Imagine if you will, you are sitting around enjoying yourself and watching television. Just as the plot of whatever story you are watching rises to the point of highest interest…the power goes out and does not come back on. Anger and anguish as well as disappointment have taken control of your emotions. You have just entered an area both of space and time. You have just entered into…The No Power Zone!
What can you do about a “no-power” situation? For most folks, they just have to sit it out and wait for the power company to restore power…however long that takes. If it happens in the Summer, you can get through the heat but if it is in the Winter, it can be very difficult to survive in the cold. It should also be noted that in both temperature circumstances, people will die. Heat and cold can kill people who are susceptible to temperature extremes (weak health, aged, etc.). For those of us who could be considered as in good health, temperature extremes are just plain uncomfortable. It should also be taken into account that things requiring refrigeration can be lost during a power outage (frozen foods, medicines, etc.) and replacement costs for these now unfrozen items can add up. If you own a business, no power can mean no customer service and no income. If you own a market…you could lose all your refrigerated food and it could cost you your business. Think also about basement sump pumps or well pumps. Without power, your basement can flood or you cannot get any water for your home or business. Also, in the Winter, with no power and no heat as a consequence, water pipes can freeze and burst. Needless to say, having no power with the way our society lives, just does not work. We need power!
At this point you might be thinking, “Well, what can I do about this? I cannot make the power company do their work faster. I am stuck until they are done…am I not?” This is a great question and the answer is; You can do something and no, you are not stuck! You can generate your own power…if you have an Standby Electrical Generator for your home or business.
Simply put, a Standby Generator is a natural gas or propane powered electric power generator that can power your home. The generator is tied into the electrical system of your home and within seconds of power company power going out, your home generator kicks in automatically. You do not have to do anything to turn it on, because, for example, if you were away from your home and power went out, you could not turn the generator on, but with it being automatic…you are covered.
There are different sizes of power generators for all sizes of homes and businesses but all meet the needs of the home or business. A generator system consists of an engine which powers a generator, which sends power to an automatic transfer switch, in your building, which switches between the power company and your generator. The engine and generator are contained in a single enclosure ranging in size from a small desk 10kilowatt size up to a large conference table 100kilowatt size and up to small pick-up 350kilowatt size. In other words, there is a size available for every home/ business and every need.
As for maintenance, generators generally need to have an oil change after every 50 to 100 hours of use. Hours of use means how long it was used continuously. For example: If you have a generator running for 2 days straight with no time being off, you will need to change the oil at 50 hours of use. Off and on use to just make something to eat and to warm the house up and then shut the generator off for the night is considered as intermittent use and is not putting a strain on the generator system. Overall, generators are very easy to use and a blessing to have around when the power companies cannot provide power to your home/ business.
Now comes the heart of the matter: Can I afford a Standby Generator? The answer to this is…yes! These units are not that expensive and provide a great deal of mental comfort by knowing your home is not about to run out of power and everything you need to have functioning will remain functioning. Payments are more than acceptable but the key thing is the needs of you, your family and or your business being met. Be well!