Buy the wrong set and the risks are very public. A set too small trips when the lifts and pumps start together. A set with too little fuel runs dry halfway through a long outage. A poorly placed set floods, overheats or breaks noise rules. Each failure means lost trade, damaged stock and difficult calls with tenants and insurers.
Emergency Power Planned by an EPC Team
We know your building has to stay open and safe when the grid does not cooperate. USP&E has delivered 150+ power projects in 45+ countries, with 25,000 MW contracted since 2002, from small emergency sets to large stations. Our systems are ISO 9001 and ISO 45001 certified. USP&E is a full-service EPC and O&M contractor, not a broker.
We help you choose, install and test the right generator for your building, and we keep it ready long after handover.
Decide What Must Keep Running
Start by listing the loads that must run in an outage. Life safety loads, such as emergency lighting, fire pumps, smoke control and alarms, usually come first and are often required by code. Next come business-critical loads: lifts, security, IT rooms, refrigeration, tills and key production lines. Then decide whether you want whole-building backup or only selected loads.
Each choice changes the size and cost. Whole-building backup is simpler for tenants but needs a larger set. Selected-load backup costs less but needs careful circuit separation so the right loads, and only those loads, transfer to the generator.
Check the Rules Before You Size
Codes and standards vary by country and building type. Many set requirements for which loads must be backed up, how quickly the generator must take over, how long it must run, how the generator room is built and how often the set is tested. Your insurer may add its own conditions.
Speak to your local authority and your insurer early. Their requirements may decide the transfer time, the fuel storage and the test programme, and it is far cheaper to design these in than to add them later. The guide to transfer switch specifications explains one of the most important choices.
Size, Fuel and Place the Set
Size the set for the running load plus the largest motor starts, such as lifts, fire pumps and chillers, and allow for growth. Apply derating for heat and altitude. A slightly larger set with sensible load steps is usually more reliable than one sized tightly to the running load.
Choose fuel and run time together. Diesel remains the usual choice for commercial emergency power because it stores on site and starts quickly. Decide how many hours the set must run without refuelling and size the tank to match, keeping in mind that long outages can delay fuel deliveries too.
Place the set where it is protected from flooding, has good ventilation, can be reached for service and does not breach noise limits. Plan exhaust routes, fuel fill points and cable runs. If you need power while the permanent set is installed, temporary and bridge power can cover the gap.
Test, Service and Keep Records
Set up the testing programme before handover. Most codes and insurers expect regular runs, transfer switch tests and periodic load testing. Keep records of every test and service, because they are often the first thing an inspector or insurer asks for.
When you compare options, look at diesel sets available now as well as new builds, especially if you need power soon. Larger campuses sometimes go further, combining standby diesel with gas turbine generators, natural gas engines/stations, used/new gas turbines or a remanufactured GE Frame 6B. In the data centre world, hyperscale EPC/O&M teams plan AI gas turbines, hyperscale generators and gas turbines for compute, and USP&E offers the New USP&E FX-45 45MW Modular Gas Turbine for the Hyperscale Data Center sector in the USA.
Local Teams Near Your Emergency Power Site
Data-centre schedules are won or lost in permitting, gas supply and interconnection, so USP&E puts its US offices first. Colorado Springs (1755 Telstar Dr, Suite 300) and Knoxville (800 S Gay St, Suite 700) give you two US bases for engineering reviews, procurement follow-up and site visits, and both teams work your emergency diesel fleet transition alongside you rather than from a sales desk.
Behind them, London (162-168 Regent Street) handles structuring, bonding and finance; Johannesburg (22 Kildoon Rd, Bryanston) owns engineering and project controls for standby diesel fleets, ATS upgrades and AI gas turbines; Cape Town (31 Brickfield Road, Woodstock) supports design and commissioning; and Wuxi, China (No. 1, Ningzhou Road, Wuxi) manages China manufacturing and supply-chain follow-up.
For commercial emergency power, Colorado Springs and Knoxville engineers support US buildings, while Johannesburg and Cape Town support African sites and London covers contracts. Regions served: USA | AFRICA | UK | UAE | CHINA. That network stands behind 150+ power projects in 45+ countries and 25,000 MW contracted since 2002, run under ISO 9001 and ISO 45001 certified systems.
Proof from Recent Emergency Power Projects
You want proof that USP&E can deliver reliable backup and emergency power. These projects show that record.
- USP&E has refurbished seven GE Frame 6B gas turbines to zero hours in-house for major US hyperscale data-centre developers.
- A gold mine in North-West Africa: USP&E supplied and installed a Caterpillar backup power station of low-hour Cat 3516B gensets with new switchgear, on time and on budget. Read the case study.
- A giga-project developer in the Middle East: USP&E supplied three zero-hour Siemens SGT-400 gas turbines as the single technical and commercial interface.
How to Buy a Commercial Emergency Generator
Your 3-step plan: 1. Share your building type, critical loads and code requirements. 2. Receive a sizing, fuel and location recommendation. 3. Install, test and maintain the set with one team.
- List the loads that must run in an outage.
- Check the code and insurance rules that apply.
- Size the set with motor starts and growth in mind.
- Choose fuel and run time for your site.
- Plan the transfer switch, location and noise.
- Set up testing and service before handover.
Resources and live pathway
Data centres · EPC · O&M · About USP&E · Contact.
FAQ: Commercial Emergency Generator Buying Guide
What size emergency generator does a commercial building need?
USP&E sizes commercial sets from the loads that must run in an outage, plus the largest motor starts such as lifts, fire pumps and chillers, with an allowance for growth. Derating for heat and altitude is then applied before choosing the set.
Should the whole building be backed up?
USP&E helps you weigh whole-building backup against selected loads. Whole-building backup is simpler for tenants but needs a bigger set. Selected-load backup costs less but needs careful circuit separation so the right loads transfer to the generator and nothing else adds to its burden.
How long should an emergency generator run on its own fuel?
USP&E sets run time from code requirements, insurer conditions and how long outages last in your area. Long outages can also delay fuel deliveries, so tank size should allow a margin. Diesel remains common because it stores well on site.
What testing does an emergency generator need?
USP&E follows local code and insurer rules, which usually include regular runs, transfer switch tests and periodic load tests. Records of every test and service should be kept, because inspectors and insurers often ask to see them first, and gaps in the log can cause problems after an incident.
Which USP&E office supports commercial emergency generators?
USP&E supports commercial buildings in the USA from Colorado Springs and Knoxville, and in Africa from Johannesburg and Cape Town. London handles paperwork and payment terms; Wuxi steps in for kit made in China. Either way, help sits within reach of your building.
What backup power has USP&E delivered?
USP&E has delivered 150+ power projects in 45+ countries, including backup and emergency power. A public example is a Caterpillar backup power station of low-hour Cat 3516B gensets with new switchgear, supplied and installed for a gold mine in North-West Africa.
Is USP&E a broker of emergency generators?
USP&E is not a broker. USP&E keeps emergency generators ready with its own engineers: they size the set, install it, test it and service it. You deal with a single accountable team from the day you choose a set to the next outage and every outage after it.
How soon can USP&E help a commercial building?
USP&E can review your loads, building type and code requirements as soon as you share them. Engineers suggest a size, fuel plan and location, and can show sets available now if your timeline is short or a code deadline is close.
Keep Your Building Open in Any Outage
Choose your emergency generator by load, code and location and your building stays safe and trading when the grid fails. Cut corners and the outage finds them. USP&E will help you choose, install and maintain it with confidence.
Start now: send your load, site and fuel data through the contact page, phone +27 10 822 2324 or write to info@uspeglobal.com, and search current USP&E inventory while the team scopes your emergency diesel fleet transition.
Powering Possibility. Built for the Frontier.