Power Generators

Electric Backup & Portable Generators

Choosing the right generator

When choosing a generator, you have a few things to consider. Make sure that you have chosen between a stand alone unit and a portable unit and know their pros and cons. One of the most important things to look at is how much power your generator needs to supply for meet your needs.

If your power goes out just a few times, you can probably get by with a 2,000 watt generator. This will be enough to run a refrigerator, lights, and maybe a small appliance. But 2,000 watts will not power the house.

If you want to run more than a refrigerator, and a few lights, like a television and computer, you will need to kick it up to at least 4,000 watts.

If you want an almost full replacement of power, and certainly if you want air conditioning, you will need a minimum of 6,000 watts. This is certainly the amount of power you will probably want to choose if you are looking for a stand alone generator.

A stand alone unit will be much more expensive. Because of the cost, you may well indeed opt for a cheaper portable unit. Since all power outages are temporary, but a hardship, you may well get buy with a smaller unit. You will need to adjust your lifestyle. A refrigerator is a must, so certainly you will want one to power that. But if you can't do without TV and a computer, you need to spring for a bigger generator.

talk things over with your family. Talk about what it was like when the power went out before for a long time. How did you cope? Was it easy? Was it hard? Is your family adaptable? Do you have medical devices that must be powered?

When choosing the right generator, size matters. Your generator store or dealer will have a way to calculate how much electricity you need for your situation in case of a power outage.