How to Select a Home Generator
With natural disasters seemingly occurring more and more in the world these days, residents who are living or have lived through them are looking for survival tools for the inevitable rebuilding process. Often lack of power brings lack of food and a way to prepare it. Freezers and refrigerators full of food are lost. With no power, there is no way to run saws or lights and therefore no rebuilding can start. The survivor must rely on the power company or governmental agencies to repair public utilities before normal lives can start being restored. In the past charcoal and a camping stove were the answers to food problems. These days, a permanent standby generator is an answer to many post tragedy problems. A standby generator is not like a portable generator that requires tanks and tanks of gasoline. Whole house generators are permanently installed and are hooked up to the home's main electrical panel and automatically flip on when electricity goes out. The power box is next to and connects to the home's exterior electrical panel. The generator panel can sense when the home has stopped receiving electricity and will prompt the system to switch the home over to generator power. The whole house generator is a luxury item, costing $9,000 to $15,000 to install. The generator can produce anywhere from 8 kilowatts to 1000 kilowatts of electricity. That amount of electricity can light up your entire house and allow you to watch television as well. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Install natural gas at your house. If natural gas is not available, a buried propane tank can be used to power the generator.
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Buy a 17-kilowatt unit. It will power basic appliances and one A/C unit for a 2000-3000 square foot house. Have an electrician tell you what is best for you.
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Operate the unit as long as the natural gas is operable. The unit can run indefinitely as long as you have natural gas to power it.
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Count on spending between $9,000.00 and $15,000.00, installed.
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Figure on spending about $150.00 per year for an annual maintenance check.
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Tips & Warnings
An electrician must install the generator, get all permits and inspections.
