Why do you need a standby home generator? Find out the answers here as well and how Vancelectric is here to help so you never lose power again.

Benefits of Backup Generators

Backup generators like Generac generators have a lot of benefits. They provide power for homes and businesses during power outages of all kinds.



Backup generators can be vital for businesses that can't afford to lose power, like healthcare providers, banks, retail stores, and more. For these businesses, losing power could result in theft, injury, panic, or worse. 

In less severe cases, backup generation simply helps businesses stay in business and keep their doors open. Restaurants can continue serving food, retail stores can continue selling products, and laundromats can continue washing and drying clothes.

Home generators can be a major comfort for families with young children. If there's a violent storm outside and you lose power, it can be terrifying for kids. Having a backup generator that automatically brings everything back to normal can go a long way towards getting your family through the night.

Additionally, a home backup generator that kicks on during the day will help your family function normally. Kids can continue doing homework on the computer, you and your spouse can continue watching TV or preparing dinner, etc.

Standby Generators Vs Portable Generators

There are two types of backup generators. There are stationary standby generators and portable generators. 

Each comes with their own list of unique benefits. You'll need to assess your power needs and potential circumstances to find out which one is more appropriate for your home or business. 

Standby Generators

Standby generators offer an automatic transfer of power when your main power source fails. Typically, they're tied into your natural gas line or run off of liquid propane. They're set up to automatically turn on if your power fails, usually in under a minute. 



Because of how they're tied into your existing power lines, professional installation services are required for maximum safety and proper operation. Once installed, standby generators should create enough energy to power your entire home and all of its electronics and appliances.

If it's tied in with your gas line, you'll have infinite energy. If it's running off propane, you need to make sure the tanks are always full and ready for an emergency.

Portable Generators

Portable generators aren't as big, powerful, or convenient as standby generators. However, therein may lie their appeal to some home or business owners. Portable generators are small, and as their name suggests, portable. 

They run on natural gas, liquid propane, or gasoline and can be used to power a small number of appliances or several electronics. If the power goes out, you'll need to manually fire up a portable generator and run extension cords to the appliances or electronics you wish to power. 

Additionally, you'll need to make sure your portable generator remains outside, to avoid poisoning your household with noxious fumes. You'll also need to stay vigilant while monitoring fuel levels during long power outages, as refueling is also done manually.

Who Needs a Standby Generator

You may still be wondering if you need a home generator or a backup generator for your business. Ultimately, it depends on your needs, your circumstances, and how prepared you want to be for future power outages. 

For example, hundreds of thousands of people have lost power due to this summer's hurricane season. Even though many of their homes were untouched by other damages, they were still affected by massive, long-lasting power outages. 

You need to ask yourself if you're vulnerable to power outages and whether or not it's a major concern for your home or place of business.

Homeowners

To assess your needs, think about the ways a home generator could make your life easier. For example, if you work from home and use the internet and electronic devices, a power outage could significantly disrupt your productivity. Even if all you had was a small portable home generator, it would still allow you to work uninterrupted.

Generac generators that power the whole home can also prevent food from going bad in the fridge and freezer during long power outages. Even more importantly, a backup generator will keep your home at a safe and comfortable temperature. A power failure during the dead of winter could be life-threatening without a secondary source of power.



Business Owners

Business owners must also think about standby generators in terms of their individual needs. If you lost power for several hours or days to your business, would you suffer any damages to goods?

Alternatively, what about your customers? How much business would you lose if you didn't have power for multiple days on end?

You also need to think about the issues mentioned above like safety and security. If the lights went out during hours of operation, would your customers be at risk of hurting themselves? Would your business be at risk for theft due to low visibility and non-functioning security cameras?

Are You Interested in a Home Generator or Standby Generator for Your Business?

Now that you know a little about backup generators, the question is: do you need one? Whether you're looking out for your family's health, comfort, and safety or want to make sure your business is never interrupted by another power outage, we can help.



Contact us today for a free on-site inspection to determine your generator needs. And for more information, be sure to check out some of the other articles in our blog.