Red Royal Electric: Your Home Power Outage Plan?

Article by Michael Pasquino 

We have received 100s of calls from homeowners looking to get a home backup power solution in place. Planning ahead is the best thing you can do and the best advice I can give you. A few important things to consider is cost, timing, availability of generators, availability of fuel and availability of electricians and installation professionals. As many have experienced, when the demand skyrockets due to a storm heading our way – “Availability” can change very rapidly. 

In the event of a power outage, what do you want to have power for? I hear customers tell me: to keep my refrigerator on, to run a small window unit air conditioner, to power the ceiling fans and lights, to run my homes AC, and some say they want to power everything. 

Some of the most common questions we get are:

1. Should I get a portable or standby generator?
2. If Portable, should I get a gas or dual fuel generator?
3. I have Solar – Can I use it in a Power Outage?
4. How can I connect my portable to my home?

To start with, let’s clear up a few terms: 

Standby Generator: A generator like the one pictured above that is permanently installed at the home and ready for use in a Power Outage. Typically, these units are installed with an Automatic Transfer Switch, which in the event of a Power Outage will signal the Generator to startup and transfer the home to Generator Power within seconds. These Generators usually use natural gas or propane. 

Portable Generator: Any generator like the one in the photo to the right that supplies temporary power and is not permanently connected to the premises wiring.

Dual Fuel: Most portable generators run off of gasoline, but what if there is no gas available or you just don’t want to deal with getting, properly storing, and pouring gasoline to keep your generator running? “Dual Fuel” is a generator that will run off either gasoline or propane. Some manufacturers like the one pictured now offer Tri-Fuel Portable Generators and this will run off of Gasoline, Propane, or Natural Gas. While usually you will get more power and longer running time out of gasoline, propane is a great option to have especially if you can’t find or get gas. 

Solar: After Irma hit and many were without power for days, we received a lot of calls asking, “I have Solar, how can I power my home with it.” Seems logical. You own your own power source, which generates power from the Sun -shouldn’t you be able to power your home if the power goes out. Unfortunately, the answer is “No”. At least not with a Solar system only. Thousands of Floridians have gotten Solar on their homes and standardly Solar relies on power from the power company in order to work properly. So, by design when the power goes out so does your Solar. 

Time & Recommendations: If you have the lead time for the installation and can afford it, I recommend a home standby generator. If cost or timing is a factor, then a portable generator will work to give you some power and comfort in the event of a power outage. Any power in a power outage will be very much appreciated!

Interlock Switch as shown here allows your Portable Generator to power your existing Electrical Panel and ensures safe operation.

You don’t need an Electrician or to do anything to your home to use a Portable Generator. Just be sure to have enough and long enough extension cords to reach the things you want to power. 

I recommend getting your home set up with a Generator Power Inlet which will allow you to plug your portable generator into your home and through the Generator Interlock Switch will distribute back up power to your entire main breaker panel safely. Then you will be able to use any electric in your home up to the output of your portable generator.

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