What is a Residential Generator and Why Do You Need One?

Otherwise known as standby generators, residential generators are devices fitted outside your home that can provide emergency power in the case of a power outage. There are numerous reasons why you should consider investing in a residential or standby generator; we take a look at those here.

What is a Residential Generator?

Residential generators are designed as permanent fixtures that sit closeby to your home or garage and can provide an emergency supply of power in the case of an outage. We all know how unreliable the British weather can be, especially in the depth of winter, so for people that live in higher risk areas, these can often be an excellent investment.

A residential generator is generally larger than a portable one, being encased in a waterproof metal shell to protect from the elements. Most of these devices are powered from natural gas or LPG or both, meaning you won’t have to worry about carrying out a last-minute refuel in the case of an outage. There is also the option to make use of diesel powered generators which can either draw from a central reserve of fuel stored locally, or can be topped up when required.

What is a Residential Generator and Why Do You Need One?

How Much Do Standby Generators Cost?

Much like any other product available, high quality often comes at a higher price. Although, when you are tasking the generator with providing power to your home, it’s definitely worth spending a little extra to ensure you’re well protected.

For a good quality standby generator, you’ll likely be looking to spend around £2000 at minimum to ensure you buy a well-respected brand. Much like wine in a restaurant, you don’t want to choose the cheapest one available as you’ll only be let down.

The price bracket of £4000-£6000 will get you a fantastic residential generator, such as one from Pramac or Champion. These devices often come with additional features such as LCD displays for straightforward monitoring, additional safety features and Wi-Fi connectivity.

You may also want to consider a maintenance or service plan should anything go wrong with your generator during its lifetime. For many of us in the UK, residential generators will likely experience long periods of inactivity, as power outages can be a rare occurrence. But, when you need it, you want to be sure that it will be functional. This makes a service plan worthwhile to ensure everything is functioning as it should be.

What is a Residential Generator and Why Do You Need One?

Why Do You Need a Residential Standby Generator?

During a power outage, there are certain aspects which are immediately noticeable, such as no lighting, no internet connection or phone line, along with no hot water or cooker if you have an electric oven. Although many outages last an hour or two, it’s not uncommon for areas of the UK to be without power for days or weeks during extreme weather conditions.

You may also need electricity to continue working, especially if you have a home office or run a business from home. Whether this is internet-based or physical work such as making your own products and carrying out servicing or repairs for people, you’ll want to be safe in the knowledge you can continue to keep your business up and running without any downtime.

Staying Connected

Many of us now rely on our mobile devices such as phones and tablets to stay connected with friends and family. Although it’s possible to make use of cellular data, our phones can quickly lose power and not being able to charge them up can eliminate any means of contacting people who may need to come and help you.

Younger Children and Elderly Relatives

For many younger children, a power outage can be something of a novelty. Reading bedtime stories by candlelight is something many children won’t have experienced before, but for those that may have healthcare requirements, not having access to power can quickly turn into a nightmare.

Similarly, for elderly relatives, it’s essential that they have access to heating and hot food. Although we often take these things for granted, when they are taken away from us, we notice them the most.

What is a Residential Generator and Why Do You Need One?

The Unseen Cost

Many visible issues occur during a power outage, including loss of lighting, loss of heating and no use of the phone lines. However, there are also other unseen problems that many people often don’t consider until after the fact. These can include food in the fridge and freezer thawing out and going bad, and cellar flooding due to the sump pump cutting out.

These problems have the potential to cost you an arm and a leg, making a simple power outage a rather pricey experience.

To avoid any risk of losing power to your home, why not get in touch with us to chat about installing a residential generator? We stock a range of options and can provide expert advice on how best to keep your home safe and secure during extreme weather.