Backup Power for Marin Businesses During PSPS

Public Safety Power Shutoffs can cut power to Marin areas for extended periods — sometimes days — during high wildfire-risk conditions. For a business, that translates directly into lost revenue, spoiled inventory, idle staff, disrupted customers, and potentially compromised safety or refrigeration. Unlike a brief outage, a multi-day PSPS event can be genuinely damaging. Backup power keeps critical operations running so the business can continue serving customers and protecting inventory through the shutoff. Given how regularly PSPS events affect the North Bay, backup power has become a practical business-continuity investment for many Marin businesses rather than an optional extra.

Typically a standby generator sized to the business’s needs, connected through a transfer switch that safely switches to backup when utility power drops — an automatic transfer switch makes the transition seamless. The right size depends on which systems must keep running. Some businesses also add battery/UPS protection for sensitive electronics that can’t tolerate even a momentary interruption, such as servers or point-of-sale systems. The specific solution is designed around your critical loads and how long PSPS events typically last, which a commercial electrician assesses when planning the system.

Start by identifying your critical systems — what must stay running for the business to operate and to protect assets. For a restaurant that’s refrigeration and key equipment; for a medical office, safety and medical systems; for retail, point-of-sale, lighting, and security. Then distinguish those from loads that can go without during an outage. This prioritization lets you size the backup appropriately and cost-effectively rather than trying to power everything equally. A commercial electrician works through this with you, since right-sizing to genuine priorities is what makes backup power both effective and affordable.

No — as with homes, a business generator must connect through a proper transfer switch that isolates the building from the utility grid, preventing dangerous backfeed that could injure utility workers and cause damage. This is a safety and code requirement, not an optional step. An automatic transfer switch also makes the switch to backup seamless, which matters for keeping sensitive systems running. Connecting a generator improperly is both illegal and dangerous. A licensed commercial electrician installs the appropriate transfer equipment as an integral part of the backup power system, ensuring safe and compliant operation.

Before the high-risk PSPS season, not during an outage. PSPS events are predictable enough — they cluster in dry, windy, high-fire-risk conditions — that businesses can and should plan ahead. Arranging backup power in advance means assessing loads, sizing and installing the system, handling permits, and testing it, all on a calm timeline. Scrambling for backup power after a shutoff hits, when demand and stress are high, is far worse. Treating backup power as part of seasonal business preparation, arranged and tested before it’s needed, is the approach that actually protects continuity when an event occurs.

A licensed commercial electrician should assess your loads, size the generator and any battery/UPS, and install the system with proper transfer equipment, permits, and inspection. Commercial backup power involves connecting to your business’s electrical service, meeting commercial code and workplace safety requirements, and ensuring the system reliably powers your critical operations. Given that the whole point is reliability during an outage — and that improper installation is dangerous — professional design and installation are essential. The electrician can also coordinate the backup system with any broader commercial electrical capacity planning your growing business may need.