Electricity is the lifeline of most homes today, meaning outages can significantly disrupt your daily life. While blackouts are inevitable, you can combat power cuts with a generator.
An emergency standby generator can ensure uninterrupted power supply, comfort, and safety for you and your loved ones during unexpected outages. Keep reading to learn more about 4 reasons why you need an emergency standby generator.
What is an Emergency Standby Generator?
An emergency standby generator is a backup power solution designed to power your home during outages. It’s typically equipped with a sophisticated sensor called an automatic transfer switch (ATS) that continuously monitors your electricity supply.
Upon detecting a power cut, the ATS automatically disconnects your home from the utility grid and connects it to the emergency standby generator. The ATS then signals the generator to start within seconds of an outage, ensuring a continuous power supply.
The generator continues to operate until the ATS senses that the main utility power has returned. Once grid power is stable, the ATS disconnects your home from the generator and reconnects it to utility power.
The generator then goes through a cool-down period, where it continues running without a load for a short time before shutting down. This process prepares it for the next blackout.
Why Should You Have an Emergency Standby Generator?
There are many benefits to having an emergency standby generator, including:
1. It Can Save You Money
An emergency standby generator can save you money in several ways:
Prevents Flood Damage
During an outage, an unpowered sump pump may cause basement flooding when it’s raining, snowing, or sleeting. Flood damage repair and replacement can run in the tens of thousands.
By installing an emergency standby generator, you can keep your sump pump powered even through extended outages, protecting your home from water damage and the resulting costly repairs.
Preserves Food
You likely spend hundreds of dollars monthly on food in the freezer and refrigerator. When there’s a blackout, you only have a small window of time before your food goes bad.
If the doors remain unopened, your refrigerator can keep food safely cold for approximately 4 hours, while food in a freezer may stay safely cold or frozen for up to 48 hours, depending on how full it is. Without electricity for prolonged periods, food can quickly become unsafe to eat, forcing you to throw it out.
With an emergency standby generator, you won’t have to worry about losing all the food in your refrigerator. A generator can ensure your refrigeration system remains operational and keeps your food safe, helping you save hundreds of dollars on groceries.
Protects Electronics and Appliances
A power surge is an abrupt spike in voltage. It’s common to experience surges when power is restored after an outage.
Power surges briefly increase the electrical current flowing through your equipment, which can degrade or damage your appliances and electronics. Repairing or replacing this damaged equipment can be quite costly.
However, an emergency standby generator can shield your devices from surges and preserve their longevity. It will only switch your home back to the grid when power has stabilized, minimizing the risk of surges that can happen when power is restored.
2. It Can Protect Critical Systems
Prolonged outages can threaten the comfort and safety of you and your loved ones. You can avoid these disruptions to your life with a generator.
An emergency standby generator is powerful enough to power critical systems like cooling, heating, lighting, plumbing, appliances, and vital medical equipment, even during lengthy, drawn-out outages. It automatically kicks in when grid power fails, ensuring essential systems continue running smoothly without interruption.
3. It Can Keep Your Home Secure
Without electricity, your security system won’t work. This can leave your home vulnerable to security breaches.
As the darkness creeps in, it can increase security threats as thieves and intruders exploit blackouts. A generator minimizes the risk of intrusions, burglaries, and other threats during outages.
When the lights go out, your home won’t be left unprotected. A standby generator can ensure your security system, including surveillance cameras, alarms, and lighting, remains functional and deters intruders, keeping you, your loved ones, and your property safe.
4. It Can Give You Peace of Mind
Many homeowners who live in areas plagued by blackouts or often hit by inclement weather that knocks out their power are investing in emergency standby generators to give them greater peace of mind. In a widespread blackout, it can take days or sometimes weeks before power is restored.
You don’t want to be without a working HVAC when it’s sweltering hot or below freezing. Having your own backup power will ensure your home stays powered, comfortable, and safe.
Additionally, if you or a family member has a health condition that requires electrically-powered medical equipment such as ventilators, motorized wheelchairs, or nebulizers, having a generator isn’t just a convenience but a necessity. As soon as the power goes out, your standby generator will automatically kick in within 10 to 20 seconds, providing constant power to your home.
You won’t have to worry about the safety of your home, yourself, or loved ones, even during unexpected outages. That said, anyone who owns a home should consider investing in a standby generator.
It gives access to uninterrupted power when the grid is down. Outages may last from several minutes to hours to days, and knowing that you’ll have power no matter what can give you peace of mind that’s well worth the investment.
Are you interested in saving money, protecting your home, and enjoying peace of mind by investing in an emergency standby generator? Contact the professionals at Pow’r Point today.
