As South Africa’s power crisis deepens, it is even more important for homeowners and small businesses to do everything possible to limit the inconvenience and frustration of loadshedding.

One thing that we can be sure of, is that loadshedding will be part of our reality for the foreseeable future.

Legrand specialists confirm that although back-up systems are designed to save the day during power outages, many people are intimidated by alternative energy sources. Common concerns are which system to choose – an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system, a generator, an inverter, or a photovoltaic (PV) system? And who is out there to help people decide what’s best for them?

Other worries – on top of still having to pay the utility bill for electricity - are the costs of investing in an alternative power supply system, perceived operational and maintenance hassles, safety and environmental issues and the practical problem of where to install - what is perceived to be -unsightly, bulky equipment.

In a conversation with Legrand professionals, all these fears were clearly explained and ironed out. Firstly, in addressing the issue of which is the best UPS system to choose, the company’s specialists are on hand to help. And regarding the costs involved in purchasing a UPS system, Legrand manufactures various units to suit exact requirements. This equipment ranges from a simple UPS system for the home, to complex systems for big office blocks, hospitals, data centres and other commercial installations.

Designers have made sure that every Legrand UPS system is easy to operate and is not a safety or environmental hazard. When it comes to aesthetics, Legrand systems are compact and modern in design and do not detract from the ambience of any setting, particularly in a home environment.

Legrand’s UPS solutions for home offices allow computers, the internet server and other home office equipment to continue operating, even when the power goes out. Apart from allowing the user to keep working during loadshedding, the UPS system also prevents data loss and ensures there is no damage to equipment when the power unexpectedly goes off.

Other benefits of having a UPS, are being able to save changes to documents during a power failure, backing-up files and saving data to a hard drive or cloud storage system. A UPS system is also designed to protect computers and other electronic equipment from surges in electricity, as the power goes off and back on, by maintaining a steady flow of power to machines. There is no need to worry about power variances that could cause an interruption of power or a complete shutdown of the home office.

Legrand’s UPS systems provide a complete solution for the home environment during loadshedding. The range includes high-performance Keor single-phase (SP) UPS line interactive VI units, from 0.6 to 2 kVA and Keor Line RT devices, which are single-phase UPS line interactive VI-SS units, from 1 to 3 kVA.

The Legrand design team has incorporated the latest technologies into these new advanced UPS solutions. The new Legrand UPS concept boasts high efficiency and an intelligent battery charging system that extends its service life. In addition to significantly minimising UPS consumption and operating costs, these features contribute to reducing the environmental impact of battery disposal.

Legrand Keor single-phase (SP) units feature a three colour LED bar that provides monitoring of the UPS status, a mute button, an internal automatic voltage regulator (AVR) a USB port and international output sockets.

Characteristics of Keor Line RT devices include a single-phase UPS reversible rack/tower for power from 1 000 to 3 000 VA, a perfectly sinusoidal output waveform, VI line-interactive, a boost and buck AVR converter, control by microprocessor. A door is conveniently located at the front of the UPS, to ensure easy battery replacement.

Other features of the Keor Line RT range are an RS232 communication port, LAN / SNMP connectivity, LCD display, an integrated self-test function and advanced management of battery discharge. This system offers dependable protection against voltage peaks, overloads and short-circuits. There is also internet modem / LAN protection and the option of DC start-up.

Legrand has helped make it easy to overcome the problems of power failures. Apart from efficient solutions for the home office, Legrand also offers UPS systems with specific design characteristics for installations including offices, data centres, shopping centres (especially cash registers), hospitals, medical centres, and hotels. Other applications are in factories and warehouses, as well as airports, rail and ship transport.