There are differences between Online and Offline UPS Systems – the big question is – what are they and what are the biggest challenges and advantages that we could face by incorporating these devices to keep our electric up and running all the time. The power utility, Eskom, is constantly in the news and is obviously facing huge challenges to keep our lights switched on, but for most of us running homes and businesses, not having power could prove to be a huge issue. 

Investing in devices to protect our devices and keeping on the lights takes a little bit of creativity, and investigating the options could prove to be the solutions for many of us faced with a future with erratic power that could cause damage to our sensitive equipment whether this means blowing your TV and PC or simply keeping that necessary fan or stove up and running. 

Most of us are aware that there are two different types of UPS Systems (Uninterruptible Power Supply Systems); these include Online and Offline UPS Systems. 

The commonality between the two, is, naturally, to provide a reliable backup of power when the lights go out or when they dip or hike.  

Online UPS Explained 

• Your Online UPS System is different to the Offline system in that the power is derived directly from power–conditioning components 
• Your Online UPS System is not directly connected to the power utility 
• The power is stored in a battery so that when the power goes off power is drawn from the battery 
• This power is then converted into AC power to continue the operation of household and other electrical devices 

• Online UPS is Double Conversion UPS 
• The main applications for the use of your Online UPS system will usually be in critical care environments and production houses where the continuation of power is vital
  

Online UPS advantages

• Online UPS can regulate the voltage correctly 
• The mains and load are presented separately 
• There are no fluctuations (dips and surges) in the voltage, which means that the quality of the voltage is stable 
• The reason for this is that the inverter is always switched into the “on” position 
• The conversion time from DC to AC is negligible (the same reason being that the inverter is never switched off) 

• When the utility power goes down there will be a continuation of power and no imbalances will be noted 

Offline UPS Explained 

• Your Offline UPS System is a straightforward, inexpensive option to keep the power on and is directed through the UPS bypassing the inverter to the device. 
• There is a small amount of filter to protect against instability. 
• If the utility is unstable or goes down your Offline UPS System will switch to the inverter’s output to provide constant and a continuous power supply 

Offline UPS Advantages 

• Your Offline UPS System is user-friendly and straightforward to operate 
• Offline UPS is less expensive than the Online UPS option
  

Advantages of offline UPS 

1. The efficiency of this system is high. This is because the charger is not constantly on.
2. These are affordably priced.
3. The internal controller is simpler.
4. The power handling capacity of the charger is greatly decreased.
5. Applications using offline UPS include emergency power supplies, printers, computers, EPABX, scanners, etc.

Often households opt for offline UPS systems than their online counterparts because of the higher energy efficiency and economical nature of the former. However, households that use highly critical loads should opt for the latter so that sensitive electrical appliances and data are protected. 

Those who are looking to buy UPS, either online or offline systems, are invited to make their purchases from Glowship, India’s largest online platform selling home utility solutions. We offer wide selection of top products from the reputed brands at the best possible prices. There are also a lot of other products like water pumps, solar solutions, LED lights, dewatering pumps, water softeners, water heaters, water purifiers, inverters, batteries, security solutions, and many more available with us.

Lower Cost Offline UPS generally, when on inverter/battery backup, provide a square/pseudo sine wave output waveform. Given the nature in which switch-mode power supplies used in modern computer/office systems draw power this type of output power waveform is usually more than adequate. In situations where a square/pseudo sine output waveform is not acceptable then true sine wave more expensive Offline or Online UPS are recommended.

Online UPS’s take the incoming AC mains supply and convert it to DC which feeds the battery and the load via the inverter. If the mains supply fails, then the batteries feed the load via the inverter with no interruption to the output supply at all. An Online system, by nature of the dual conversion design (AC-DC/DC-AC), ensures a far higher degree of isolation of the load from the irregularities on the mains supply. In general, Plug N Play Online systems are more expensive than similar Offline solutions because the inverter has to be rated for continuous operation. 

An inverter and a UPS system both supply backup power to electrical devices; however, the primary difference between the two is that the UPS from the main supply to the battery is instantaneous, whereas the supply of power from the inverter to electrical devices will take a few seconds before the power will kick in.

Inverter

Your inverter will convert your DC power into AC power during unstable power situations. Power from an inverter is stored inside a battery. Depending on the configuration of the circuit and the design of the inverter, the output will put out pulse sine waves, sine waves or square waves.

UPS

UPS protects sensitive electrical devices from hikes and dips. The UPS converts AC power to DC power through a rectifier and converts the DC power into AC power through an inverter. Power is instantaneous.

Ten differences between an inverter and an Online UPS System

• The Inverter will convert AC power into DC power. An Online UPS uses a rectifier to provide the backup power to an electrical device which is instantaneous
• Inverters delay the conversion of power by a couple of seconds which means that the power is not instantaneous
• A UPS System is connected directly to appliances; inverters are connected to a battery which will be attached to the electrical circuit (hence the delay of a couple of seconds)
• An inverter is a more cost-effective option; a UPS System, on the other hand, is a more costly option
• The configuration of the UPS System includes a battery and rectifier that are built in; the rectifier in the UPS System stores power which converts the power from AC to DC during outages
• Inverters, on the other hand, have external batteries that store DC power
• Inverters have the capacity to supply DC power for longer periods of time; more so than UPS Systems
• An inverter’s power supply could fluctuate and is less stable than that of a UPS System
• Applications for UPS systems are usually applied to functioning in office, home and industrial environments, whereas inverters are usually used in office environments

Inverters have a definite use in numerous environments as do UPS systems, whether they are Online systems or Offline.

ONLINE AND OFFLINE UPS SYSTEMS

There are differences between Online and Offline Systems – the big question is  – what are they and what are the biggest challenges and advantages that we could face by incorporating these devices to keep our electric up and running all the time. The power utility, Eskom, is constantly in the news and is obviously facing huge challenges to keep our lights switched on, but for most of us running homes and businesses, not having power could prove to be a huge issue.

Investing in devices to protect our devices and keeping on the lights takes a little bit of creativity, and investigating the options could prove to be the solutions for many of us faced with a future with erratic power that could cause damage to our sensitive equipment whether this means blowing your TV and PC or simply keeping that necessary fan or stove up and running.

Most of us are aware that there are two different types of UPS Systems (Uninterruptible Power Supply Systems); these include Online and Offline UPS Systems.

The commonality between the two, is, naturally, to provide a reliable backup of power when the lights go out or when they dip or hike.

Online UPS Explained

• Your Online UPS System is different to the Offline system in that the power is derived directly from power-conditioning components
• Your Online UPS System is not directly connected to the power utility
• The power is stored in a battery so that when the power goes off power is drawn from the battery
• This power is then converted into AC power to continue the operation of household and other electrical devices
• Online UPS is Double Conversion UPS
• The main applications for the use of your Online UPS system will usually be in critical care environments and production houses where the continuation of power is vital

Online UPS advantages

• Online UPS can regulate the voltage correctly
• The mains and load are presented separately
• There are no fluctuations (dips and surges) in the voltage, which means that the quality of the voltage is stable
• The reason for this is that the inverter is always switched into the “on” position
• The conversion time from DC to AC is negligible (the same reason being that the inverter is never switched off)
• When the utility power goes down there will be a continuation of power and no imbalances will be noted

Offline UPS Explained

• Your Offline UPS System is a straightforward, inexpensive option to keep the power on and is directed through the UPS bypassing the inverter to the device.
• There is a small amount of filter to protect against instability.
• If the utility is unstable or goes down your Offline UPS System will switch to the inverter’s output to provide constant and a continuous power supply

Offline UPS Advantages

• Your Offline UPS System is user-friendly and straightforward to operate
• Offline UPS is less expensive than the Online UPS option

Advantages of offline UPS

1. The efficiency of this system is high. This is because the charger is not constantly on.
2. These are affordably priced.
3. Internal controller is simpler.
4. The power handling capacity of the charger is greatly decreased.
5. Applications using offline UPS include emergency power supplies, printers, computers, EPABX, scanners, etc.

Often households opt for offline UPS systems than their online counterparts because of the higher energy efficiency and economical nature of the former. However, households that use highly critical loads should opt for the latter so that sensitive electrical appliances and data are protected.

Those who are looking to buy UPS, either online or offline systems, are invited to make their purchases from Glowship, India’s largest online platform selling home utility solutions. We offer wide selection of top products from the reputed brands at the best possible prices. There are also a lot of other products like water pumps, solar solutions, LED lights, dewatering pumps, water softeners, water heaters, water purifiers, inverters, batteries, security solutions, and many more available with us. You are welcome!

There are two main types of UPS systems that are used in today’s technologically advanced world. They are Standby Ups systems and Continuous UPS systems. 

Standby UPS systems 

A standby UPS system runs the computers and other electrical equipment off the usual utility power until an issue occurs. When this happens, it is fast (in the region of five milliseconds and sometimes even s=less). The UPS system turns on a power inverter and runs the electrical device off the UPS battery. 

The power inverter will convert the DC power from the battery into AC power. The battery charger continuously produces DC power, which the inverter continuously turns back into AC power – quite simply put, if the power fails, the battery provides power to the inverter. 

Your UPS system usually protects an electrical device, such as a computer, against four different power challenges 

• Voltage hikes – this happens when the voltage on the line is greater than it should be 
• Voltage sags - when the voltage on the line is less than it ought to be 
• Complete power failure - when a line goes down or a fuse blows somewhere on the grid or in the building 
• Frequency instability – when the power wavers 

Continuous UPS systems 

• With a Continuous UPS system, the computer is continuously running off the battery power, plus the battery is unceasingly being recharged 
• The battery power will provide power uninterruptedly to a converter with a Continuous UPS system  
• There is no switch-over time in a continuous UPS 
• This set–up is brilliant as it provides a very stable source of power  

Standby UPS systems are far more common for domestic use and small to medium enterprises because they are easy on the pocket – more so than Continuous UPS systems, although Continuous systems deliver clean, stable power, so they tend to be used in server rooms and other critical applications – this is particularly important with the grid being as unstable as it has been for the past couple of years. 

Electricity is expensive – make no bones about it. The secret is to save wherever you can without it costing you anything. It is time to think smart and to think out of the box so that you can put money back into your bank account instead of forking out more each month. 

Here are fifteen smart (and small), inexpensive ways to save on your power bill 

• Turn off those unnecessary lights – switching off lights an extra couple of hours a day can save you over the long haul – it is time to switch to LED lighting 
• Use task lighting – using side and table lamps, track lighting and under-counter lights instead of ceiling lights will go a long way to saving power 
• Hot water costs money – cutting shower and bath time will save you substantially 
• Always switch off taps when brushing teeth, washing hands or shaving – by reducing your hot water usage you can cut costs  
• Always unplug unused electrical devices – did you know that standby power can account for up to 10% of an average household’s annual electricity use? Always unplug unused electronics  
• You don’t need the air conditioner to run while you are not in the room or not at home. Switch this off always 
• Recycle or donate your old desktop computer and invest in a more energy-efficient laptop model 
• It is time to declutter – start off by getting rid of your old TV – a huge energy consumer 
• Switch off your geyser when you are not using it and only switch in on an hour before you need to bath or shower, and by lowering your thermostat by as little as two degrees you will save up to 5% on your electricity bill 
• Block the sun from windows during the hot summer months – choose sun-filtered blinds in very hot climates 
• During the hot summer months choose to make a barbeque (braai), salads and other fresh meals. Not only will you be a lot healthier, but will save you considerably in power bills 
• Ensure your washing machine loads are always full and washed in cold water 
• Using a tumble dryer is a huge energy devourer – not only will your clothes smell delightful when hung out in the sunshine, it will save you plenty of electricity. A tumble dryer is one of the biggest energy eaters in the home 
• Your fridge and freezer should always be at the right temperature. During very hot spells try not to open the fridge unnecessarily 
• Instead of using the oven, choose to use a griller, electric frying pan, toaster, rotisserie and microwave; a microwave takes 15 minutes to do the same job as 1 hour in an oven. Use a microwave instead of your oven at least four times a week 

There are many ways to save money in the home – the small things will save big in the long haul.