Yellowknife (Feb 13/06) - There you are about to finish a complicated desktop project when the city is plunged into darkness.

A total power failure shutting down the city, including your office's computers, is not the time to wonder if your "brains" will short out when the power returns.

A battery back-up may be just the ticket to thwart damage to your equipment when struck by brown-outs or all-out blackouts.

The back-up device holds energy in case of a power outage and can give you a few precious moments to avoid data loss or damage.

These battery back-up devices are becoming more popular in the city.

The cost to your business can be felt immediately.

If you did not save your computer work before the outage, you may have lost it for good in some situations.

Unfortunately, this scenario is familiar to many people in the city when they lose hours of work because their computers didn't have proper protection.

"Battery back-up is the best protection for your information," said Cat Szabo, a sales representative at Tamarack computers.

A battery backup is really just a buffer from power outages and also protects your computer from power surges.

"You can have an extra 15-30 minutes of power after the blackout starts," said Szabo.

"That's really nice if you need to save any unfinished work."

Tamarack has seen an increase in sales for the battery backup devices, said Szabo.

"We sell a lot after blackouts like the one last week," said Szabo recently.

Robin Williams is the manager of Roy's Audiotronics. He advises customers of the risks associated with a blackout. "Quite simply, your TV could just break."

For some people, television is an important part of their lives and most are choosing to spend more money on them.

Williams said high definition sets can cost $3,000 and up.

"With an investment like that, you shouldn't take chances," said Williams.

A battery back-up device can save your screen from damage as a result of outages, too.

"Electronics are finely tuned when it comes to power supply," said Williams.

"Any disruptions could destroy the inner mechanics."