Savings through UPS repowering
More energy-efficient UPS systems can save energy and money. But how much energy and money are we actually talking about?
We do the math...
Higher energy efficiency = lower costs
Everyone is talking about the energy transition. More and more electricity is being generated from renewable energies, and conventional power plants are to be gradually shut down. But can weather-dependent renewable energies completely cover the rising demand for electricity due to economic growth and electrification? Only time will tell.
What is unavoidable, however, is the associated rise in electricity prices. This makes energy-efficient systems all the more important, as they save energy and therefore money.
But what exactly does that mean? How much energy and money are we actually talking about?
We would like to illustrate this with an example.
UPS repowering using an example
Assume an old UPS system with a rated power of 300kVA and an output active power of 100kW has an efficiency of 92.5% and is to be replaced by a new, more energy-efficient UPS system.
The new UPS system with a rated output of 200kVA (150kVA n+1) and an output power of 100kW also has an efficiency of 97%.
Energy saving
Assuming a CoP (Coefficient of Performance) of 0.25 for cooling the power loss, this results in a year (24 hours x 365 days = 8,760 hours):
Old UPS system: 8,760h x (8.1kW + 25%) = 88,695kWh
New UPS system: 8,760h x (3.1kW + 25%) = 33,945kWh
This results in energy savings of 54,750kWh per year and therefore savings of over 60%.
According to the Federal Statistical Office, the average electricity consumption per household in Germany in 2016 was 3,135 kWh. With this assumption, our example shows that the energy saved by replacing a single UPS system could supply 17.4 households!
Just imagine how many households could be supplied by the total savings if all the old UPS systems were replaced with new, more energy-efficient ones...
Cost savings
Assuming electricity costs of €0.15/kWh, excluding maintenance costs and electricity price increases, this results in the following annual costs:
Old UPS system: 88,695kWh x 0.15€/kWh = 13,304€
New UPS system: 33,945kWh x 0.15€/kWh = 5,092€
This corresponds to a cost saving of €8,212 per year!
Amortization
Assuming investment costs of €40,000 for the new UPS system, it will have paid for itself in around 5 years:
Promotion through politics
Politicians have also recognized this savings potential and are promoting the replacement of old UPS systems in data centers with up to 30%.
Find out more about the STEP up!" funding program of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy:
Save money with UPS systems from Wöhrle
Our highly efficient UPS systems with efficiencies of up to 97% in online mode and over 99% in ECO mode are therefore ideal - for your cost savings, but also to support our environment.