Patent ID: 8903674

Claim:
A method for automatically evaluating an emergency power supply (EPS) system that supplies alternate power to an electrical system in the event of a disruption of power from a main utility power source that normally supplies power to the electrical system, the method comprising: responsive to each of multiple occurrences that the power supplied to the electrical system is switched by an automatic transfer switch from the main utility power source to the alternate power source, receiving, over a network, and storing a set of operational and parameter data associated with the EPS system of the electrical system during each of the occurrences to produce a plurality of sets of operational and parameter data, the operational and parameter data including (a) operational status information about a change of an operational status of the alternate power source, (b) electrical parameter data associated with the alternate power source and measured by an intelligent electronic device that measures a characteristic of power generated by the alternate power source and that transforms the measured characteristic into the electrical parameter data for communication over the network, and (c) status information indicating a status of an automatic transfer switch configured to switch power between the main utility power source and the alternate power source; evaluating the sets of operational and parameter data to identify at least one characteristic of the alternate power source that is deteriorating over an evaluation time period that includes the time period between the first of the occurrences and a most recent one of the occurrences; assigning a failure priority to the deteriorating characteristic; and automatically generating a report that indicates the failure priority and the deteriorating characteristic.