You have many options available to make sure you’re prepared for all that winter can throw at you, from installing a smart thermostat to properly maintaining your HVAC system. However, one of the most important things is ensuring that you have reliable power. Homeowners in northern Arkansas know how easily a severe winter storm can knock out power to their home. This is why many homeowners are choosing to install a standby generator.
Benefits of standby generators
If a severe storm strikes, the power might be off for days. If this happens, especially during the warmer months, you can lose any food stored in your refrigerator, as well as any medications that require refrigeration. In the winter, forced-air heating systems require an electric-powered blower, which won’t work if the power goes out. The same goes with electric-powered water heaters. In addition, many people have medical assistant devices, such as ventilators or humidifiers, which need electrical power to operate. For these people, the loss of power can be a serious or even life-threatening matter. Even for healthy individuals, a standby generator will help to maintain the comfort and safety of the home.
Choosing your generator
Standby generators have many advantages over small portable units. Because standby generators are connected directly to your home’s electrical system and fuel supply, they are always ready for use, and will automatically turn on when the unit detects a power outage. In addition, while standby units are fueled either by propane or natural gas, portable units have to be manually refilled with gasoline every few hours. Finally, a large standby generator can provide far more power than a small portable unit, allowing you to power your entire home, rather than just a few specific items. Yet, at the same time, you can choose a smaller standby generator to power just essential circuits.
Because standby generators are connected directly to your home’s electrical wiring and natural gas or propane line, you should hire a professional contractor to install the unit. If you have any questions about generators or other home-energy and comfort issues, please contact us at Paschal Heat, Air & Geothermal. We serve northwest Arkansas with quality HVAC services.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Northwest Arkansas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about standby generators and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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