How By-Appointment Healthcare Businesses Can Avoid Power Outages

If you own or manage a “by appointment” healthcare business, like an orthopedic and rehab clinic, dental, chiropractic, podiatry, dermatology, optician office or similar non-urgent patient care businesses, you must find a way to stay open and operating during a power outage. Here’s why. Not only do outages cause disruptions in patient treatment and recovery timelines but outages can impact your bottom line. 

Without electricity your lights will go out, your equipment will shut down and your computers and phones will stop working. It also means new appointments can’t be made, cancelled appointments can’t be rescheduled and insurance forms can’t be processed. Whether caused by harsh weather, mandated rolling black or brown-outs or an unreliable grid — the impact of power outages can cause tremendous strain, especially when the average length of a power outage is more than five hours nationally. 

Yet, it’s possible to avoid a long-term outage with practical, affordable and easy to install back-up energy sources. Standby generators and battery storage systems are two potential power solutions to consider. Here’s what they are and how they work.

Standby Generators — These are always placed outside and usually positioned behind the building or in another area that’s away from entry walkways. They are permanently installed, typically on a concrete slab at least five feet away from windows, doors and fresh air in-takes. Clearance around the generator should be 36 inches, including shrubs, trees and other vegetation and clearance above the unit should be a minimum of 48 inches from any structure, overhang or projections from the wall. 

Standby generators must be professionally installed and connected to a fuel source with natural gas being the most common but liquid propane or diesel are also options. Once connected, the generator will run as long as there is fuel. The other installation element is connecting it to the business’ electrical panel, which is done through an automatic transfer switch (ATS). The ATS monitors the utility line, instantly recognizes when power is lost and automatically starts the generator within seconds so there will be no noticeable power disruption. When the utility power returns, the ATS will switch the generator off. 

The generator conducts an automatic weekly self-test so it’s always ready to kick in whenever the next outage occurs. What size generator your business needs will depend on how much equipment you want to keep running and which rooms in the building you want to keep lit and functioning. Working with the installer, you can determine how the back-up power is distributed. 

Battery Storage Systems — Batteries collect and store energy that can be tapped when it’s needed. They do need a charging source so they can store energy and automatically kick in when the power goes out or whenever power is needed. Batteries can collect power from solar panels, a standby generator or the utility. Any one of those (or a combination of them) can recharge a battery. 

Business owners often use the energy created from solar power panels as it is generated to save on monthly electric bills. But, when a battery is paired with solar, it can store the excess power for use when needed during a power outage. Like a standby generator, battery storage systems come online automatically when there is an outage. In fact, the power interruption may be hard to detect since the switchover is almost instantaneous. Plus, batteries are silent so there is no additional noise that will distract patients during their care. And there are additional savings with batteries. They can be used to store power from the grid when it’s less expensive (typically during the day) and then discharge the energy during the evening when utilities often charge more. Batteries can also be recharged with a standby generator that comes on whenever power is needed.

If batteries or a standby generator are in place at the time of a power outage, they will activate immediately. Just as important, back-up energy systems can be programmed to keep the heat on, which is critical to prevent freezing pipes from bursting and causing devastating water damage throughout your healthcare facility destroying equipment, furniture, flooring and more. 

With federal and state tax incentives, along with credits issued by local utility companies, the investment in back-up energy solutions by independent healthcare outpatient businesses is a worthwhile one. The time is now!