Article by Michael Pasquino
Dennis and his wife are in their early 70’s, in great health and still able to travel, however they were looking for a home backup power solution. He explained that he and his wife went to Georgia during Hurricane Irma, a storm which left many without power locally for up to a week. He wasn’t sure, with Covid in mind, if they would want to travel, and he at least wanted the option of staying at home if he could.We have received 100’s of calls from homeowners looking to get a backup power solution in place for their homes. 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, installation professionals like electricians and fuel.
And as many have experienced, with a storm heading our way, demand skyrockets and “availability” can change very rapidly. Other concerns are difficulty of setup, operation and maintenance of your system.
In the event of a power outage, what do you want? Customers tell me: to keep my refrigerator on, to run a small window air conditioner, to power some fans and lights, to run my home’s 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 much do the different options cost?
5. Is there a backup battery solution?
To start with, let’s clear up a few terms.
Standby Generator: A generator that is permanently installed at the home and ready for use in a sudden 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 start up and transfer the home to generator power within seconds. These generators usually use natural gas or propane.
Dual Fuel: Many 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. While usually you will get more power and longer running time out of gas, 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 only with a solar system. Thousands of Floridians have gotten solar on their homes. Solar systems generally rely on connection to the power company in order to work properly. So by design, when the power goes out, your solar goes out, so it will not electrocute a lineman.
Backup Battery Solution: There are options to use your solar in a power outage and this ties right into a backup battery solution, also called an inverter, or if you get brand specific, Tesla calls their battery solution a “Power Wall”. The reason why most solar systems installed in Florida don’t include a battery backup solution and why most people don’t go this route is simply because it comes at a premium. A whole home backup battery solution can start at 15k and depending on how much you want to power can be double, triple, that cost or more.
If you have the time and can afford it I definitely recommend a home standby generator. If cost and timing is a factor, a portable generator will work and any power will be appreciated in a power outage!
To learn more information with pros and cons of each solution, common installation time frames, and my secret to getting the best price on a portable generator or a standby generator as well as my favorite brands that I personally have experience with, visit our website at: www.redroyalelectric.com/generators. If you have any questions regarding electric, electrical repair, backup power solutions, solar, or would like to schedule an estimate or need electrical service on your home, please give us a call at 727-205-5550.
Michael Pasquino is the Master Electrician and CEO of Red Royal Electric, a full-service electrical service company located in Pinellas County and serving the greater Tampa Bay Area.