Medical facilities consume a lot of energy. The Annual reports of the Commercial Building Energy Consumption Survey indicates that hospitals occupy less than 1% of the infrastructure but they consume — on average — 4.3% of the total delivered energy to the country (the US).

That said, here’s what you have to know about power outages in hospitals. In this guide, you will learn why power outages shouldn’t occur at hospitals and the requirements of backup generators at medical facilities. Plus, you will also find the best hospital backup generator. .

What happens when the doctor's office goes out of power?

Well, a lot. The hospitals are ‘exempt at planning power outages,’ but they have to learn a lot to ensure quality power during these times, states the Red Cross. As asserted, the hell could break loose when the power outage occurs; these are the prominent reasons why power outages at hospitals shouldn’t happen.

• First and foremost, surgeons couldn’t work in the dark. Working in the gloom has its own demerits. But a surgeon needs focus and attention to perform operations. And that wouldn’t be possible in the dark. Yes, there are examples of doctors performing surgeries with smartphone flashlights — but it isn’t the ideal condition to do the job.
• The second and most prominent is that the necessary machines will be out of power or malfunction. The electronic equipment at the hospitals couldn’t restart ordinarily with the help of generators. Or, they might not receive enough power to run the machines at their normal state.
• Another thing to consider is patient confidence. We all know that the medical marvels of the patients where they have come of untreatable conditions because of spirit and belief in modern medicine. But that would soon dwindle without power, at least subconsciously.

The requirements for hospital backup generators

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Life Safety Code puts out the requirements of hospitals when it comes to backup generators. Out of the many standards and laws that NFPA discusses, one if the requirements for the patients on life-support systems. When it comes to the backup generators, the requirements are:

• Maintaining and test the circuitry at regular intervals
• Maintaining the batteries
• Performing regular testing of the batteries and backup generators
• Hiring and training qualified personnel to repair and maintain generators

How to choose backup generators for hospital ?

Well, there are two prominent types of generators for the hospitals or for any purpose. The well-known and widely used are the fuel generators. And the lesser-known but coming-of-the-age are battery-powered generators.

Since more and more hospitals are tending towards battery-powered backup generators, we will be looking at them specifically. The question that stands is how to choose battery-powered battery generators for hospitals. Well, here’s how:

1. Capacity

The first thing to look for is the capacity that the battery-powered generators are capable of rendering during the outage.

For an Average-sized hospital, 1250-kilowatt backup generators are required for the redundancies and make sure they are able to run the pieces of equipment during an outage.

But the requirements of different medical facilities might differ. For instance, clinics, specialty hospitals, and general hospitals all differ in their individual requirements.

The best way to choose the backup generator for your hospital is to calculate the basic requirements based on: power source, the consumption, and how long the consumption will last.

2. Weight and Size

Another critical thing to ask is the weight and size of the hospital backup generators.

In more significant facilities, spaces — or backup generators for that matter — are not an issue as they have all things planned out beforehand.

But that is not the case at the small hospitals.

Depending on their needs, they might not require an installation that costs a fortune.

For instance, their requirement might be fulfilled by a smaller one.

But it is essential to consider the weight and size of the backup generator, given that they might have difficulty at carrying it (if looking for a portable one) around or may not have adequate space in the hospital to install a large-size battery-powered backup generator.  

3. Expandability

Another critical factor is expandability. Again, it depends on the individual’s needs. Some hospitals need not run several things during an outage.

But for most, it is critical to power multiple devices at once. So, check the portability of the backup generator.

4. It can be used indoors

the best thing about a battery-powered backup generator is they could be run inside the facility, as they do not emit any harmful gases as the fuel-powered backup generators do.

AC200MAX: An ideal device for hospital backup generator 

The world is not short of backup generators. But all of them out there do not meet the requirements critical to medical institutions. So, it is vital to choose only the best ones for the places where power could mean life or death. And that is why we recommend: BLUETTI’s AC200MAX. Here’s what you have to know about BLUETTI’s this marvel:

BLUETTI AC200MAX POWER STATION

BLUETTI AC200MAX — flexible from 2048WH to 8192WH — comes with LFP Battery with life cycles 3500+ to 80%. The setup is expandable with up to two battery modules and can give up to 6,144Wh with 2×B230’s or 8,192Wh with 2×B300’s. It is 900W of solar input rate and 500W of adapter input, giving a total of 1400W.

All in all, it is the best battery backup generator for hospitals needing a backup power plan.

Aside from meeting the power generators, BLUETTI’s AC200MAX is also distinguished when it comes to controls and running pieces of equipment using it.

It has a Smart Control App and Monitor that could be managed by reading the user manual.

Moreover, the device is small and renders much-needed portability during outages.

And since it is a battery-powered generator, you could install the device inside the hospital, as it does not emit any harmful gases like the fuel-generators.

How to charge hospital backup generators?

The best thing about battery-powered backup generators is they offer various ways of recharging them. Backup storage batteries utilize either lead-acid or Lithium-Iron Phosphate for recharging. Some ways to charge them are:

1. Solar Panel

You could utilize Solar Panels to charge the device during the day and run the devices using them during an outage. Configuring and setting up Solar Panels is not a hard task to master. And anyone could do it with ease. Moreover, most battery-powered backup generators like BLUETTI’s AC200MAX come with solar panels (for additional costs), so this option is one of the best.

2. Electricity

Another option to charge the battery-powered backup generators is AC outlets. The BLUETTI’s AC200MAX also has an option for this. So, in case you have to charge the batteries on a rainy day — this is the best backup generator for you.

3. Fuel-powered Generator

Does your facility already has a fuel-powered generator? Well, you could utilize a fuel-powered generator to charge the battery-powered backup generators like BLUETTI’s ACMAX200.

4. Car charging

There might be times when all hell breaks loose like a natural disaster. And that is where battery-powered backup generators come into play. They could also be charged using the batteries in automobiles.  

FAQ:

1. Do hospitals need backup generators?

Yes. Not only it is critical to saving patients' life, but it is also illegal to not have a backup generator at the facility as per the guidelines of NFPA.

2. What would happen if a hospital lost power?

As specified, a lot. Medical equipment, operations, patients’ confidence all dwindle. Moreover, it is also critical to note that the reputation of the hospital will also be affected if causes suffering to the patients admitted to the facility. 

3. What are the pros of portable battery generators?

For one, they are portable. So, you could easily move them around. And given that the needs might differ — this will be extremely useful in saving one's life.

Conclusion

Out of the many critical industries in the world, health care is the most prominent one. In the hospital, emergency power plans are a matter of life or death.

Hospitals abhor the term ‘power outage’ and for a reason: they shouldn’t occur in the first place. Yes, they have redundancies like transfer switches that immediately signal the generators to provide power if an outage happens.

Still, in most hospitals — especially the smaller ones — the influential concern is the loss of backup generators. The reason: they do not have generators that could last enough to run the entire facility for long.