10kVA Online UPS in Kenya: Greenpoint 10K, Safepower S 10K or Evo HF 10K?

A 10kVA online UPS sits at a turning point. It is the largest model in SIEL’s single-phase Greenpoint range, and it is also the smallest size in both SIEL three-phase ranges. So when an IT manager or facilities team lands on 10kVA, there is a real choice to make.

We supply three 10kVA online UPS models from SIEL, the Italian UPS maker: the Greenpoint 10K, the Safepower S 10K and the Safepower Evo HF 10K. All three carry 10 kW. They differ in how they connect to your supply, where they live in the room, and how they grow. This guide lays those differences out so you can pick the right one before you ask for a quote.

Why sites in Kenya end up at 10kVA

Kenya Power customers averaged 8.39 hours of outages a month in the first half of the 2025/26 financial year, across 3.52 interruptions a month, against EPRA’s limit of 1.10, according to EPRA figures reported by People Daily. Then there are the big ones, like the night of 29 July 2026, when Nairobi, the Coast, Mt Kenya and parts of the Central Rift lost power.

Small sites usually start with a 1kVA or 3kVA unit under the desk or in the network cabinet. As the server room fills up with a second server, a storage box, a firewall, core switches and maybe a CCTV recorder, those small units multiply and nobody is quite sure what is on which one. A single 10kVA online UPS replaces that pile with one protected supply for the whole room.

It also matches a typical rack. Uptime Institute’s 2024 global survey found that average server rack densities remain below 8 kW. Schneider Electric recommends loading a UPS to around 80% of its maximum capacity, which on a 10 kW unit is 8 kW. In other words, a 10kVA UPS with a power factor of 1 is sized for roughly one average rack with sensible headroom, or a small room with a couple of lighter racks.

The three SIEL 10kVA online UPS models side by side

All three are online double conversion units rated VFI-SS-111 under IEC EN 62040-3, all three have an output power factor of 1 (so 10 kVA means 10 kW), and all three are EN 50171 compliant. Here is where they part ways.

Greenpoint 10K: the single-phase server room UPS

The Greenpoint 10K is the one most single-phase offices, branches and clinics should look at first. It is only 2U high and converts between rack and tower, so it can go into the bottom of your 19 inch cabinet or stand on the floor beside it. The UPS itself weighs 17 kg, because the batteries sit in separate 3U boxes, up to four per UPS.

• Plugs straight into your existing single-phase supply, with an input range of 110 to 300 V for weak or unstable lines
• Three C13 and two C19 sockets plus a terminal block, so servers and switches can plug in directly
• Hot swappable batteries, with a lithium (LiFePO4) option instead of AGM
• SNMP, RS232, USB and relay contacts for monitoring and safe server shutdown
• Cold start and emergency power off built in

The trade off: it cannot run in parallel with a second unit, and 10 kVA is the top of the Greenpoint range. If you expect to outgrow 10 kW, plan for one of the Safepower models instead.

Safepower S 10K: compact three-phase with a touchscreen

The Safepower S 10K is a floor-standing tower only 250 mm wide, which makes it easy to fit beside a rack in a tight server room. It is built for sites with three-phase supply and for setups that need to grow or add a standby unit later.

• Wide input range of 208 to 478 V and 40 to 70 Hz, which helps on generator power
• A diesel mode input, remote emergency power off and backfeed protection
• Handles a fully unbalanced load across the three phases
• Up to four units in parallel, for more capacity or N+1 redundancy
• Batteries can sit inside the cabinet, with external cabinets for longer runtime
• A 7 inch touchscreen and the widest set of communication ports of the three

Safepower Evo HF 10K: the one built to scale

The Safepower Evo HF 10K is a taller cabinet with room inside for up to three battery strings, so a lot of runtime can live in one footprint. It is the pick for a site that starts at 10 kW but expects to grow. Once the load passes 10 kW, our 20kVA UPS guide covers the next size up.

• Up to eight units in parallel, double what the Safepower S allows
• Standard VRLA batteries, with lithium (LiFePO4) as an option
• Up to 96.6% efficiency online, the highest of the three on paper
• The lowest output distortion on non-linear IT loads, at 1.5% or less
• Runs at 103% load with no time limit, and 110% for 60 minutes
• IP20 as standard, with IP21 or IP31 cabinets as options for dustier rooms

Single-phase or three-phase: the question that decides it

Before you compare features, check what supply feeds the room. Your electrician can tell you in five minutes from the distribution board.

• Single-phase room, single-phase loads. Go for the Greenpoint 10K. It is the simplest install and the easiest to fit in a rack.
• Three-phase supply, single-phase IT loads. This is common in bigger buildings. SIEL offers the 10K Safepower S and Evo HF in a 3/1 version (three-phase in, single-phase out), so you can draw evenly from the building supply and still feed normal server sockets.
• Three-phase loads. Choose the Safepower S 10K or Evo HF 10K in the standard three-phase version.
• Single-phase now, but you will need more than 10 kW or a redundant unit later. Ask about the 1/1 version of the Safepower S or Evo HF. You keep single-phase today and get a range that runs in parallel.

For more on bigger installs, see our guide to the full SIEL UPS range in Kenya.

How to check that 10kVA is the right size

Do not size from the labels on the power supplies. A server with two 800 W power supplies does not draw 1,600 W, because the second supply is there for redundancy, and the label shows the maximum, not what the server uses day to day. Measure, or read the actual draw from your PDUs or server management tools, then work through it like this:

1. List everything that must stay on: servers, storage, firewall, core switches, Wi-Fi controllers, the CCTV recorder and anything else in the room.
2. Add up the measured running power in watts.
3. Divide by 0.8 to keep the UPS at around 80% load.
4. If the answer lands between about 6 and 10 kW, a 10kVA UPS fits. Below that, look at the Greenpoint 6K. Above it, step up to a 20kVA Safepower S or Evo HF.

A quick example with illustrative numbers: two servers drawing 900 W each, a storage unit at 400 W, a firewall and core switches at 600 W, and a CCTV recorder at 200 W come to 3,000 W. Divided by 0.8, that is 3.75 kW, so a 10kVA unit would be oversized and a 6K is the better buy. Double that room and add a second rack, and 10kVA becomes the right call. The rack mount UPS sizing guide goes deeper on rack depth, cooling and runtime. If you land on the smaller size, see our 6kVA UPS guide for runtime and wiring.

Batteries and runtime

The 10kVA rating tells you how much load the UPS can carry. Runtime comes from the batteries, and that is where most of the difference in a quote sits. Tell us whether a generator takes over within a minute or two, or whether the UPS has to carry the room through the whole outage. The first needs a few minutes of battery. The second may need several battery boxes or cabinets.

Keep the room cool. Riello UPS notes that expected battery service life falls by 50% for every 10°C constant increase above the recommended 20 to 25°C. A server room in Mombasa without working air conditioning will eat batteries far faster than one in a cool Nairobi office. This is also one reason buyers pick the lithium (LiFePO4) option on the Greenpoint 10K or the Evo HF 10K.

Running a 10kVA UPS with a generator

Most sites that need a 10kVA UPS also have a generator. The UPS carries the load for the seconds it takes the genset to start, then runs off the generator until KPLC comes back. A common rule of thumb is to oversize the generator by 1.25 to 2 times the UPS output when it only supports the UPS, so the genset can also cover battery recharging.

All three SIEL 10kVA models are designed with generators in mind. The Safepower S and Evo HF draw current with distortion (THDi) of 3% or less at an input power factor of 0.99, which keeps stress off the genset and cabling. The Safepower S adds a diesel mode input, and the Greenpoint is listed by SIEL as generator compatible.

For planned maintenance cuts, keep an eye on the interruption notices Kenya Power posts on X. A planned shutdown is a good time to test that the UPS and generator hand over cleanly, before an unplanned one tests it for you. Our piece on keeping work going when stima imeenda covers backup planning for smaller setups.

Quick picks

• Bank branch, clinic or SME server room on single-phase power: Greenpoint 10K.
• Tight room, three-phase supply, staff who like a clear touchscreen: Safepower S 10K.
• A site that will grow, needs long runtime in one cabinet, or wants lithium: Safepower Evo HF 10K.

Getting a 10kVA online UPS from Encom

Encom Digital is SIEL’s only retailer in Kenya and East Africa. SIEL units are supplied on order and quoted per project, so there is no shelf price. What you pay depends on the model, the battery runtime and the installation. Our prices are quoted excluding VAT.

To get an accurate quote, send us your equipment list or measured load in watts, your supply type (single-phase or three-phase), the runtime you need, whether you have a generator, and the space you have. Request a quote on WhatsApp on +254 714 962 072, or Email us. You can also browse every model in our SIEL UPS range or visit us at Rehema House, 4th Floor, Standard Street, Nairobi.

Frequently asked questions