Backup generators are essential tools for your home when there is an extended period of power shortage. This is a rare occurrence, but is likely to happen during bad weather seasons, and it could take up to days before power problems are resolved. When this happens, the last thing you want is to be stuck without a power supply for you and your family, thus you must look for a backup generator beforehand.
In the presence of a backup generator, your appliances are kept running until regular power supply is resumed. Examples of the appliances that concern people the most during extended power outages are the refrigerator, lighting, heating and cooling systems, etc. With a backup generator, despite power outage you cannot stay in the dark or suffer from excess heat or freeze due to cold or throw away your food.
There are three types of backup generators you can choose from for your home; portable, emergency, or standby generators. Portable generators are not dedicated for home use, but people use them anyway for emergencies. They are operated outside and can serve a home for up to around eight hours.
Emergency backup generators are handy to keep critical appliances running during power outages, and they can only be used outside as well. They are better options as compared to portable generators, but not very easy to operate as compared to standby generators.
Standby generators are the best to have during blackouts. They have a transfer switch that supplies power to your home immediately energy is lost in under a minute. They are more dependable than the other backup generators and use multiple fuel types, but are costly.
Before buying a backup generator, there are a few things you must consider. The first one is your spending power. The amount of money you have allocated for your backup generator will influence its quality, model, and size. Your budget can also be controlled by the kind of generator recommended for you and the model you end up buying.
To establish the right type of generator you require, you should analyze your previous energy bills. Choose the highest wattage you ever used in your home and add an extra 25 % of the total to it and you will have a number of watts to work with comfortably. Look for a generator that can adequately support your needs to make it valuable.
Note that, diesel generators are cheaper to operate, making them excellent options for extended periods of power shortage. Disconnecting appliances that are not being used when you power your generator allows you to save energy. Insulating your home properly can also reduce your energy load significantly and the amount you spend on a generator during its purchase.
