Protect Your Home from Power Outages

Everyday life depends so much on electrical power. Refrigerators, lighting, central air conditioning and heat, telephones, security systems, and computers are no longer luxuries, but necessities. What happens to your home when the power goes out?

If you have an automatic standby generator, your home will be well-equipped to weather power outages. Recent weather events in Central Texas have reminded homeowners that our power supply is highly susceptible and that when it goes out, they are not only inconvenienced, their health and well-being may also be compromised.

Wired into a home’s electrical load panel and connected to a natural gas line or liquid propane tank, automatic standby generators sit on call, waiting for a power outage. An automatic transfer switch manages the power supply by sensing when utility power is lost, signaling the generator to start up, and transferring designated electrical loads to the generator power supply within seconds. It also senses when utility power returns, transfers loads back to the utility supply, and shutting down the generator. Even when you are not at home, an automatic generator will keep critical systems operating, an important benefit in our hot/humid area where a few days without air conditioning can allow mold and mildew to grow or during severe cold weather where loss of heat can allow water pipes to freeze.

Several technological improvements have made standby generators more efficient and compact, quieter, easier to use, and able to supply “clean” power. Some generators still use manual transfer switches, but automatic transfer switches have started to replace them. In addition to automatically transferring loads from utility to generator and back again, automatic transfer switches also exercise the generator periodically to keep it functioning properly. Some switches incorporate alarms to notify the homeowner when the generator needs service.

A few manufacturers are developing wireless handheld monitors that provide homeowners with a familiar interface to help them manage their generators. Future innovations may include Web interfaces so homeowners can access their generators from anywhere and to enable generators to send e-mail notifications when maintenance is required.

Though most power outages are brief, longer lapses can cause costly damage. The expense of one insurance deductible may very well cover the cost to get at least some minimal protection in the form of a low-kilowatt standby generator.

For additional information on back-up generators check out these websites:

www.homegeneratorsystems.com
www.colemanpowermate.com
www.guardiangenerators.com