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If all Uninterruptible Power Supplies sold in the United States in 2012 meet the ENERGY STAR requirements, the energy cost savings will grow to $471 million and prevent greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to the emissions from more than 636,000 vehicles.
Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS) provide emergency instantaneous power to critical devices – computers, data centers, and telecommunications equipment - in the event of a power failure through energy that is typically stored in a battery. A UPS supplies this power temporarily to allow for proper equipment shut down (e.g., computers) or standby power generator start up (e.g., at data centers). In addition, UPS are able to protect from input power problems such as power surges, voltage drops, and frequency distortions. ENERGY STAR certified UPS can cut energy losses by 30-55%. A 1000 kVA UPS used in a large data center could save $18,000 annually.
ENERGY STAR UPS covers from the small devices beneath your desk protecting your computer to 8-ton versions designed to temporarily provide a megawatt of power to large data centers.
UPS Topology Typically Referred To As: | Referred To In ENERGY STAR Specification As: | Typically Sized Up To: | Typically Used For: |
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Voltage and Frequency Dependent (VFD) | 1,500 VA | small offices, personal home computers and other less critical applications |
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Voltage Independent (VI) | 5,000 VA | small business, Web, and departmental servers |
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Voltage and Frequency Independent (VFI) | 1,000 kVA | data centers |
ENERGY STAR certified UPS can also offer multi-mode operation, whereby a more efficient VFD mode is used unless power conditions warrant that a more highly protective VFI mode is needed. Finally, modular UPS, which use changeable small modules (10 to 50 kVA) to adjust for growth as needed, reduce maintenance, and increase efficiency - UPS are more efficient at higher capacity.
Current Specification Effective Date: |
August 2012 |
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The choice of UPS is a complicated process and depends on a number of factors, including:
With many sizes and types of UPSs, a buyer must carefully examine each piece of critical equipment to be protected by the UPS -- taking into account the amount of power your combined equipment will draw and the time that this equipment needs to be supported – and work in an appropriate safety margin to accommodate growth. Several UPS manufacturers provide online guides for office equipment, server rooms and entire data centers. These guides allow you to enter your equipment types and receive recommendations for UPS sizing and type.
In addition, below are white papers that explore the different types of UPSs for data centers:
These are the top FAQs related to Uninterruptible Power Supplies and the ENERGY STAR program.