Engineering Question
What Is Emergency Power?
Emergency power is the legally required backup source that keeps life-safety and other designated loads operating when normal utility power is lost.
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Michael K. Frempong, PE, LEED AP
President & Principal Engineer, BEED Engineering
Michael K. Frempong is a professional engineer and LEED AP accredited professional with over 20 years of experience in consulting engineering. As President & Principal Engineer at BEED Engineering, he leads the firm’s MEP design and consulting work for laboratory, healthcare, industrial, data center, education, commercial, municipal, and other building projects throughout Florida.
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Emergency power is backup electricity for loads that must continue during a utility outage, especially life-safety systems such as egress lighting and fire alarm. It is usually provided by a generator and automatic transfer equipment, and it is designed to stricter rules than optional standby power. Not every generator installation is an emergency system.
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Emergency power versus standby power
Emergency power serves loads required for occupant safety when the normal source fails.
Standby power serves loads the owner wants to keep running for operations, product, or comfort.
Both may use a generator. The classification changes design, inspection, and what can share a feeder.
Typical emergency loads
- Egress and exit lighting
- Fire alarm
- Fire pumps where applicable
- Selected elevator operation
- Smoke-control equipment where required
How it is delivered
Most commercial buildings use:
- On-site generator
- Automatic transfer switch
- Separate emergency distribution
- Periodic testing
See power distribution for how this sits in the larger electrical system.
When to involve an engineer
Involve an engineer when adding a generator, changing occupancy, or discovering that a renovation affects life-safety lighting or fire alarm power. Hurricane exposure in Central Florida makes the load list a business decision as well as a code decision.
BEED designed uninterruptible power and an automatic transfer switch for the WFIT transmitter room expansion at Florida Tech so the transmitters could ride through a utility interruption.
Related BEED projects
All projects →Selected work that shows how BEED has applied this kind of engineering on real buildings.
Data Centers
Florida Institute of Technology
WFIT Transmitter Room Expansion
Melbourne, Florida
Mechanical + Electrical + Plumbing
MEP engineering for a 350-square-foot WFIT transmitter room expansion on the seventh floor of Roberts Hall at Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Florida.
View Project →BEED Engineering
Data Center
FPL Data Center
Daytona, Florida · Mechanical Engineering
Data Center
FPL Data Center
Daytona
Daytona, Florida
Mechanical Engineering
Mechanical engineering for an 8,000-square-foot data center in Daytona, Florida, with packaged HVAC, raised-floor air distribution, and FM-200 fire suppression.
View Project →Common Questions
Is a UPS emergency power?
A UPS can bridge a short outage or ride through transfer. It is not a substitute for a required emergency generator where the code requires one.
Can HVAC be on emergency power?
Selected HVAC may be on standby or legally required standby depending on occupancy. It should be listed deliberately, not added informally.
Filed under Electrical Engineering
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Related Questions
How Do Commercial Generators Work?
Commercial generators start on a utility outage, produce electricity, and feed selected building loads through automatic transfer switches.
What Is Electrical Power Distribution?
Electrical power distribution is the path from the utility service through switchgear and panels to the building’s lights, receptacles, and equipment.
What Is a Fire Alarm System?
A fire alarm system detects fire signatures, notifies occupants, and interfaces with other life-safety systems according to the building’s occupancy and code path.
Related BEED Services
Service
Emergency and Standby Power
Generator systems, transfer switches, and emergency power distribution for life safety and business continuity.
Service
Electrical Engineering
Power distribution, lighting, generators, fire alarm, and low-voltage systems for new construction and renovations.
Service
Fire Alarm Systems
Fire detection and alarm design coordinated with architectural, mechanical, and life-safety requirements.
Related Locations
Local Presence
BEED Engineering — Based in Palm Bay, Serving Florida
BEED Engineering is an MBE professional consulting engineering firm based in Palm Bay, Florida, providing mechanical, electrical, plumbing (MEP) design and consulting engineering services for commercial, institutional, healthcare, laboratory, industrial, and other facilities throughout Florida. BEED Engineering is a firm you can trust to get the job done.
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BEED Engineering defines emergency load lists and designs generator and transfer systems for Florida commercial buildings.