling blackouts affect residents. However, the blackouts also heavily impact businesses.
Across the United States, power outages cost businesses around $150 billion each year.. On average, a four-hour blackout can cost the typical company $10,000 to $20,000 in losses. Meanwhile, a three-day outage can cost the average business $50,000 or more.
A power outage can happen for a range of reasons. For example, a power outage might occur because of a natural disaster, equipment failure, or a failure of the local power grid.
When you lose power, you can lose data and income. Even worse, you can lose customers.
When the power goes out, you can’t deliver services as promised. In many cases, your customers or clients may look elsewhere. When this happens, they may end up sticking with that new provider.
A power failure can also affect your company’s reputation. After experiencing a power outage, you may have to invest significant time and money into rebuilding your company brand.
Even if you don’t rely heavily on electricity, you should prepare for the unexpected. For this reason, savvy business owners develop a disaster recovery plan. This kind of plan covers what you’ll do when the power goes out, including having a backup generator and fuel on hand.
Effects of Large or Small Generators on Your Facility
Choosing a commercial generator of the right size is important for many reasons. Here are a few disadvantages of not choosing the right generator size.
| Too Large Generators May Cause | Too Small Generators May Cause |
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Taking the Full-Load Measurement
A commercial backup generator is a large, heavy-duty stationary system. Many businesses use diesel fuel backup generators.
These units operate in single-phase and triple-phase power. More importantly, they can generate a massive amount of electricity when you need it the most.
Many businesses choose a backup generator with an automatic transfer switch. This feature enables the power to kick in immediately if the electricity fails. This kind of preparedness can save your business in an emergency.
Before you can choose a generator, however, you need to estimate the full-load capacity of your business so that you can select the right unit. When sizing a generator for commercial use, you can take full-load current measurements at the service panel during peak usage. If you’re not trained in working with electricity, however, it’s important to hire a professional for the task.
The Commercial Generator Sizing Calculator Formula
To take the full-load measurement, you’d clamp an ammeter to each leg of your electrical service. Next, you’d add all your measurements. This total will provide you with the full number of amps used by your facility.
For three-phase current, you divide the total amps by three. For single-phase current, you’d divide the total amps by two.
Next, you’d multiply the results by the supply voltage. Then, you can multiply that amount by 1,000 to provide you with the kilowatts you’ll need for your generator.
Now, you can add in the kilowatts you need for all of your emergency systems. The formulas to calculate your power supply needs are as follows:
| Full-load kilowatts= total amps supply voltage1000 |
| Reverse capacity = full-load kilowatts 0.25 |
| For full power, generator size= full-load kilowatts + reserve capacity |
You can also calculate commercial standby generator sizing by assessing your usage history. Your utility company billing system can help you to identify your maximum power usage. Using your utility company bill, you’d review the highest peak demand and add 25% for reserve capacity.
A Couple of Sizing Tips
There are also a couple of other methods you can use for sizing a commercial generator. For instance, you can review the manufacturer’s tags on all the equipment in your facility.
You can use this information to figure out the load capacity for every motor that you use. For this part of your research, you need to find a starting current of the largest engine that turns on and off at your facility. You’d then multiply that starting current by the voltage to figure out the watts you’d require.
For all other loads—motor and nonmotor—multiply the current for the watts. Now, add the watts you need for the largest motor and all of the remaining loads.
Next, multiply that total by 1,000 to find the kilowatts required for your generator. Now, add 25% to the results to account for surge capacity.
You can also use the square foot measurement method for commercial back up generator sizing. Most often, retail business owners use this method.
For instance, you might use this method if you own a grocery store, convenience store, or restaurant. The calculation is relatively straightforward:
| Retail applications: 50kW+10W per square feet |
| Commercial applications: 50kW+5W per square feet |
If you have trouble making the calculations, a good generator supplier will gladly help you figure out your needs.
Sizing Up Your Options
In addition to your power requirements, there are a few other things that you should consider. For instance, you want to think about the kind of fuel that you use.
Most companies use diesel fuel or natural gas. Diesel fuel is more reliable and provides the most power. However, natural gas generators are more affordable and operate more cleanly.
You also need to figure out the right location for your generator. A backup generator can make a lot of noise. Resultantly, you’ll need to think about how its operation will affect your business.
Choosing a Commercial Generator Supplier
Now that you’ve reviewed the commercial generator sizing calculator, you need a great equipment supplier.
Your generator will need fuel and proper handling. It will also need ongoing maintenance. Accordingly, it’s a good idea to choose a trustworthy supplier who can also perform maintenance.
Swift Equipment is your one-stop solution for new and refurbished commercial equipment sales and service. Contact one of our experts today at (866) 571-0044 or connect with us online to learn how we can help you meet your commercial equipment needs swiftly.
Common Questions on Commercial Generator Sizing
Q1. How to calculate the size of the generator needed?
To calculate the amount of generator power you need, add the total running watts of every device you would like to operate at the same time to the maximum single beginning wattage. A generator that can produce that much power without drawing all of its watts is what you need.
Q2. Which generator is best for a business setting?
Three-phase generators are commonly used in commercial applications since they can handle larger electrical requirements. They are commonly used in manufacturing facilities, farming, and other industrial purposes. If you have to operate three-phase devices, you will require a three-phase generator that is compatible.
Q3. What does power factor mean?
The power factor is the ratio of real power to total power, and your generator performs optimally when it is between 90% and 100%.
Q4. Are generators 100% efficient?
An electric motor is never 100% efficient in practice. There will be energy lost through heat, noise, and the generation of byproducts such as carbon dioxide. For example, a generator is 70% efficient if it produces 700 watts out of 1000 watts.
Q5. What is the efficiency of a commercial generator?
Generators are chosen and installed according to the power needs of every site. During continuous use, a generator should preferably be operated at 80% of its capacity. It can be used with 100% efficiency during an emergency.
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