Over the last few years, you have probably noticed a lot more advertisements for backup generators for use in homes. These systems have become progressively more affordable and practical, making them a popular choice for families and businesses that want to have protection against power outages, but many people are asking the same question: Is a whole house generator worth it?
Like any upgrade you can make to your home, the answer to that question is mainly up to you. However, you should make that decision based on complete information about the benefits of installing a backup generator. Here are some of the reasons you should consider talking to our experts at Mackey Services about installing one.
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1. Maintaining Refrigeration
Studies tell us that refrigerated foods will start to spoil after just four hours without power, sooner if the door is opened. That’s a very narrow window of time for you to have power restored, so if the outage is large or if you’re in a remote area, the odds are good that you’ll miss that window. The only safe thing to do is to throw away those spoiled items, and that is a very costly solution.
Furthermore, frozen foods can become unsafe in 24 hours or less, so a prolonged power outage could hit those expensive meats and other items as well. Your grocery bill after a power outage could be huge.
The wasted food isn’t the only problem you may encounter. A freezer with an icemaker will make a huge mess if the power is off long enough for the ice to begin melting. The same is true with older freezers that do not defrost themselves. If the power fails while you’re out of town, you could face the wet chaos of rotted food and melted ice waiting for you when you get home. That disaster could also damage floors and leave your home and refrigerator infested with mildew.
2. Protecting Your Family’s Health
Generators are often viewed as a convenience, but they can support your family’s health as well. If someone in your household is dependent on oxygen around the clock, their oxygen generator needs power at all times. Battery backups can only last so long, and many people do not have enough oxygen bottles stockpiled. If those backup plans come up short, the power outage can be a serious threat to someone’s life.
Some people utilize a microwave oven to sterilize catheters, and insulin must be kept refrigerated. Mobility can also be an issue. Electric power chairs that run out of battery can leave a person unable to take care of themselves or escape the home in case of fire. Even simpler things like baby monitors can cause problems when they shut down during a power failure.
3. Providing Safety and Security
We often take for granted just how much protection we receive from electrical items around the home. During a power outage, criminals know that many homes are easy targets. Outdoor lights and burglar alarms may be out of operation, and cell phones may run out of battery, slowing the process of notifying the police.
Your safety in case of fire or a carbon monoxide emergency may also be in danger. While hardwired detectors do have battery backups, those may run out quickly in a prolonged power outage. With many families opting for propane or wood fuels to heat their homes during power failures, it’s more important than ever to have these critical protection systems working normally.
4. Ensuring Safe Temperatures in the Home
It’s true that we may all be a little spoiled with our climate-controlled homes, but there does come a point where it’s a problem to be in a home that is too warm or too cold. As temperatures rise inside your home, heat stress can start to affect your family, with the oldest and youngest members most susceptible. Not only is your air conditioning not in operation, but you are also unable to operate fans to help circulate air.
Extreme cold is also stressful for everyone’s health, and it creates the additional danger of frozen pipes. The most isolated areas of your home will quickly fall below freezing during a wintertime power outage, freezing pipes and causing expensive, destructive leaks. Again, think how much worse this will be if it happens while you’re out of town!
5. Supporting Work and Education
When COVID-19 hit, most of us saw a dramatic shift in how we did things. Not only were we staying home a lot more and relying on things like climate control, but we were also becoming more wired than ever. Many jobs shifted to online work for at least part of the week, with some of them never going back to a traditional office setting. The same has happened in education at all levels. While most younger kids are back in the classroom, after graduation from high school, they will likely find many or even all their classes online.
A power failure is not a viable excuse to most professors, supervisors, or customers. They will all expect the same output from you no matter what has happened to your electricity. Keeping those laptops, cell phones, and routers lit up and working is critical to your success.
6. Powering Important Home Systems
Prolonged power outages don’t just leave you in the dark. They also leave you unable to wash dishes, do laundry, or maybe even have hot water for bathing and handwashing. It doesn’t take long for dirty clothes and dishes to pile up, and being unable to bathe properly is both unpleasant and unhealthy.
Don’t forget things like your garage doors, which will have to be raised and lowered manually while the power is off. That’s a tough job for most people, and it gets even tougher if it’s cold or rainy outside. Last of all, you’ll have no microwave, range, toaster, or even a blender. Every hot meal you eat will have to be brought in from elsewhere or prepared on your outdoor grill — assuming it doesn’t run out of fuel. And because grills should never be used indoors, you may be grilling in extreme heat or cold, heavy rain, strong winds, or snow.
Backup Power Can Be Your Solution
After reading this, you’ve probably found several things that apply to you. At the very least, you don’t want a whole refrigerator of expensive food to go to waste! Fortunately, there are affordable ways to address your power outage worries.
Our experts at Mackey Services have been installing these systems for years, providing customers with safe, comfortable, functional homes that keep their families living a normal life no matter what Mother Nature may throw at them. When outside power is lost, the generator starts automatically, giving you uninterrupted power. Maintenance is simple and worry-free, and the entire system is set up in advance.
When you deal with us at Mackey Services, your home is in good hands. We’ve been in business for more than 30 years, and we offer a complete range of heating, cooling, and electrical services.
