Generators

Once thought of as a luxury item for the well-to-do, as our homes and our lives have become more dependent on electrical appliances and electronic devices, backup residential generators have become more of a necessity. Too often with rolling blackouts, an aging electrical infrastructure and more instances of severe weather homeowners have increasingly found themselves with homes that are completely inoperable and left many with little choice but to plan ahead and provide their own electrical service just as people used to stock food for emergencies.

Residential Generator Options

There are two basic types of residential generators that you can buy for your home. You can choose from either a portable generator or an automatic unit. They both serve the same basic purpose with the main differences in the two is a matter of convenience, cost and available size.

An automatic or standby generator will, in the event of a power failure, start itself and then switch power to through the designed circuits to power your desired appliances. With a portable generator, you have to run drop cords and hook up those appliances you want to power by hand. Then start the generator.

While there are larger portables available, you will normally be very limited as to how many and what size electrical devices you will be able to provide power for. Standby generators, on the other hand, can be sized to provide as much or little electrical power as you may desire. It is not unusual to have systems that run complete homes including HVAC systems.

Another consideration that you may want to take into account is fuel usage. Automatic generators come in models designed to run on gasoline, diesel, propane and LPG. These last two are particularly convenient. They give you the freedom to supply as much fuel as may be necessary for long periods without power. A portable generator, on the other hand, will pretty well restrict you to using gasoline as a fuel and it will have to be refueled by hand every few hours in order to keep providing service.

To further explore your options in residential generators, contact Electrician Pro Today.