Battery monitoring has become a very popular topic, and many companies have either purchased equipment or are in the process of evaluating these systems. This article discusseswhy monitoring is impor. It is now exactly twenty years since the first battery monitor was introduced. In fact, our original patent has expired. The first monitor was primarily designed to reduce maintenance hou. There are three ways that monitoring can provide cost savings that readily offset the initial cost of purchasing a monitor system: by reducing maintenance time, by optimizing batter. The time required to maintain the batteries in a typical small UPS battery cabinet, small telephone office, or power company substation, in accordance with IEEE standards, is at l. A permanently connected battery monitor reduces the need for maintenance personnel to directly contact the high voltages present in most battery systems. If the monitor identi.