Who Turned Out the Lights? Economic, Safety and Comfort Reasons to Have a Generator

“Last year, coming home from  a family vacation after flying all day, I heard a slight humming noise in the house.  I was frustrated that the generator was running unnecessarily, but I soon discovered that we were the only house with power on.  The power had gone out, but our generator had turned on automatically while were gone.  It was so nice to come home to a house with power after a very long day of travel.” (July 2011)

This is a true testimonial from a satisfied FLAME generator customer.  If you are on the fence about a generator, you may be thinking, ‘what if I never use it?’  This is a valid concern.  Nobody wants to spend needless money.  However, on average, generators last about 20 years if they are properly maintained.  While living in Michigan in the past 20 years, have you experienced a power outage?  If you haven’t, then I am not sure where in Michigan you have been living.  Perhaps under a rock.  In fact, as of 2010, there was an average of 133 minutes of power outage in the Midwest that was non disaster related (not caused by storms or fires) with the prediction that the number will continue to rise.  In addition, there are always power outages related to storms, tornadoes etc…

Now that we have come to the conclusion that within the 20-year life-span of a generator, the power will go out.  Let’s look at some of the problems a generator could help you avoid.

Food

The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) recommends that if your power has been out for longer than 2 hours that food with a temperature higher than 40 degrees Fahrenheit should be thrown out.  It also suggests packing perishable foods such as meat and dairy in coolers with ice in order to prevent this.  However, if you are not home right away when the power goes out this may be impossible.  An automatic backup generator which turns itself on immediately when it senses the power loss will keep your refrigerator running, saving you food and money.  In addition, if it is a city-wide blackout this could be incredibly important as your local grocery store may have to throw away their perishable items.  In addition, other kitchen appliances will remain running as well.  You may make lots of new friends during a blackout if you can feed ’em!

Cooling

Other than natural disasters, a reason for power outages is excessive heat.  Having a couple of days or more with hot temperatures causes more people to run their air conditioners and also increases the amount of time that they are running.  This could overload the electrical system, resulting in a power outage during a heat wave.  Having a power outage during a heat wave, means that you do not have an air conditioner and a way to cool yourself resulting in some serious health consequences such as heat stroke and/or death according to the CDC.  An automatic generator will keep your air conditioner running.  As mentioned, not only is this more comfortable for all involved, but it could save lives as well.  Young children, those who are 65 and older and those who have chronic medical conditions are more likely to be affected by the heat according to the CDC.

Comfort

Extended or even short power outages can interrupt a daily schedule.  If you work from home, they could cause you to be unable to perform and therefore lose income.  An automatic standby generator will allow you to still use your computer, charge your cell phone, watch television, use the microwave and other electric kitchen appliances, keep your sump pump and well pumps running and keep the air conditioner and/or furnace running.  In addition, this generator will work even if you are out of town.  You won’t come home to a power-less home or ice cream melting all over your freezer.

FLAME offers a Honeywell Backup Generator.  If you have any questions or concerns about generators, please feel free to contact FLAME!

Information from:

• Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia:  Heat Wave  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/heat_wave)
• CNN Tech “U.S. electricity blackouts skyrocketing” -Thom Patterson  (http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/innovation/08/09/smart.grid/index.html)
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
• Honeywell Automatic Backup Generators Information Brochure