Are you unwilling to endure another storm season in , never knowing when your home will lose power? Do you hate worrying about all the food that could be spoiling in your refrigerator and freezer or the water that could be backing up while your sump pump is offline? If you answered yes to any or all of these questions, then a whole-house generator is the solution you need. Unlike the old, loud models of the past, these cutting-edge systems do everything from periodic testing cycles to transferring power without requiring you to do anything.
What Whole-House Generators Have To Offer
In the past, residential backup generators took a lot of care and maintenance. Homeowners needed to regularly run the generator to ensure that it was ready to function in the event of a power failure. And when it was time to use the system, you needed to physically start the generator and transfer the power input from the grid to the generator. But today’s technology has significantly simplified the entire process. With a new whole-house generator, you will enjoy:
- Automated “exercise” and testing cycles
- An automatic transfer switch
- Quieter motor operation
- Lower RPM operating range for less noise
- Less regular maintenance
- Load management options to accommodate air conditioner function
- Capacity to backup your entire home
- More fuel choices
- Increased energy efficiency to decrease the fuel storage requirements
Selecting Your New Generator
Once you have decided that a whole-house backup generator is for you, the process is relatively straightforward. You have three significant steps to complete to determine the unit that will best meet your needs. These steps include:
- FUEL- Your fuel choices include natural gas, liquid propane, and diesel fuel. It is vital to consider your storage options, storage tank capacity, and fuel availability.
- SIZE- It can sound very intimidating to think about complex calculations and a grasp of electrical consumption when selecting the ideal generator for your home. However, the major manufacturers have taken all of that into account and created some very user-friendly tools to assist you. Kohler, Generac, and Cummings offer resources on their websites or a downloadable tool to assist you. All you need to do is enter the information specific to your home to select the perfect generator.
- TRANSFER SWITCH- The automatic transfer switch is the device that ensures you don’t need to lift a finger when your home loses power from the grid. It is constantly monitoring the power coming into your home from your power provider. When an outage or interruption in power is detected, the automatic transfer switch starts your generator and disconnects the power from the grid. Essentially, it is doing everything needed to switch over from the power company’s energy to the energy coming from your generator.
The Perfect Addition To Your Smart Home
If you are accustomed to monitoring all of your smart home features from your phone when you are away, you will be happy to learn that you can add your generator to that list of remotely accessible features. Some of the online features include remote diagnostics, and a system check to ensure that your home will have backup power even if you are away. This can be essential for protecting items in your refrigerator, freezer, wine coolers, or even your home electronics.
To learn more about your options for a new whole-house generator, call (541) 234-8864. The experts at Excel Electric will be happy to answer your questions and schedule an appointment to evaluate your home and current electrical consumption to help you select the perfect backup generator for your home.