Deploying high-efficiency mode uninterruptible power supply systems (UPSs) can dramatically improve power efficiency for companies looking to save money and shrink their environmental impact. Yielding savings significant enough to produce a 100% return on investment (ROI) in as little as two years, these innovative UPSs can provide significant financial benefits to data center operators.

The newest double-conversion UPSs are often more than 93% efficient when fully loaded and can deliver as little as 86% to 89% efficiency at the lighter loads commonly encountered in data centers. In contrast, high-efficiency mode UPSs are up to 99% efficient when running in energy-saver mode and maintain this high efficiency even at light loads. That seemingly small difference can quickly add up to significant savings.

Table 1 reveals the magnitude of those savings by comparing annual energy costs under identical conditions for both a legacy UPS and a modern high-efficiency mode UPS. As shown in Table 1, increasing efficiency from 93% to 99% reduces UPS power losses from 25.2 kW to just 3.6 kW, which in turn lowers energy spending by over $31,000 per year.

While the price-tag of high-efficiency mode UPSs vary, these savings deliver 100% return on investment within two to three years in most cases. Possible utility incentives for energy-efficient power systems in the data center reduce the capital cost of the UPS and improve the ROI payback period.

Furthermore, the high-efficiency mode UPS’s improved efficiency produces significant environmental benefits, as shown in Table 2.

In short, using modern high-efficiency mode UPSs instead of constant double-conversion devices both lowers operating costs and strengthens environmental sustainability.

To learn more about the benefits of high efficiency mode UPSs, register for an exclusive Mission Critical webinar on March 31 hosted by Eaton Product Manager Ed Spears. Click here to register.