Californians have learned to live with power outages, particularly during the height of the summer season where electricity demands strain an overtaxed power supply. If you and your family are tired of enduring power outages, it’s time to consider investing in a standby generator.

In order to buy a standby generator that will suit your needs, you’ll need to do some investigating first. Here are the basic options for standby generators available on the market:

Power
You’ll need to decide first how much of your home equipment you’ll want to power up during an outage, and then match a standby generator that can meet that demand.

Depending on the system you choose, your standby generator may:

  • Power between 8 and 16 circuits – This allows you to provide electricity to the most important systems in your home, such as your air conditioner.
  • Utilize smart technology – These systems can adapt which systems in your home require power, and rotate the delivery of electricity according to when you use the equipment. This type of system is often the best option, because you can purchase a smaller system at a lower cost, but still have the option to power most of your home.
  • Offer whole-house capabilities – These types of systems are the most costly, but they can power every circuit in your home.

It’s best to consult an expert in order to calculate the total wattage of the home equipment you want to use during a power outage, such as the fridge, home lighting, stove and the air conditioner, and match those needs to the generator’s kilowatt capabilities.

Installation
You’ll also want to discuss installation during the consultation, including any wiring needs, as a certified technician will have to install the generator and its transfer switch (which automatically fires up the generator during an outage).

Additionally, if you connect the generator to your home’s gas line, the technician will need to assess the gas meter and piping to ensure that it’s sized appropriately to deliver the right gas pressure to the generator.

For optimal results, contact the experts at Around The Clock Air Conditioning & Heating for a free standby generator consultation. We’re proud to serve homeowners in the greater Los Angeles area.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about standby generators and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Around the Clock Air Conditioning & Heating services Los Angeles, North Hollywood and the surrounding areas in California. Visit our website to see our current specials and get started today!