It’s late in the evening. The weather has been brutal all day with one of the worst ice storms that the southeast has seen in decades. You have just finished dinner with your family, grateful that your wife had the foresight to get at least a week’s worth of groceries the day before. You check the thermostat, 72 degrees. Even though it’s in the low 20’s and a howling wind outside, you relax knowing that your children will be safe and warm while they sleep. You grab a snack from the fully stocked fridge and prepare to enjoy a little quiet time in front of the TV now that the kids are asleep...and then it happens! You hear the unmistakable sound of a tree, overburdened with ice, come crashing to the ground. Seconds later all is quiet and you sit there in the dark. Several thoughts flash through your mind. How will we stay warm? What will happen to the $200 worth of groceries that we just put in the refrigerator? How will we cook our food? “These must be the questions people are asking themselves right now,” you think to yourself as you calmly start your emergency generator. With the flip of a switch, your central heat comes back on, your groceries are saved, and your children continue to sleep safe and warm in their beds.
This is a scenario that plays out countless times in Georgia. Whether it be from an ice storm, traffic accident, equipment failure, or more recently hurricanes, as well as other disasters, there are numerous reasons that we in Georgia need to be prepared for power outages. People who have small children or that take care of someone with special needs make having an emergency generator almost a necessity. You must have a constant supply of power to run needed medical equipment, warm a bottle, keep your home warm, and the list goes on. The truth is that everyone can benefit from having an emergency generator. The risk of loss or damage during a power outage is very high. Anything from spoiled food and flooded basements, to frozen and broken water pipes can be expected during a prolonged power outage. The solution to the potential problems is the installation of a portable emergency generator system, and it’s probably not as expensive as you think.
For most residential applications, a simple 5000 watt portable generator is enough to provide power to the necessary systems in your home during a power outage. There are several things to consider when deciding what to “power-up” with your generator. You want to try to keep it to the basic support systems in your home. Things such as your furnace, kitchen outlets, stove top, and refrigerator are at the top of the list. You will also need to add lights in certain parts of the house as well as any sump pumps for your basement or septic system that you may have. You can also splurge if you want, and add your TV, computer, or other small convenience items that you may want to use sparingly. As a general rule, you would not put excessive “comfort appliances” such as your A/C or hot tub on your system. These items use quite a bit of power and could easily over burden the typical emergency generator.
The system is simple, consisting of a portable generator, a special waterproof receptacle on the side of your house, and a generator panel. The portable generator makes it possible to store your generator out of the elements while not in use. The generator panel keeps your generator protected from over current when the utility company restores power to your area as well as prevents power lines that may be laying in your yard from becoming energized from your generator thus eliminating a shock hazard. The cost of this type of system is very affordable starting at around $2000.00, including the generator.
Many homeowners decide on a fixed-in-place generator. This unit is permanently fixed on a pad similar to your air conditioner. It is fueled by natural gas or propane, depending on which fuel type is available at your home. These systems are a bit more expensive than the portable set up but offer a complete hands-free approach to operation. These units will sense when utility power is lost, start up the generator, and automatically switch the breaker panel from utility power to generator power. After power has been restored by the utility company the unit senses this and reverses the process, switching the house back to utility power and turning off the generator.
Whether you opt for portable or fixed-in-place, the decision to add an emergency generator system is one to be contemplated during the “calm before the storm”. You do not want to wait until bad weather is imminent as supplies are commonly unavailable during these events. With any major weather event such as hurricanes and ice storms, generator supplies throughout the entire southeast quickly become depleted and are generally not available for a month or more after the event. As well as dwindling supplies, it may also be difficult to get your system installed before the storm hits if you opt for the wait-and-see method of decision making.
Being prepared for emergencies brings comfort and peace of mind to those who have taken the time to put a plan in place. It’s nice to sit back and watch the unpredictable Georgia weather unfold from the comforts of your home knowing that you are covered no matter what mother nature decides to bring your way!
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