MEP Engineering · Engineering Glossary
An Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) is an electrical device that provides emergency power to connected loads immediately upon loss of normal utility power, without any interruption. UPS systems protect critical equipment — servers, medical devices, mission-critical controls — from momentary outages and power quality problems.
UPS systems range from small single-phase units under a workstation to large three-phase systems serving entire data center rooms. The electrical engineer must size the UPS based on the connected load (in kVA or kW), the required backup runtime, and the efficiency characteristics of the selected system. Structural engineers must confirm that the floor can support the weight of large UPS systems, which can exceed several thousand pounds. For data centers and mission-critical facilities, UPS systems are often arranged in N+1 or 2N redundancy configurations to ensure continuous power even during UPS maintenance. Apex Grid engineers UPS systems as part of critical facility MEP packages.
Apex Grid Engineering maintains this glossary as a resource for architects, contractors, developers, and property owners who encounter unfamiliar engineering terminology on their projects.
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