HOSPITAL UPGRADE CASE STUDY

A Temporary Power Solution Provides Backup for a Hospital Network

There are many situations where having a backup power system at the ready is a good idea: facilities with perishable goods and locations with a high chance of outages (due to inclement weather, or limited infrastructure) are two good examples.

When it comes to hospitals, however, having a backup system in place is not just recommended – it’s required, because lives depend on the power staying on.

Hospitals take no chances with their backup power, so when they have to repair or replace a backup generator, they require a temporary solution to fill in the gap.

This was the case for a recent client — an electrical contractor that was handling the replacement of a backup generator for one of the largest acute teaching hospitals in Canada.

The Client: An Award-Winning Electrical Contractor

Providing services across a broad spectrum of industries, this family owned and operated electrical and mechanical contractor is one of the largest in Ontario.

Founded in 1978 by a husband and wife duo, this client now employs 300 workers and has built a long-standing reputation for excellence and innovation.

They deliver on projects in the commercial, academic, recreational, governmental and health care industries.

The Challenge: A Backup Generator Upgrade

A large hospital network planned to upgrade their 2MW permanent backup generator to a 5MW backup generator, and hired our client to oversee the project.

The project, which is designed to take place in stages, required temporary backup power so that no portion of the hospital facility would be without backup power while the upgrade was underway.

Knowing that we have access to a large selection of high quality, industrial-scale generators, and that our team is made up of experienced technicians and electricians, our client reached out to Trinity Power for the first stage of the project.

Our Approach: Detailed Communication and a Tech Savvy Solution

Working with our client’s electricians, we sourced an 800kW 600V generator that they could connect directly to the hospital’s automatic transfer switch (ATS).

We also supplied 100 feet of control cable to connect the generator’s auto start contacts to the auto start command terminals on the ATS. This configuration allows the backup generator to start up automatically in the case of an emergency outage.

The Trinity team not only sourced and delivered the equipment, we also handled some important paperwork. Documentation may not be the most exciting aspect of a job, but doing it well can be vital to a project’s success.

Because of the critical importance of the backup generator, in order to meet regulations, the hospital required a copy of the most recent load test completed on the generator, and of the most recent inspection report.

Our commitment to transparent and consistent communication ensured we were able to provide a rental package that included this information and more, in a clear and professional format, which our client was able to bring to the hospital.

We also maintained consistent two-way communication with our client, to ensure that everyone was familiar with the project playbook and no consideration had been overlooked.

The Result: A Seamless Process Brings Peace of Mind

Something our Electrical Contractor clients appreciate about working with Trinity is the ease of working with fellow electricians.

Our experience and understanding of our client’s equipment and documentation needs allowed us to provide everything they required to perform their job safely and seamlessly.

And the hospital facility was able to continue its lifesaving work without interruption.