3 Reasons to Consider a Generator for Your Home
Reasons to consider a generator for your home are all around you: your lights, cooking and refrigeration needs, as well as communications and those high-tech electronics, too. Not to mention your family’s safety and security. Studies show that, even as our dependence on technology has spiraled upwards, the utility grid has become less reliable. Blackouts and brownouts are more common and tend to last longer than ever before utility power is restored. A home without electricity for any length of time these days can be downright inhospitable. In fact, simple power loss may necessitate evacuating the house until the grid comes back up again.
But there’s more than just convenience and comfort at stake. Here are three more good reasons to consider a generator:
- It’s always ready. A backup generator permanently installed behind or beside your home is hardwired directly into your main electrical panel and constantly monitors utility power. When an outage is detected, the system switches home circuits from the grid to the generator, then automatically starts the generator. No action is required by residents to keep electrical power flowing to the house when the grid goes down. A home backup generator typically runs off clean natural gas already piped to your home and not affected by power outages.
- It’s the safer alternative. Small portable generators are designed for recreational use like camping — not to power your household. These gasoline-powered units emit hazardous carbon monoxide gas and must be placed a distance from the house or risk the danger of poisoning occupants. Long extension cords must be strung out — an electrical hazard in stormy weather that often accompanies power outages.
- It offers options. The most basic, lowest output home generator provides sufficient output to accommodate a specified number of critical circuits and keep occupants safe and comfortable. More intelligent units actually track household power use and automatically redistribute output of electricity among various circuits as demand shifts. “Whole-house” generators totally replace utility power and provide full electricity to all circuits.
For more good reasons to consider a generator, ask the experts at Apollo Home Heating, Cooling, Electric and Plumbing.