Backup Power Planning
Planning which loads keep running, for how long, and with what backup.
Backup power planning decides how a hospital keeps critical services powered when the main supply fails. It classifies loads by continuity need, defines how long each zone must be sustained and how quickly power must be restored, and selects the backup architecture - generator, uninterruptible supply or on-site storage - that meets those expectations. It plans the generator and battery rooms, fuel and ventilation, and how backup power is coordinated with electrical distribution and the broader MEP design, so continuity is engineered rather than improvised.
What this service covers
- Critical load classification by continuity need
- Backup duration and restoration expectations per zone
- Generator and uninterruptible power architecture definition
- Backup capacity and fuel or storage planning inputs
- Generator and battery room planning inputs
- Essential circuit strategy and segregation from normal loads
- Coordination of backup with electrical distribution and MEP
- Space, ventilation and structural requirements for backup plant
- Phased backup provision across construction and handover
- Documented backup power plan
Our process
- Confirm the load inventory and continuity expectations
- Classify essential, critical and normal loads
- Define the backup architecture and duration strategy
- Plan the backup plant and its building requirements
- Coordinate with electrical, MEP and phasing
- Document the backup power plan
Frequently asked questions
What does backup power planning include?
Classifying essential loads, defining continuity duration and restoration expectations, choosing the backup architecture and planning the plant spaces and coordination.
When is it needed?
During planning and design, when electrical distribution and MEP are being coordinated, so backup space and capacity are locked in early.
What information is required?
The equipment and load inventory, clinical continuity expectations, the available utility supply and the project programme.
What are the deliverables?
A backup power plan with load classification, architecture, plant requirements and coordination notes.
How is it different from electrical systems planning?
Electrical systems planning engineers the whole distribution system; backup power planning defines the continuity framework - what stays powered and for how long - that the electrical design then delivers.