Generators
Eventually, in almost all homes we will face power outages. Fallen trees or wires, storms and weather events, even car accidents can affect the power coming in to your home. A generator can keep your phones charged, your appliances running, and your family safe. People often buy their generator when the crisis hits and that can lead to serious problems. Sometimes they overpay for poor performing generators. Setting up their own generators during a crisis leads to many deaths. In fact in the summer of 2020, more than half of the deaths from Hurricane Laura were caused by generators and the carbon monoxide poisoning from people trying to do it themselves. Portable Inverter generators for instance can also be very tricky or expensive to hook up.
Right Sizing
Before purchasing a generator consider some of the household appliances and electric services you will not want to go without or may be running concurrently. Some approximate wattage requirements are:
Refrigerator 600 Watts
Sump Pump 1000 Watts
Heater 1500 Watts
Lights 30-300 watts
Computers 100-300 Watts
This guide by Consumer Reports can help you pick out the right fir for you!
Once you have decided how many watts you need, it is time to decide n a type. Here is a breakdown of whole house generators
Portable Inverter
Pros: These are good in a crisis. They are usually inexpensive ($500-$1000) and can be placed anywhere.
Cons: These units typically run on gasoline which can be dangerous and problematic to store in large quantities. They also rust and may not handle inclement weather well. They can be difficult to set up or start. Never run one inside your home. Keep 20 feet from your home and away from air conditioners and ventilation ducts!
Large inverter
Pros: Large inverters electronically throttle the engine up and down to meet demand instead of running full tilt all the time. The resulting improvement in efficiency means that you won't have to fill up the gas tank as often. These are quieter and have the ability to throttle to match your power needs. They also have better exhaust systems.
Cons: These units have better emissions but still need to be kept away form the home while running. They also need to have a transfer switch and will usually run on gasoline.
Home Standby
Pros: Standby generators are intended for permanent power protection. They produce consistent and stable power that computers and other sensitive electronic equipment can use safely. These units start automatically when power goes out and are much more capable to supply more power for longer periods of time. These units are much safer. They can be set up to run on natural gas or propane.
Cons: These tend to be a bit more expensive and are not movable.