July’s college of the month has been picked out for being a positive, problem solver who is always willing to help with a smile. Great work Sam Sutcliffe!
Sam has been with us for over two years now and her day-to-day role consists of keeping the salesmen in check, ensuring the sales process is running smoothly and helping out wherever she’s needed. When we asked what she liked about her role at Shenton Group she said “I never know what each day will bring it’s a varied role which will see me preparing sales proposals for clients one minute and checking technical documents the next, most of all my role allows me to be a super working mum with the flexibility to look after my family and be fulfilled at work as well”
Not that she likes to admit it but she has become the sales team mum with her caring, helpful and ‘let’s sort it’ attitude (she’d like to comment she’s not old enough to be to some of them). Congratulations Sam for being well thought of member of our Shenton Team and enjoy the vouchers and bubbly that are well deserved!If you need continuous power services and support from a dedicated, passionate and accountable team of professionals, click here to get in touch.Interested in a career with us? Visit our careers page!
The National Grid power outage last week caused all kinds of problems for commuters, businesses and even hospitals. During the worst blackout seen in the UK in over a decade, extensive travel disruption was caused on our railways and roads and at our airports with around one million homes left without power too.
Rather than being caught out in a power outage, there are some steps that can be taken to ensure you remain operational even on rare occasions when there is a power cut.
What happened to the National Grid on Friday 9th August?
Two of the UK’s power plants, Little Barford a gas-fired power plant in Bedfordshire and a wind farm in Hornsea, both went off the network causing a huge deficit for the National Grid as collectively these two plants account for 5% of the UK’s power needs.* This resulted in power being cut off to a significant portion of the population in order to safeguard the rest of the network, leaving around one million people affected.
Backup electricity providers such as battery operators, small scale power plants and even supermarkets are called upon during unplanned outages, but due to the scale of the problems on this occasion, these unconventional backup generators could prevent parts of the grid from shutting down.
The National Grid has since said the system did what it was supposed to do when such rare circumstances arise, by protecting against more widespread disruption by cutting power in a smaller area they were able to restore power within 15 minutes and then their Distribution Network Operators (DNOs), who are supplied by the National Grid, had their customers back online in 45 minutes.
What was the impact?
Travel disruption was massive, as commuters attempted to make their way home in rush hour when the issue struck around 5 pm, leaving many of them stranded without a way home.
At King’s Cross, all trains were suspended for several hours and some trains were left stranded on the tracks as the power supply disappeared and despite the power then coming back on, drivers were unable to restart them with the systems having shut down completely, meaning a technician was then required to restart them.
300,000 people in the South East were left without power
500,000 in the South West, Midlands and Wales also impacted
Around 130,000 in the North of England were also affected
Figures sourced from – www.theguardian.com/business/2019/aug/12/what-are-the-questions-are-raised-by-the-uks-recent-blackout
Perhaps the most alarming story came from Ipswich, where the hospital suffered a blackout when the emergency backup power generator failed to kick in during a power cut.
Fortunately, it only impacted outpatients, x-ray and scanning equipment at around 5 pm during the nationwide 15-minute outage and the ITU and A&E departments were not disrupted.
An emergency backup system offers protection
After seeing the widespread impact of the National Grid outage, many businesses from various sectors and industries will be looking at their contingency plans for when there is a power outage. Having emergency backup power can protect you from any damage and inconvenience that can be caused by power cuts as well as surges, spikes and voltage level drops to protect your machinery, computers and equipment and ensure you remain operational.
The UK has one of the most reliable energy networks in the world and power outages of this scale are rare, but no matter which sector you operate in, whether that be Healthcare, Government, Manufacturing, or Telecoms, backup power solutions can be essential in your hour of need. Even if you operate on a tight budget, a simple and affordable solution like Power Call is a subscription worth having to ensure you will have power within the hour!
Ensure your Backup Power Supply is maintained
The Ipswich hospital story highlights the importance of ensuring your backup power supply is looked after and maintained on a regular basis. There was nothing to suggest that their generator wasn’t looked after, as Ipswich Hospital stated that it was the ‘unit’s circuit breaker that had failed’** and that all the emergency generators had worked, however, it does highlight the importance of keeping a maintenance contract. When you need to turn to your backup power supply, it is imperative that it is in good working order ready to deliver you power in your moment of need, or you may as well not have one at all.
Have you got an emergency backup power supply?
Power supplies should be protected not only during a blackout such as the National Grid outage but at all times from any kind of electrical issue. Smaller power cuts are more common than you think, with more than 23 million minor ones every single year, so a constant safety net can give you that peace of mind.
An emergency generator is perfect:
If you are running a care home, the residents can continue as normal even if there is a power issue.
If you run a hotel or leisure complex, your paying customers remain unaware of any energy problems.
Businesses that use computer systems or machinery can be particularly vulnerable to electrical faults, so it is in your best interest to put protective steps in place.
If you would like to review your backup power solutions and require some advice about best practices and finding an energy-efficient and cost-effective solution then contact Shenton Group.
As you may have noticed Shenton Group has taken a step back from the big exhibition shows this year. Data Centre World was one that we would often appear at as well as AdBio. But after running some of our own successful events such as the Future M&E event we decided to take a break from the big outfits and put on some of our own exhibitions and attend some more intimate events.
Where has Shenton Group been exhibiting?
We have been sending our representatives to the Specifi – Building Service events held all over the country. Each event welcomes over 2500 professional specifiers across architecture, landscape and urban design, building services engineering and facilities management.
Trushar Desai representing our Generator and UPS side of the business, and Damien Stephens waving the flag for Combined Heat Power have been providing valuable technical advice to Building Services Engineers & Consultants, Contractors and Facilities Managers. This type of event encourages networking for individuals in the building services industry. It provides the chance to meet face to face with the different suppliers, build relationships and share knowledge.
Trushar and Damien note:
“It was a very engaging audience and some very thought-provoking discussions were had.”
“After some brief discussion around ‘how you identify the right generator and CHP for the application’, we have arranged to meet with a number of consultancy practices at a later date to deliver CPDs.”
Upcoming Events
If you have not been to visit us yet, we will be exhibiting at Speifi – Building services in London 23rd October and in Birmingham 20th November 2019. For tickets and more information click here.
After a successful partners day for our CHP clients earlier on in the year (Microbes to MW), we also plan to run a consultant’s open day event at our HQ in Andover. Details about this will be announced closer to the time but we are currently looking around October time for this.
To discuss your continuous or standby power options, click here to speak to a member of the UK’s leading technical experts in Standby Power, Uninterruptible Power Supplies and Combined Heat & Power Systems.
Congratulations to Steve Smith our Colleague of the month for June! Every month Shenton Group employees vote for the colleague that has stood out to them the most. Steve, a valued Project Engineer that has been picked for the following reasons…
Being happy and positive
For being willing to help different departments
Having a can-do attitude all the time
Dedication to the company
Having worked as part of the engineering team at Shenton House in Andover for many years, Steve’s role includes the installation and commissioning of generators, as well as attending maintenance call outs for our clients.
He has always had a love for generators and has played a valued role in the company.
It has been noted that he does a great job at helping out the service team. He is recognised for always “providing detailed reports of his visits to sites and thorough debriefs on his return”. Steve knows better than anyone, a well-informed team is an effective team.
Steve has worked at Shenton Group now for over 22 years. Originally starting with the company back in 1997 when we were known as Scorpion Power Systems. Back then we were operating out of a farm.
How have you found it growing with shentongroup Steve?
“Growing from a small family business to what we are now has actually been quite easy. From day one we have strived to provide a service for the client. The clients are bigger now but we are doing the same things on a larger scale.”
How do you compare when you started to now?
“Thanks to the training and support I have received, I feel I am more confident in dealing with problems, and tasks I once found daunting are now straightforward.”
What is your fondest memory?
“My fondest memory is working in the top workshop at Weyhill Road with Derek (Technical Director), Ro (Technical Support) and Alex (no longer working with the company). It was a fun place to work with lots of mischief!”
What has kept you here at shentongroup?
“No one else would have me is my initial reaction haha but I feel Shenton Group is a very good company to work for. They are people you can trust. This creates an atmosphere where you trust the people you work with. I enjoy working with my fellow engineers who I value as friends.”
Once again, thanks for all of your hard work and dedication over the years Steve. Congratulations, and we hope you enjoy your voucher and bottle of bubbly!
If you need continuous power services and support from a dedicated, passionate and accountable team of professionals, click here to get in touch.
Together with all financial organisations, banks must have a reliable continuous power supply. Security, communications, and of course, data integrity, depend wholeheartedly on continuous power supplies.
The challenge… With the increasing mains failures, a well-known banking chain needed to better their contingency plan. They had a Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) but this wasn’t going to be enough if there with the risk of extended power outages.
Densely populated areas where space is at a premium, some companies do not have the room to accommodate a standby generator.
The bank was keen to address an effective power management strategy.
The solution… The bank selected Shenton Group’s Power Call service, a cost-effective and space-saving solution. It negates the need for large capital expenditure on a permanent standby generator. The Power call service is subscription based and provides you with a standby generator on an emergency callout basis.
When a power cut occurs, the banks Uninterruptible Power Supply instantly steps in to supply battery backup power. Meanwhile, Power Call’s 24/7 control room despatches a generator from a local depot.
Upon arrival, the Shenton Group engineer connects the emergency generator to a pre-fitted connection point and advises the customer to switch over to the generator. An indicator lamp is fitted to the changeover switch to advise the customer when the mains power is restored. The solution we provided means that the organisation will experience zero power downtime in the event of mains power failure without the capital outlay of a permanent standby generator.
Would you like to find out more information? Get in contact today and find out how to ensure your power supply is reliable.
May’s colleague of the month comes from our Generator Project Management team. He has been recognised for his dedication to “fixing unplanned issues and staying positive throughout with a can-do attitude”, Congratulations to Daniel Skudder!
The 23rd of May 2019 marked the first “Microbes to MW” event. This was an invitation-only event created exclusively for Shenton Group biogas clients to celebrate their successes, to share technical knowledge, and to hand out some awards!
As the bridge between mains power and your backup generator, your Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) needs to flawlessly perform for those few vital seconds before your backup generator kicks in.
Shenton Group helps countless organisations across the UK to drive down their energy bills and to reduce their carbon footprints through the implementation of technologies including Combined Heat & Power, often in conjunction with cheaper, greener biogas.
Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) is a form of renewable diesel fuel derived from vegetable oils or animal fats. Unlike traditional biodiesel, HVO undergoes a hydrotreatment process, resulting in a cleaner, high-quality fuel. Find out more about the benefits of HVO?
Rental generators provide a versatile and efficient solution to a wide range of possible power challenges – this added layer of protection could be the difference between all your business processes being put on hold for an extended period, or a short interruption that is then resolved allowing your business to function as usual.
