What To Know About Home Generators In Massachusetts
If you are looking for a backup power solution for your home, a standby generator will serve you best. There are different generators available, so you have many to choose from.
One problem you may face is that you don’t know how long a power blackout may last, so choosing the most reliable home generators is important. Equally, it’s imperative that you choose a generator that will provide the amount of power you need during a blackout.
When planning a generator installation, you want to be sure to get advice and service from a licensed electrician. These generators are installed directly into your electrical system, so the project will need to be done safely.
If you are looking at generators and trying to decide which one is right for you, our Massachusetts electricians at Electrical Service Pros can help. If you can’t find a local electrician that you trust, call us so we can assist you.
What Size Home Generator Should I Choose?
Portable home generators don’t come in powerful systems. They are great for useful survival appliances, such as having four lights, sump pump, refrigerator/freezer, or furnace fan, but when it comes to needing power for a longer time, you’ll probably quickly become frustrated with a portable home generator. For a single person who doesn’t want to watch television or play on the computer, open the garage, or use the central air system, a portable generator may be ideal.
Our Massachusetts electricians recommend that you install a home backup generator which is at minimum 5,000 watts. This is enough to power parts of your home. However, this converts to 5 kW, which means you get very little in lasting power. In fact, a 5,000 watt home generator will only provide 8 hours of power for only survival appliances. That means no A/C, no whole home heat, and limited power for refrigeration, lights, and cooking. For homes with families, this is far less than ideal. Conversely, a standby home generator can serve your power needs 24/7 during a blackout for extended periods.
A standby home generator can serve everything in your home with electrical power or just the appliances and electrical circuits you choose.
- 15 kW Generators – A 15 kW home generator is powerful enough to run a small home fully with survival appliances, family room, home office, laundry room, and kitchen.
- 25 kW Generators – 25 kW home generators power a mid-sized home as a mini-power plant. This serves your air conditioning system and furnace as well.
- 30 kW Generators – A 30kW and up standby generator is large enough to provide power for all the systems in a mid-sized to large home very effectively. If you want to go on with life as usual and live in total comfort during power failures, this may be the right size for you.
Of course, many people choose a portable generator which is just large enough to power an emergency light and other necessities. However, what you may not know is that a portable generator should have a transfer switch installed. This switch will allow you to easily and safely power the refrigerator, furnace or boiler, and a few other things.
Modern Technologies In Today’s Home Generators
There are modern technologies integrated into many of today’s home generator options. For instance, they can automatically turn off and on without you even noticing they have. No flickering lights or waiting, they offer seamless backup energy that is highly dependable. These modern generators can also be integrated with a whole home surge protection solution that also runs seamlessly. Generators can be tied into an existing gas line so you don’t have to worry about refueling them.
Other technologies available for integration with your home generator is remote monitoring and control of your lighting, electrical system, heating and air conditioning, irrigation systems, and more. With today’s smart home technologies, competition has driven down prices of these systems, so don’t think they can’t be affordable -they can be!