With many of us working or learning from home these days – or sheltering a family member with medical needs – the consequences of a power outage are greater than ever.
The good news is there is a way to avoid them: install a whole house generator.
Powered by propane, a whole house (or backup) generator is a permanent addition to your home that powers up automatically the moment municipal power goes down. A generator will not only keep the lights on – it can keep your sump pump working, your security systems online, and life-saving medical equipment functioning.
How do you choose a backup generator? The decision typically comes down to three factors: capacity, placement, and cost. Here’s a breakdown.
The capacity of generator you need is determined by the size of your home and what equipment you want to power during an outage.
Generators come in a range of capacities; the more power the unit generates, the more systems it will cover. A small, easy-to-place 8 kilowatt (kW) unit, for example, can operate power essentials such as lights, refrigerator, TV, and other small appliances. A large 25 kW commercial-grade generator, on the other hand, can easily run a home HVAC system in addition to those items.
A good place to start in determining the capacity of generator you need is to break your usage down into two categories: essentials (lights, refrigerator, sump pump, furnace fan, security system, TV/computers, and microwave), and high-wattage items, such as your A/C or heat pump, clothes dryer, water heater, and oven or stove. This will help you determine how large a unit will be needed to provide you with the peace of mind you’re looking for.
Whole house generators can be as large as the outdoor unit of your central A/C, so you’ll room to install one. Whole house generators also need to be near electricity, and they must be installed to comply with flood, noise and electrical codes – big reasons why a whole house generator must be installed by a professional.
Stand-by propane generators range in price between $3,000 to $10,000 or more, depending on the capacity of the unit. The greater the capacity, the higher the price.
Thinking about investing in a whole house propane generator? We can help. Contact Dixon Energy today to get a FREE, no obligation estimate on propane backup generator installation in Morris, Somerset, Union, and southern Sussex counties, NJ.