As technology infiltrates into the workplace, more and more offices are becoming populated with sophisticated computers, printers, and monitors. These are sensitive devices that require a steady, uniform power supply. Any power surge can cause the equipment to go off-line as surge protectors kick in. A drop in power can have similar repercussions, by causing a malfunction in the software or file server operation, and personnel may lose data files and hours of work.
The alternative is to provide a power-conditioning device for the computers, to maintain a steady line voltage. The file server is usually the only piece of equipment in a network that is so protected since it contains the core files and software accessed from each remote location. That means the other computers are on their own, unprotected.
Many offices thrust into this computer age are relics of the past, with a small break room with a microwave and refrigerator on the same circuit as many of the workstations. When the refrigerator compressor kicks in or the microwave is used, there’s a tremendous power drain on the entire circuit and sometimes a rash of inexplicable computer problems. The simple solution to this power-conditioning problem is to isolate the microwave, refrigerator, copier, and other high-wattage items in a separate circuit, leaving the computers to operate in peace. Copiers, blueprint machines, and many other office machines have a similar power usage and wreak havoc on unsuspecting computer users.
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Excerpt from Energy Conservation Projects.