2 min readThe KinKonnects team
Working in Kinshasa when the power cuts out
Everyone in Kinshasa has lost a client call mid sentence. Here is what actually separates an office that keeps running from one that stops.
Nobody writes about this because writing about it means admitting the problem exists. It is still the main reason people pay for an office in Kinshasa rather than working from home.
The three levels of protection
- 1.A UPS at the desk. It lasts minutes and exists to save a file, not to keep working.
- 2.The building generator. It takes over for hours, and its size decides what stays powered.
- 3.Automatic changeover. This is what decides whether you lose three seconds or twenty minutes.
They are not equivalent. A building with a generator but no automatic changeover costs you however long it takes someone to walk down and start it.
What stays powered, and what does not
This is the question to ask precisely. Many buildings keep lighting and sockets but drop air conditioning to save fuel. In a full meeting room in Kinshasa, air conditioning off makes the room unusable within twenty minutes.
Ask explicitly: are sockets, lighting, air conditioning, network equipment and the internet uplink all on backup?
Questions to ask on a viewing
- 1.Is changeover automatic, and within how many seconds?
- 2.How many hours of autonomy, and how much fuel is held on site?
- 3.Is air conditioning maintained during backup?
- 4.Is the internet equipment powered by the generator?
- 5.How often did the generator run last month?
The last question is the most useful. A space that keeps a log answers in seconds. A space that improvises gives you a vague estimate.
Organising your day around the risk
- Put the calls that matter in the morning, when demand on the grid is lower.
- Work locally and sync, rather than entirely in the browser.
- Keep a mobile hotspot configured and tested, not merely available.
- Charge devices while the power is there, not when you need it.
At KinKonnects
The Ngaliema space runs backed up power across the whole floor, meeting rooms and network equipment included, and is open 7am to 10pm Monday to Saturday. The best way to verify any of this is to come and work for a day and see what happens.
FAQ
How many hours of autonomy should you look for?
Enough to cover a full working day without refuelling. Ask for autonomy and fuel reserve separately, they are two different numbers.
Is a UPS enough?
No. A UPS saves your work in progress, it does not let you carry on. Working through an outage needs a generator.
Is air conditioning always maintained?
Not everywhere, because it draws heavily. Ask explicitly if you are booking a full room.
