The Power of Mother Nature

You hear a lot of people grumble about how generators are a waste of money – about how nothing bad enough will ever happen to warrant having one installed. The fact of the matter is that as long as our power lines are aboveground and we’re living in volatile Northeastern weather there will be power outages, and some of them will be longer than anticipated.

Almost every year we get at least one power outage from a daunting winter or tropical storm, and some of us have been unlucky enough to go more than 24 hours without power. In fact, after Hurricane Katrina, some Louisianans went a staggering 23+ days without service. The closest thing that we Northeasterners have to compare that to is Hurricane Sandy’s havoc in 2012, when two-thirds of New Jersey and a good chunk of New York lost power. Some were even blacked out for 13 days. And no, we’re not referring to the cast of Jersey Shore or that type of blackout. In all seriousness, the threat of a widespread power outage or blackout is very real in our sector of the country.

Modern Inconveniences

Investing in a generator is the only way to ensure you’ll have access to modern conveniences when the rest of your area is off the grid. Typically, homeowners have to worry about spoiled food, freezing inside temperatures, loss of plumbing, and loss of cooking capabilities when there’s a power outage, along with the total absence of creature comforts like lighting, cable television, Internet and the use of the washer and dryer. Needless to say, power outages are inconvenient given our technology-driven way of life.

Businesses can have it even worse when bad weather hits, and no one feels it harder than the business owner when there’s a missed day or even week of operation. Without computers, phones, lights and heat, it’s pretty much impossible to conduct business as usual unless your job is driving a snowplow or cleaning up fallen brush. Another thing to consider is that an estimated 40 million people in America work from home or telecommute, so if you’re one of those folks, a generator could kill two birds with one stone.

Do Something About It

There are a lot of things to consider when looking for a generator, and luckily Kelly Electric is here to help answer your questions and get the job done right. Contrary to popular belief, installing a generator is not a do-it-yourself job. If a job is not done by the book, you could be putting yourself, your family or utility workers in a dangerous situation. One big no-no is installing a generator in your garage, which is hazardous because the machine pumps carbon monoxide out into an enclosed area. Another issue that a lot of DIY installers overlook is how the unit gets hooked up to power. If done incorrectly, the generator can feed back into power lines and seriously injure local utility workers.

While we can take care of the install and all of the other details, it is up to you to ultimately decide what capabilities you’d like to have when your power goes out. Here are some examples of circuit ranges and power capabilities available in common generators:

7 kwh – Two Lighting Circuits
Power your fridge, sump pump, well pump, furnace fan, garage door, microwave and radio.

17 kwh – Four Lighting Circuits
Power everything listed above along with your oven, television, computers and central air.

48 kwh – 10 Lighting Circuits
Power your entire home or small business, including your outdoor jacuzzi or electric car.

There are plenty of in-between options available when it comes to generators. We can get you a great insider deal on a generator and we can also install it at a fair price, guaranteed. Like we said before, this is a job for an expert, so don’t put your safety at risk and try to be your own electrician.