How The PRIORITIZER^® Works:

The PRIORITIZER operates by always providing power to the HIGHEST PRIORITY LOAD that starts drawing current by automatically switching off LOWER PRIORITY LOADS (whether one of them is drawing current or not). Using an ECS Series PRIORITIZER, you may be able to operate your home in a backup power situation with an 8-kilowatt generator (or Fuel Cell) instead of the 12-kilowatt unit which would be required without the load-sharing provided by the PRIORITIZER. The AE Series units are targeted at Solar or Wind-Powered power systems, while the NC Series is especially useful for Peak Demand Management.

This style of operation will save you money not only on the generator purchase itself, but also on the fee to install it, as well as the cost of fuel that you need to operate it.

Full-text explanation of typical operation

Explanation of PRIORITIZER Operation, by Model

The load arbitration is very fast, typically 16 to 33 milliseconds (1-2 AC cycles) for a higher priority load to turn off a lower priority load. This allows for maximum available starting amperage. It also provides a 5 second dead time before lower priority loads are restored (re-energized) to eliminate false starts due to contact bounce in an appliance controller.

Sample Load Charts and Calculations

The ECS Series PRIORITIZER also has an optional UTILITY OVERRIDE feature which will cause the unit to enable all of the connected loads while operating from utility power. Only when the backup power system is supplying the electricity will the PRIORITIZER turn off loads to save energy. If you are using the unit for Peak Shaving applications or if your everyday (non-grid) power source is limited, you would not use this feature, as you would require the unit to prioritize while operating from everyday power.