Every home should be a haven from discomfort and hazards. However, a house deprived of electrical power—and without a backup generator—can rapidly turn into a danger zone as all the devices we’re so dependent upon become useless. It’s happening more and more: Incidents of extreme weather causing power outages are more common, as are man-made interruptions such as rolling blackouts when local utilities become overloaded. A house without electricity may be unfit for habitation, forcing residents to relocate to a shelter or other distant facility until power is restored.
Carrying The Load
Many residents keep a portable generator in the garage for camping trips and other light recreational use. However, the output of these units typically isn’t sufficient to carry the household electrical load during an outage. Moreover, they require long extension cords—a safety hazard in wet, stormy conditions—as well as produce dangerous carbon monoxide gas.
Standing By 24/7
Permanently installed behind or beside your house, a standby generator is the gold standard for emergency electrical power. About the same size as the outdoor component of a central A/C, a standby generator continuously monitors utility power and automatically activates in case of an outage. Because it’s hard-wired into your main electrical panel, no extension cords are necessary. The generator runs as long as grid power is down, then automatically shuts off again when power is restored. Most models are fueled by clean natural gas already piped into your home.
Standby generators are sized according to output in kilowatts.
- 7KW To 12KW. These models are sized to keep a limited number of outlets in the home powered up. Typically, these will serve critical functions such as lighting, refrigeration, cooking and communications.
- 12KW To 20KW. Integrating technology to sense changing power demand inside the house, these mid-range models automatically redistribute power among circuits in the home as requirements for electricity vary.
- 20KW to 50KW. Known as a “whole-house” unit, as the name implies, a generator in this category completely replaces utility power and provides sufficient electricity to accommodate all demand in the home.
For further details on the benefits of a standby generator, contact the professionals at Paschal Heat, Air & Geothermal.
Let us help keep your Northwest Arkansas home a haven from power outages and other home comfort and safety issues with standby generators, HVAC sales and service, geothermal systems and indoor air quality technology.
479.900.0784
