Emergency Preparedness

Your electric power supply and why you should be concerned

Planning for power disruptions plays an important part in the overall profitability of your business. For some firms, even seconds of downtime can cost hundreds ­- even thousands of dollars. For almost every business, extended downtime can lead to financial disaster.

It does not take a catastrophic disaster to bring down the power grid.  Power disruptions come in many forms and are not always predictable or preventable.  But taking a few precautions could save you a ton of headaches down the road.

Plan for Contingency Power

The rental of contingency power can keep a business of any size functioning and on schedule for as long as necessary when utility power is either unavailable or inadequate. Some companies own emergency standby power generators that run the bare essentials of a business.  They are set to come on in the event of a power outage and sustain lighting, a single elevator and maybe a cash register.  On the other hand, contingency power can keep your entire facility, office building, or hotel running at full capacity for the duration of the outage. As you maintain your operations and continue to serve customers during an outage you will most certainly be protecting your overall profitability and you will gain a competitive advantage should the power outage become severe or long lasting.

But How Do You Prepare?

There are basically three vital steps in determining an effective course for handling such occurrences.

1. 1. First determine how much power you need.  Find out exactly how much power it takes to operate the most vital functions of your business. Make a list and compare it with the other managers.  Prioritize things and add up the power requirements of each element.
   2. Look for a specialized power company to help.

If you need a rental generator, choose a local firm with a large number of generators at the ready.
If you plan to use your own standby generator, make sure it will function and deliver all of the power you need in an emergency.  A qualified generator maintenance contractor can test it and measure the power it generates.  They can also repair, service and maintain it.  By definition, standby generators are not used regularly.  And like anything with an engine, generators require maintenance to ensure they work as intended.
Take a look at the local power vendors. Choose one that you trust. Choose one that will be available 24/7. Choose one with factory trained generator technicians who can solve problems, and get your power restored quickly and efficiently. Look at the overall satisfaction of the vendor’s existing customers, staff size and training records for equipment specific to that in your facility.

1. Finally, work with the vendor to write an emergency power plan that shows what functions will be powered during the emergency. If you plan to use a rental generator, plan where the generator will be placed. Plan for cables and cable ramps.  Arrange for delivery of additional fuel.

CD & Power is Northern California’s largest independent generator service company. With more than 20 fully equipped generator technicians, CD & Power services, maintains and repairs all makes and all models of generators, automatic transfer switches, and industrial diesel equipment. The rental generator fleet of 100 trailer-mounted CARB-compliant generators ranges in size from 10 kw to 1 megawatt. The company offers 24/7 emergency service and on-site fueling delivered to you when you need it.

California State Contractor’s License #757462 A, C-10
Established in 1985
Certified Woman Owned Business

For more information, contact the local office of CD & Power.
Headquarters, Martinez, California        925.229.2700
Sacramento        916.564.2622