MOST UNDERRATED FEATURES

In over a decade of working in RE, I've seen buyers and tenants obsess over the usual condo criteria: amenities, gym, how many units per floor, you name it.

But there’s one feature that almost never comes up in conversation—yet in real life, it makes a massive difference:

Does the building have 100% backup power?

You’d think this would be a bigger deal, especially in a country like ours where power interruptions are still a reality. Maybe people have forgotten the frequent brownouts of the 1990s. Or maybe we’ve become so used to the occasional blackout that we've normalized the inconvenience.

But the reality is, we’re more reliant on power than ever before. From work-from-home setups to digital appliances, a loss of electricity now disrupts our lives.

Not All Backup Power is Created Equal

Here’s a quick breakdown of the four tiers of backup power found in Philippine condos:

1. No Backup at All

– When the grid goes down, everything stops—hallways, elevators, even emergency lighting.

2. Partial Backup

– Hallways, elevators, and lobby lights might stay on. But individual units are left in the dark.

– Some will allow you to run low-voltage essentials like lights, or fans.

3. 100% Backup Power

– The gold standard. Everything in your unit (yes, even air-conditioning, oven, washer/dryer) continues to function just seconds after the outage.

Why This Matters

Power interruptions aren’t as rare as you think. In fact, one upscale condo complex in Makati reportedly experiences outages at least once a year. Causes range from blown transformers to accidental hits on transmission lines during road construction. In one instance, the building lost power for nearly a week.

Fortunately, that building had a massive backup generator that kicked in and kept residents living comfortably the entire time. Elevators ran. Lights stayed on. Aircon hummed.

Final Thought

So the next time you’re choosing a condo—whether for investment or personal use—don’t just check the pool and the gym. Ask about the backup power. You might not need it often, but when you do, you’ll be very glad it’s there.

Bonus Trivia: Brownout vs. Blackout

Ever wonder why Filipinos use the word brownout instead of blackout?

They're not actually the same thing:

A brownout is a partial loss of electricity—usually a drop in voltage. Lights may dim or flicker, but they’re still on.

A blackout, on the other hand, is a total power loss. Everything goes out.

In the Philippines, the two terms are often used interchangeably, but now you know the difference.