As customer demands diversify and businesses use more power-hungry electronics and appliances, single-phase power delivery is a method that is slowly becoming a relic of an analogue past. Every month at HILTS, our licenced electricians receive hundreds of questions from business owners about the benefits of three-phase power installation and how it upgrades the efficiency of the electricity supplied from a logistics perspective.
In this explainer, our experienced technicians will detail why more and more commercial structures demand three-phase power installation to power service racks, air conditioning systems, and security features. We will also outline what type of power supply you need to achieve optimal power density with minimal waste.
According to many industry experts, a three-phase alternating current is the most cost-efficient way to deliver electricity to power-hungry commercial facilities, such as data centres and shopping malls. Many commercial and industrial buildings rely on power-hungry machinery to remain operational. Three-phase power can deliver larger quantities of electricity at lower loss rates, outclassing single-phase currents by a mile.
You will find single-phase AC powering many residential structures.; it also works for light commercial applications. However, three-phase voltage is the most logical choice for business owners and property managers with large-scale production lines to oversee. And while they are more expensive than single-phase power systems, they deliver higher returns in the long run.
Not even a decade ago, one server rack housed ten machines that required less than ten kilowatts to work. Today, the same space could hold 20 to 50 high-powered servers with CPUs that need more than 20 kilowatts to process data. Business owners and infrastructure managers who don’t put a premium on efficiency could lose thousands of dollars in power bills and maintenance costs, hurting their ability to scale.
A three-phase power installation is more space-efficient, using thinner wires that take up less room and deliver three times the amperage. You can power a 15-kilowatt server rack with a three-phase power line that’s 0.03 centimetres in diameter, whereas you would need a more than 0.6-centimetre wire for a single-phase power line for the same amount of power. Tech start-ups love the space-saving capabilities of three-phase power installations as they want to invest as little money as possible into server room square footage.
The more your residential and commercial power needs grow, the more you will benefit from highly efficient power delivery systems. If your aggregate wattage in any single instance exceeds 7.5 kilowatts, we recommend that you upgrade to a three-phase voltage connection.
If you call us for a three-phase power installation, our electricians will perform a routine check-up before changing your AC power delivery system. We will remove your single-phase setup, which only delivers between 230 and 240 volts, and replace it with a three-phase circuit.
A three-phase circuit combines electricity from three ACs working off a single frequency, keeping power to your home or place of business steady and free from interruptions. It delivers between 400 and 415 volts.
Most homeowners in Sydney ask us for a three-phase power installation when they:
Move into a second-hand home with old service lines
Install a third air conditioning unit or upgrade to a ducted or VRV air conditioning system
Acquire space heaters and boilers with three-phase machines
The existing electrical setup will determine if a three-phase power supply can be installed easily. When new wiring requires large cable runs, prices will go up. A 3-phase metre box must be installed also which will increase costs. We will specify the cable length, the materials, and the tools needed for the job when doing up a quote.
Before making any modifications to your electrical connections, our licenced electricians will provide you advice on the best approaches to take in order to carry out the update safely. Only level 2 ASP electricians are allowed to complete a three-phase installation.
In Australia, your dependable level 2 electrician will estimate the price of installing a three phase electricity system when doing a quote for you. This guarantees all costs to install three phase power are provided up front before you go ahead with the job.
Call the HILTS customer service and get a free quote today.
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