Peace Of Mind With An Automatic Standby Generator

Posted on February 7, 2013June 19, 2024 by kerry

Long Island Experiences Enough Outages to Make It a Good Idea to Have Back Up Power

You can do any number of things to help ensure the comfort of your home for yourself and your family — from properly maintaining your heat pump to installing a programmable thermostat. However, without power, these efforts are pointless. Hurricanes and winter storms are fairly common occurrences on Long Island, which is why many homeowners in the area are installing an automatic standby generator.

These generators offer many benefits for homeowners, particularly when power outages occur.

Benefits of an automatic standby generator

A severe storm near your home can easily knock out power for days at a time, as we know all too well. As a result, you might lose any food you have stored in your refrigerator, in addition to any medications that are affected by temperature extremes. Some home occupants rely on electrically powered medical equipment such as ventilators. The loss of power for these individuals is a serious issue. Even for those who have no serious health problems, having a standby generator is a great convenience when it comes to maintaining a comfortable home, particularly when temperatures are extreme.

Portable generators versus standby generators

Automatic standby generators offer many advantages over portable units. For instance, while portable units have to be refueled by hand with gasoline after a few hours of operation, automatic standby generators are commonly fueled by natural gas, and thus are directly connected to the home’s gas fuel line. This means the automatic standby generator is always ready to be used, and will automatically start up when it detects that the power has gone out. In addition, a large generator can produce enough power for your entire home, while a portable unit might only be able to power a few items.

Because it connects directly to your home’s utilities, you should employ a professional to install an automatic standby generator. If you have any questions about this process, please feel free to contact T.F. O’Brien Cooling & Heating. With over 75 years of experience, we are proud to serve the people of Long Island, and our team of experienced professionals is more than happy to help you.

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.

Image via Shutterstock.com

A Home Duct System That’s Designed to Deliver

Posted on February 5, 2013June 19, 2024 by kerry

Delivering Air Evenly to the Whole House is Important

A well-designed home duct system is a fundamental component for maximizing your house’s overall energy efficiency. Continue reading “A Home Duct System That’s Designed to Deliver” →

Your Forced-Air System: How It Keeps You Warm In The Winter

Posted on January 31, 2013June 19, 2024 by kerry

Learn How Your Heating System Works

When the forced-air system in your Long Island home is working well, it’s easy to think of it as just a basic appliance that distributes warm or cool air. Although that is what the system does, a number of components are involved in getting that seemingly simple job done. When you’re shopping around for a new HVAC system, it helps to be familiar with your system’s inner workings. Continue reading “Your Forced-Air System: How It Keeps You Warm In The Winter” →

Done Insulating? Not If The Attic Hatch Is Leaking

Posted on January 29, 2013June 19, 2024 by kerry

Warm Air Can Escape Into Your Attic Through the Hatch: Seal it!

If your attic hatch is leaking, it may be a big source of energy loss in your home. Further, it will negate other insulation improvements you make to the attic. Fortunately, it’s fairly easy to stop leaks through the attic hatch. Continue reading “Done Insulating? Not If The Attic Hatch Is Leaking” →

Heat Pump Troubleshooting: If At First You Don’t Succeed, Don’t Try Again — Call The Experts

Posted on January 25, 2013June 19, 2024 by kerry

Try These Things Before Calling Us About Your Heat Pump

Do you have heat pump problems? To save time and money, it may be worth attempting a few fundamental heat pump troubleshooting tips to get your system up and running before you call your HVAC technician. Continue reading “Heat Pump Troubleshooting: If At First You Don’t Succeed, Don’t Try Again — Call The Experts” →

Shopping For A Furnace? Take A Look At These High-Performance Features

Posted on January 23, 2013June 19, 2024 by kerry

A New Furnace Could Save You Money in the Long Run

Today’s premium furnaces offer a wealth of useful innovations. Among models in a similar price bracket and with a similar Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE), it’s the features and extras that create a stand-out product. Knowing which high-performance enhancements to look for can mean the difference between an acceptable purchase and a great one. Continue reading “Shopping For A Furnace? Take A Look At These High-Performance Features” →

Heating And Cooling The 2-Story Addition You’re Planning To Construct

Posted on January 17, 2013June 18, 2024 by kerry

How to Plan a Two Story Addition That Will Be Comfortable

Heating and cooling is an essential part of planning a second-story addition, since the space has to be conditioned if you’re going to use it as livable space. Incorporating the heating and cooling system early on in the design process makes it easier for the architect to incorporate the mechanical components. Continue reading “Heating And Cooling The 2-Story Addition You’re Planning To Construct” →

Your Geothermal Heat Pump: Factors That Will Affect The Final Cost

Posted on January 15, 2013June 18, 2024 by kerry

Weigh the Cost and Savings Benefits of a Geothermal System

There are many reasons to install a geothermal heat pump system in your home. Geothermal heating is effective, environmentally friendly, safe and has a low operating cost. Continue reading “Your Geothermal Heat Pump: Factors That Will Affect The Final Cost” →

What’s Even More Coveted Than The Energy Star Logo? The Most Efficient Label

Posted on January 11, 2013April 16, 2025 by kerry

If You’re Shopping for an HVAC System, Learn Which One is Most Efficient

Sooner or later, you’re going to need to shop around for new heating and cooling equipment for your Long Island home. There are many choices out there, but luckily, you can count on the Energy Star logo to point you to the models that are most energy efficient. But is this logo enough for all consumers? Energy Star doesn’t seem to think so, which is one reason they’ve created the new “Most Efficient” program. Continue reading “What’s Even More Coveted Than The Energy Star Logo? The Most Efficient Label” →