| Everything You Need To Know About Generators |
| Page: Residential Generator | Info on Residential Generators |
What is a Residential Generator?
Residential Generators, (commonly called standby
generators and home standby generators) are
generators that are permanently installed outside of your home and are generally fueled by liquid propane (LP) gas
either or natural gas.
When a power outage occurs, the residential generator kicks in and starts up automatically.
Depending on the brand, power can be restored in as little as 10 seconds and up to 40 seconds and the switchover is flawless.
It doesn’t matter whether you're home or away, these units are designed and installed to activate and provide back-up power as soon as they detect a power outage. When it the power goes out, an automatic transfer switch turns on the generator and automatically shuts it off once the power is restored.
Why Should a Homeowner Choose a Residential Generator?
The answer is actually quite simple. Go back around 10 years and the thought of owning a residential generator was not even a consideration for most homeowners. The thought seemed preposterous to most people. However, in today’s environment of home based business, telecommuters, Internet access and online college, living without electricity is not an option. Not even for an hour!
Certain homeowners simply cannot afford to ride out power outages like the recent ones in Florida and New York. To be prepared, just in case, they are installing residential generators in record numbers to protect their families, businesses and investments.
Why Not Just Use A Portable Generator Instead of a Residential Generator?
That’s a great question and there are a number of reasons. Yes, portable generators are less expensive than residential generators and they should be! However, don’t make the mistake of comparing the two because aside from the fact that they are both generators, there are very few things to compare.
Make sure that you note this crucial fact; a residential generator replaces, (in totality) the power that you were receiving from your local power company. Portable generators are not designed to facilitate such a demanding load. No portable generator is going to safely provide power for an entire house over an extended period of time.
With residential generators, everything is in place and when the power goes out, you don’t have to lift a finger. If a person is depending on a portable generator, they must retrieve the unit, start it up, plug in the extension cords, and constantly replenish the gasoline.
During power outages and various types of inclement weather, gas station pumps may not be working, which would be especially problematic if an individual is using a portable generator. Don’t get me wrong, portable generators have their place!
What I’m attempting to show I this: they are not designed to do what a residential generator is designed to do. Unlike portable generators, residential generators operate automatically with absolutely no human intervention. There are no generators to move in place or set-up. There are no power cords to connect and there are no gas tanks to constantly fill up.