Emergency generators play a very important role in buildings, ensuring that all equipment necessary for occupant safety remains operational if the main power supply is interrupted. However, restaurants constitute a special case given their high occupancy density, as well as the presence of personnel and combustion-based equipment in small kitchen spaces.
In Chapter 27, the New York City Building Code provides a list of equipment required for an emergency power supply. Additionally, the code also requires a backup power supply for building systems that would create significant inconvenience or discomfort if they stopped operating, even if major safety risks were not involved.
Restaurants are often part of larger buildings, such as shopping malls or high-rise office buildings. In these cases, there are separate emergency and backup power requirements for the restaurant and the commercial building of which it is a part. These requirements are important to know if you are renting commercial space for a restaurant, where you may not have control over extensive building systems, and it is best to ensure that emergency and standby power requirements are already covered.
In general, the New York Electrical Code only allows the use of batteries as an emergency power source for lighting. The battery system must be designed to power the emergency lighting for at least 1.5 hours at full power and without allowing the voltage to drop below 87.5 percent. To use batteries as an emergency power source for other building systems, you must seek permission from the New York City Department of Buildings and receive approval. It is important to note that this requirement also applies to uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) if they are used to provide emergency power.
Restaurant Loads to Consider for an Emergency Generator
Restaurants are classified by the New York City Department of Buildings into Occupancy Group A (Assembly), specifically subgroup A-2, which is for premises intended for the consumption of food or beverages. All Group A occupancies are required to have an emergency power supply for voice communication and alarm systems.
Exit signs and means of exit lighting shall also be provided with an emergency power system, and batteries are permitted in lieu of a generator if they meet the requirements set forth in the New York Electrical Code. The emergency lighting system must be capable of providing an illuminance level of at least one candle or 11 lux.
If elevators are present, emergency power will be required for their controls, cabin lights, ventilation systems, and any other equipment necessary for operation.
Restaurant Loads to Consider for a Standby Generator
The New York Building Code also provides a list of loads required to have a backup generator, and they must be counted if present in a restaurant:
- Smoke Control Systems
- Elevators
- Horizontal sliding doors
- If the restaurant has a membrane structure, such as an open-air tent, backup power must be provided for auxiliary inflation systems.
- Smoke-free enclosures must be supplied with backup power for their mechanical ventilation and automatic fire detection systems.
- Elevator shaft pressurization systems
Requirements for restaurants in shopping malls and other buildings
When restaurants are part of a larger building, additional emergency and standby power requirements may apply. The New York Building Code provides requirements for three cases: indoor shopping malls, skyscrapers, and underground buildings.
If you own not just the restaurant but the entire building, make sure all applicable requirements are met. On the other hand, if you intend to purchase or lease a commercial space for a restaurant, ask an engineering or consultancy company to check the surrounding installation. Even if your restaurant is properly equipped with emergency and standby power, you can only guarantee the safety of your customers if the rest of the building is also compliant.
Indoor shopping mall buildings
If the restaurant is part of an indoor mall building with an area greater than 50,000 square feet, the mall must have a standby generator capable of operating the voice communication and alarm system. Please note that restaurant voice communication and alarm systems require an independent emergency power source – standby power only applies to the surrounding shopping center.
Skyscrapers
When a restaurant is located within a high-rise building, it is important to ensure that emergency and backup generators are sized with sufficient capacity to power subsequent loads.
- Emergency generator loads: Exit signs, means of egress lighting, elevator car lighting, emergency voice and alarm communication systems, automatic fire detection systems, fire alarms, and all electrically powered fire pumps .
- Backup Generator Loads: Fire command center power and lighting systems, ventilation and fire detection for smoke-proof cabinets, elevators and stairwell pressurization.
Underground buildings
In the case of underground buildings, emergency power requirements are the same as in high-rise buildings, with the difference that electric fire pumps are now required to have backup rather than emergency power. In addition to the fire pumps, the following equipment must be considered when sizing the backup power generator:
- Smoke control systems.
- Smoke-proof enclosures: Automatic fire detection and mechanical ventilation.
- Elevators
- Stair pressurization systems
Conclusion
Emergency and standby generators in New York City are subject to the requirements of many standards and codes, including the New York Building Code, the Fire Code, and the Electrical Code. They must also meet National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards 110 and 111.
If you are planning to build a restaurant in New York, or are looking for a commercial space that can be conditioned for this purpose, contact a qualified design professional or engineering firm. This way, you ensure safe conditions for your customers by properly sizing emergency and backup generators, and you can also verify that the installation around your restaurant is also designed safely.
