STANDBY POWER DIESEL GENERATORS
For rural hotels it is prudent to maintain a larger supply of fuel on site, particularly those in danger of being cut off in bad weather
Tailored solutions It’s this kind of nightmare scenario that standby power installations are designed to avoid. A diesel generator works in combination with a control system to ensure that the power source is automatically switched across from mains to standby in the event of an outage. This enables the hotel to continue to operate on a business- as-usual footing until the mains power is restored. However, a number of design and specification criteria must be factored into the standby solution, depending on the size, location and power consumption of the hotel. The most appropriate specification for a
hotel installation is a standard auto mains failure (AMF) system that replicates the mains power provision and backs up all the energy requirements of the hotel. In this way, the hotel is able to operate all its business-critical systems and the guests notice no change to normal hotel services. In order to specify such a system, it is necessary to know how much power the hotel uses, and this should be assessed as a maximum requirement to cover all eventualities. It will vary, depending on a hotel’s size, facilities and location. Location is also an important factor in determining what noise attenuation will be required as part of specification. Effective noise attenuation prevents nuisance noise to guests and neighbours, and the proximity
26 CIBSE Journal October 2012
of the generator to the hotel will affect the level of attenuation required. It’s important to note that, even if the need to switch to standby is occasional or non-existent, the generator will have regular test runs as part of a maintenance regime. For rural hotels or those with large grounds, the generator is usually positioned with the existing plant on the periphery of the estate. For city hotels, however, the generator will need to be positioned on the roof or in the basement, so logistical considerations and the roof’s load-bearing capabilities will need to be factored into the specification. These considerations should also include the fuel tank, which is heavy and bulky. To an extent, the required capacity of the fuel tank will depend on the hotel size, but it’s also important to take account of the ease of refuelling. For city hotels, acquiring additional fuel should normally present no difficulty, but for rural hotels – particularly those in danger of being cut off in bad weather – it is prudent to maintain a larger supply of fuel on site.
Risk mitigation For hotels, just as with any other sector, a standby power installation is an insurance that may never be used. But insurance exists to mitigate risk and, as the risks of power outages rise in the sector, so too does the requirement to put standby power in place.
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