If you own your own home and live in a region that experiences power outages, you may have considered buying a generator. If you have a 20 kW generator to use for emergencies, you can run about 80% of your household appliances. If you get a larger unit that is not portable, you will generate between 5,000 and 15,000 watts. These can very often power your entire house. This includes your air conditioning unit and home heating system. Smaller and mid sized generators will put out somewhere between 3,000 and 8,500 watts.
Reasons to Buy a Standby Generator:
- They will go longer than portable versions. Standby generators are generally linked to a fuel source such as liquid propane or natural gas. When you have a portable generator, the length of time it runs will always be limited by the amount of fuel you have on hand. This means you have to go out to get more if you want your home heating system, for instance, to keep running. If your region has been hit by a major storm like Super Storm Sandy, it may be hard for you to get away and get more fuel. Standby generators can keep your home nice and warm after a bad blizzard or cool after a hurricane.
- They will keep your family safe during a storm. Most standby generators are connected to the utility company. Because of this, when there is any kind of interruption in your power, the sensors in the generator will know it and the unit will kick in and turn on when you need it to. If you have a portable generator, once your power has gone out, you have to set it up. This will require you to go outside in the potentially dangerous storm, set up your unit and then get it started. Your standby generator can keep your lights on and your family safe through the bad weather.
- The essential appliances and home systems will stay on. Your air conditioning and home heating system will keep on running during bad weather when you have a standby generator. You can also keep your television on, which can help keep your family occupied and distracted during what can be a scary time. You can keep up with the weather reports easier if you have access to cable, satelite television and the internet.
- Save money on food. When the power goes out, that can mean all of the food in your freezers and refrigerators can go bad. With a standby generator, not only will your home heating system or air conditioning unit stay on, but your freezers and refrigerators will stay on as well. This will keep your food fresh.
- Avoid flood damage with your working sump pump. If you have a home with a sump pump, you want to keep that running if you have a bad storm come through that may cause flooding. If you have a portable generator or none at all, you run the risk of suffering from real flood damage to your house. With a standby generator, your sump pump will keep working through the storm. This can be really important in terms of keeping your house safe, secure and dry.
- Have more peace of mind with a standby generator. Power outages can be very stressful. Power surges can damage your appliances and computer equipment. If your home heating system goes out when you suffer a power outage, your home may get to be too cold for your family to stay there. Finding hotel accommodations right after a bad storm may be next to impossible. If you have a standby generator, you will weather any storm without losing electricity to your home. This can really help alleviate some of the stress that comes along with serious storms.
Having a standby generator can really be a great thing to get you though severe storms such as hurricanes and blizzards. Even the best HVAC system maintenance cannot make up for the peace of mind you get when you have a standby generator keeping your home heating system and air conditioning unit on even when the power is out.