Your family and your home are your two single most important assets, and being prepared for emergencies means more than just having a plan and an emergency kit.
Installing a standby generator is a crucial element to ensuring your family’s safety and comfort during the frequent and sometimes lengthy power outages Long Islanders face. With colder weather approaching, there’s no better time to enlist the help of your trusted local HVAC professional to help you select the best generator for your home.
Here are a few tips to guide the process of choosing a generator:
- A whole-house generator is obviously the most beneficial option, as it will power every system in your home when the powers goes out. A whole-house system is, however, the most expensive in terms of appliance and operating cost, and will also require you to install a cement slab to place it on — if you don’t already have one. You may also find that your gas company requires a meter upgrade in order to run a whole-house system.
- Selected- or essential-circuit standby generators, which typically will power between 12 to 16 circuits. This type of generator will allow you to choose which appliances and lights to which to supply power, and it’s a more affordable option than a whole-house system. Essential-circuit generators give you peace of mind and keep you and your family comfortable during a power outage. The smaller unit requires less space to install and less fuel to operate, which makes it more practical for homeowners with limited fuel storage capabilities.
- Smart-circuit generators are rapidly becoming one of the most popular solutions, as they provide power to the whole house, just not at the same time, by turning off non-essential circuits to power a large appliance such as an A/C or furnace unit. They are much more fuel efficient than whole-house systems, while essentially performing at the same level.
T.F. O’Brien Cooling & Heating has been proudly serving Long Islanders since 1934, and is ready to help you pick the right standby generator for your home. Give us a call today or visit our website for more information.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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