What is "Power Quality" Is it Just Surge Protection and Backup Power?
At Mills, we're often asked how to make technology systems more reliable. ?For sure, having a qualified firm design and install the system using quality equipment is paramount.? But, we also?emphasize two specific strategies:?
When we think of power issues, power outages often come to mind first. Generators or battery backups are common solutions in the event of an outage. Similarly, electrical surges—sudden spikes in voltage and current—can be mitigated with surge suppressors. ? These are often used to protect key equipment in the main AV rack, at electrical devices like televisions, and sometimes even protecting electrical circuits.??
But power quality encompasses more than just these two issues; several other types of power anomalies can cause harm to any device with a processor.?
?Among the most common power quality issues are overvoltage and undervoltage. Most electronics require a stable voltage to function efficiently. Variations beyond the acceptable range, can lead to operational problems for devices. ?Many of us assume that we’re always getting 120 Volts of electricity from the power company, but the reality is that they are only legally required to provide somewhere between 108V and 132V. ?On summer days with lots of air conditioners turning on, this may be even worse!?
Frequency variation is another concern. The “power wave” is supposed to go up and down 60 times a second.? There are times when this is higher or lower from the utility company.? This is an even bigger issue for those who have backup generators .? As well as generators are made, they rarely can maintain that exact frequency.? That may be fine for lights, but is not ok for sensitive electronics – including smart appliances.? Frequency variation may come from other devices as well, such as the Tesla Powerwall , which intentionally generates a 66Hz wave when it senses power has been lost from the utility, as an internal way of signaling other parts of its system.? These can all cause electronics to fail – such as lighting control systems.?
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Moreover, there's often a delay between power loss and generator activation, leaving a critical gap where processors may lose power. Even when generators come online, the quality of their power may not be suitable for sensitive electronics.??So what kind of electronics equipment has a processor and may be sensitive to power quality issues?? Many of the devices we install at Mills! Among the most important are control system processors, lighting/shade system processors, and data and WiFi systems.? But nearly every other device we install – televisions, music players, cameras, streaming boxes, cable boxes – all have processors.? And it’s not just products that we install.? Security systems.? Computers.? Smart appliances – refrigerators, ovens, dishwashers.? Heating and cooling systems.? All of these devices can “lock up” when the power they are fed is outside of normal. And even if they don’t lock up, poor power can lead to a shortened life for some of this very expensive equipment.? ?
How to Invest in Power Quality for Your Home / Business
To address these concerns, we offer three tiers of solutions:
Tier 1: At an absolute minimum, non-sensitive electronics should have robust surge protection. Many of the surge devices that Mills recommends are non-sacrificial, meaning the system doesn’t stop working when a surge is interrupted. Tier 2: Double conversion uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) for critical equipment, or even entire circuits with technology, with surge protection preceding this.?
Tier 3: Whole-home or majority-of-home UPS and battery systems for local storage. In these systems, the building may be getting power from a variety of sources – electrical utility, solar, etc. – is storing it in batteries, and then is providing clean power to everything in the home or office. ????
Investing in power quality not only ensures the reliability of your technology systems but also prolongs the life of your valuable equipment. By understanding and addressing various power quality issues, you can safeguard your investments and maintain uninterrupted operations.