An emergency generator is your best bet against being left in the dark. It’s no fun trying to live without electricity, yet that’s what you’re forced to deal with after a major storm or technical outage has impacted the power in your area.
You’re not only forced to fumble around in the dark living by candlelight but you could be wasting hundreds of dollars of food left to spoil in a refrigerator and freezer that isn’t functioning. Your HVAC system won’t be running during a power outage either, which can make it very uncomfortable or downright risky during those cold snaps and heatwaves. A power outage can pose significant risks to the elderly and the infirm who can’t handle extreme temperatures or need life-saving medical equipment at all times.
There’s no reason to be left without power, not when you have a multitude of choices of assorted generators and manual transfer switch kits to ensure that all of your essential electrical appliances areoperating properly.
If you live in an area where power outages are more routine than normal, the time is now to purchase the perfect whole house generator. Here are the things you must consider in order to pick the best one:
Capacity
You’re not really going to rely on most backup generators to power the entire house, the unit will be expected to provide juice to your basic essentials. Only you know what those are and you will need to figure out how much wattage you’ll need to cover those items, otherwise you’re not really solving the problem.
So the best way to figure this all out is by adding up the sum total of the wattage for all your appliances and devices. Find out what each one requires and come up with a complete tally. Be sure to account for startup wattage or you won’t have enough juice to power all the things you need during an outage.
Fuel
The generator that you ultimately purchase is going to run on a fuel of some kind. For most units, that will be either gasoline, propane, or natural gas. With so many options on the market, once you’ve determined your wattage requirements, you can start to narrow your choices based upon the necessary fuel for your generator.
The way to decide is to consider how easily you can store and fuel up the generator when you need to use it. Is it better for you to keep gasoline or propane around in case of an emergency? How about a source of natural gas? These are the things to consider when you make selection.
Portable vs. Stationary
Finally, you’ll need to decide which works best for your situation, a portable unit or something stationary. Each comes with its own set of pros and cons but this is about your ability to get the generator up and running in the event of a power failure. Portable units are usually less powerful running anywhere from 1kW to 3kW while stationary options can bring as much as 8kW to 16kW of wattage.