When thinking about electricity, and the things we need electricity to operate within your home, it becomes no surprise that so many consumers have decided to equip their homes with power generators.
However, with this, it becomes a pressing question of how much this new power generator will cost.
While the idea of being without power could become a devastating event by itself, the true importance of electricity comes with what it operates. Of course, we aren’t worried about the television or the printer in these situations.
Of course, generators become a great resource for recreational use, being a great power source on-the-go for camping, parties, or those less desirable work sites. They also become a great life source in time of power loss.
It’s said that the average consumer maintains around $247 dollars worth of food within their refrigerator at a time, not taking into account deep freezers or secondary cold storages found in many homes. Depending on the true monetary loss of food, this cost could have a drastic impact on a family.
Most cooking sources found in homes require electricity of some sort to operate, regardless if you’re a fan of the microwave, stove, or oven. Even gas cooking requires your local utilities to maintain electricity, and like all stable sources of power, as much as we would like to believe there is no risk of loss, we are buying a generator due to our understanding of the possibility.
The ability to stay warm or cold in the harsh seasons becomes vital for many people during power outages. Every year, extreme weather causes power outages during large snow falls or heat waves, putting lives at risk.
Many people in rural areas utilize wells in order to get clean drinking water. If you utilize well water, electricity is needed to lift the water from the ground and supply pressure to your lines. For people living with city water, electricity is still needed by your local utility company to maintain that water.
Individuals with health issues should also consider an important upgrade to a generator, as your health unfortunately does not consider the fact that the power has gone out, and needed medical supplies will need to remain operating.
Lighting can be an important aspect to safely make your way around your home. In situations of power loss where generators are needed, LED lighting earns a whole new advantage as less power is needed to operate the lights.
It’s important to understand the value of outdoor solar lighting in these instances, as they could be brought inside to be used as lighting in power outage situations.
Companies such as Boundery have taken power loss safety one step further by creating the EBULB™ Emergency Power LED Light Bulb, which is an LED light bulb which screws into your normal light socket, which has an internal battery. This battery charges while the light is operating normally, and if sudden power loss does occur the light instantly turns on to provide vision. The bulbs can also be removed and utilized as a hand held light.
It’s important to understand what generators do in the first place--generators use a fuel source to run a motor, which ultimately generates power. When considering buying a generator, you should consider three main questions:
We will be focusing on home use generators, but larger units can be found to run businesses from small shops to large corporations.
With the cost of fuels being an always changing component to generators, you should always check your local fuel prices and availability to calculate your estimated consumption. Resources for average fuel prices within your state may also help in making your decision.
GASOLINE
Gasoline has become a popular fuel type for home generators, due to availability of fuel and the fact most consumers have other reasons for having gasoline on hand, such as lawn mowers. With any gasoline engine, you should thoroughly read the manual for your device to understand if there are limitations on alcohol content, and if the fuel should be pre-mixed with oil.
DIESEL
Diesel generators have become a popular option in rural areas due to availability of fuel at most rural gas stations, used to fuel trucks, farm equipment, and semis. The lower RPM engine also allows a lower fuel consumption, and increased longevity.
NATURAL GAS
Natural gas has become a great fuel source for home use, and the same could be said for home generators. These generators are tapped into the natural gas running into your home, and are a stationary unity.
When buying a generator, you should always consider where you could possibly use the unit. For many people, a generator will remain the backup for your home with no possibility of being used elsewhere. In this case, any of these fuel options would be great choices.
If your generator will be used elsewhere, or need to be stored away from its location of use, you will need to buy a generator on wheels. This will limit you to diesel or gasoline generators, as the natural gas generators will need to be hard wired to the house.
With generators which will be moved, or be portable, you will have a starter or pull cord attached to the generator directly. Be sure to gain an understanding of how your generator operates to avoid fumbling or fighting with it when you actually need it. Many stationary units are also manually started by the owner, meaning once a loss of power occurs, you would need to go outside to start the generator by either a starter or by hand. Consider utilizing outdoor solar power lights to ensure you have light, even if the power has failed.
An option for stationary generators, which many homeowners prefer, is a control unit which connects to the power source in your home. At any point in time your home loses power, your generator will start and begin powering your home. This hands free system means regardless if you're sleeping or away at work, your home will be powered.
Generators are a great resource for any home, from protecting your home during loss of power to creating a portable power source. With high cost variability, it’s important to understand what fuel is available locally to you.
The most important thing any homeowner can do is reduce power usage. By reducing needed power, you are able to buy a smaller generator. You could reduce electrical usage by gradually buying energy saving appliances, or changing all of your lighting to LED lights as an easy start.
Sources
https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/success/ct-cost-family-refrigerator-20170728-story.html
https://www.wpowerproducts.com/what-is-a-natural-gas-generator/