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You walk into a space, you don’t know it yet, but you are already judging the aesthetics of it. You don’t know why, but you’ve created an impression of the company or potential partnership by judging how the space looks. After all the environment is a reflection of the people in it.

Some of the things that catch your eye:

• A Stain on the carpet
• Dull lighting
• Over crowded space
• Bad coffee
• A messy desk
• Trailing Wires everywhere

While I’m sure we can advise therapy or an interior designer for most of them, we will focus on power for today. Getting the required power across to each individual where they need it hasn’t always been handled with the attention it requires.

Let’s understand how power is delivered in most cases:

1. Through a raised floor

2. A screeded floor  floor with fixed channels

3. Through the walls (if you are lucky enough to have one beside you)

4. Through the ceiling & delivered through power poles or adjacent walls. (picture of Nokia or Burouge power poles

Once you’ve identified which of the 4 options you currently have, it's easier to address a solution for it. For the purpose of this blog, we will consider the first option a raised floor. If you would like us to take a look at another situation don’t hesitate to reach out to us on [email protected]

Before we get into the details of power, it’s important to understand every individual and department has varying requirements. A brief survey of the organization can help you arrive at the appropriate solution on the first attempt.

Basics

Desktop Power for workspaces are usually fused. At the source (where the plug meets the floor box) & at each point of the power box. This is important as it provides multiple layers of protection for your device. If you buy a power bar from the convenience store, chances are, they only have the 13 Amp protection. Necessary Pictures for the two options described below

• 13 Amp fuse¹ for the contact between the floor box & the powerbox. This protects the powerbox for any power surge above 13Amps.
• 3.15 Amp or 5 Amp for the contact between your device and the powerbox. This protects your device from any power surge above 3.15 Amps or 5 Amps.

Quite often you find a power socket not working when you get to your desk. Blowing a fuse is one of the reasons for it. This could have happened for many reasons, Click Here to see some of them 

USB charging is no different. Not all USB’s are alike as every USB has a certain capacity associated with it and determines how fast your device can charge and more importantly when to stop charging to avoid damaging your device. Click Here to learn more.

Configuration

Now that we understand the basics, how much power do you need?

Let’s count your devices, along with their charging type beside it

• Laptop (Power / USB)
• Tablet (USB)
• Mobile / Cell Phone (USB)
• Monitor (Power)
• Laptop Docking Station (Power)
• Printer (Power)
• Desktop Computer (Power)

Each of these devices consume their own share of power, however you can minimize the number of power points you need by reviewing their charging type.

Two power points are usually considered per desk along with two USB’s. If however you are equipped with a printer and other devices you may need to double your power considerations.

Aesthetics

You’ve determined how much power you need, now let's choose the right one for you.

• Above Desk

• In Desk 

• Under Desk 

The choices above list in order of price with the Under-Desk power being the lowest. 

fuse1 - A fuse is a small, thin conductor designed to melt and separate into two pieces for the purpose of breaking a circuit in the event of excessive current.