The Answer Guide

How Can I Keep My Lights On?

How does a home generator work?...How much do they cost?...
What’s involved in the installation? How does a home generator work?

A generator is reliable supplemental power. It's light when the lights go out and a steady supply of power for your electronics when utility power fluctuates. If there is a hiccup in the power, a "transfer switch" activates the generator to restore electricity. This process happens in a matter of seconds. When the utility power comes back to a steady state, the transfer switch reverses the process, shuts down the generator and continues monitoring. Generators also perform automatic weekly maintenance tests to ensure readiness when required.

How much do they cost?
It depends. There are different amounts of power they can supplement. Average homes only require 100 Amp generators, however they also come in 200, 400, and 600 Amps. Our technician should be able to tell you which one will fit your home. Generators save money by keeping food refrigerated, protecting your home from failing sump pumps and frozen pipes, keeping your home office in business, and maintaining your heating and air conditioning systems.

What’s involved in the installation?
You pick the size and we do the rest. We’ll place the generator near your main power distribution panel and route through that system. We also route the transfer switch (inside or outside), the generator power emergency disconnect (outside of the home), and anything else unique to your home that connects to the generator. Then we test and certify its operation.

A Few Facts

• The New York Blackout of 2003 was the largest blackout in North American history, affected nearly 10 million people, and caused an estimate of $10 billion dollars in financial losses.
• America’s demand for electricity is projected to increase 40% in the residential sector, 63% in the commercial sector, and 17% in the industrial sector by 2030. (Source: EEI.org)
• In late July of 2006, America hit an all time weekly record of electric output, which was surpassed two weeks later. (Source: EEI.org)
• According to North American Electricity Reliability Corporation believes that in the next few years America’s electricity use will be at or below risky levels.

The Answers You Need
We flip a switch and expect the lights to brighten the room. It’s hard to imagine the room remaining dark. When power does go out, we know that it will come back soon. Except, we’ve learned in recent years that what we’ve always considered so reliable, may not be. There are blackouts due to damage from hurricanes and ice storms. There are blackouts due to transmission problems that may be hundreds of miles away. There are even blackouts due to state political moves. As blackouts have become more widespread (or at least, more widely reported), entrepreneurs have stepped up and created solutions. Today, automatic residential standby generators can help concerned homeowners keep the lights on even when the utility system fails.

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