Make Your Home Power Outage Proof

When I was in the 8th grade, our neighborhood lost power for four days one summer and my dad got out his work generator. We plugged in the air conditioner and a lamp because that’s about all it could support. I remember carrying the lamp from room to room and living on takeout. It was boring, but not unbearable - but this was 1997, when landlines were still common and we were less dependent on electronics for every facet of our lives. It sounds silly to talk about 1997 like it’s the middle ages, but my old stacks of books are now on an e-reader and my DVDs have been replaced by Netflix...neither of which work when there’s no electricity to charge devices.

With today’s harsh weather and the upcoming cold snap, it seems like a great time to talk about whole-home generators. Let’s go over the what, the how, and the why so you can decide if a generator would make your home more comfortable and your life easier.

What

When you think of a generator, you probably think of the big, loud, metal engine-looking thing that your dad hauled out when he needed to use a nail gun or air compressor in the house. Or, in the event of a power outage, maybe you ran an extension cord into the house and used it to power the refrigerator and a few lamps.

But generators have come a long way. Whole home generators are a permanent fixture outside of your home; they’re always ready to go, so you experience little to no downtime in the event of an outage. And their footprint isn’t much bigger than your average central air unit.

How

A whole home generator is connected to your electrical panel through a transfer switch and can be assigned to automatically power a few things or, as it says in the name, your whole home. The generator will immediately kick on when the electricity fails; it’s also set up to provide a smooth transition into generator power to prevent surges that could short out your appliances.

The generator is tied into your existing gas or propane system, which means it’s always ready. With a portable generator, half of the battle is getting it out, going to get gas for it, and getting it set up - not a concern here.

Why

Power outages can happen at any time. High winds, storms, even car accidents and wayward squirrels can take out a line or a transformer. When damage is widespread, getting power restored can take days, maybe weeks. That’s time without basic needs like heat and lights, but also conveniences like being able to charge your phone. If you’re on a well, a power outage can mean you don’t have running water.

In addition to being inconvenient, going without power can be expensive. Assuming you don’t open it at all, a refrigerator will keep food at a safe temperature for about 4 hours. A full freezer is safe for about 48 hours. Once you’re past that, it’s a loss. Replacing everything in your refrigerator/freezer plus living on takeout for the duration of the outage can get expensive.

At Ayers, we install Kohler generators. They’re American made and the gold standard in generators, so you know your home, and your family, are safe in their hands. Installing a Kohler whole-home generator means comfort, safety, and peace of mind, no matter what the rest of the world is doing. Call today to schedule an estimate for your whole-home generator or add one to your existing product and put an end to worrying about what happens when the power goes out.