Five Reasons You Should Invest In A Backup Generator
There’s a lot happening in 2020 that feels outside of anyone's control. The steady forward march of climate change, bringing increasingly catastrophic hurricanes, tornadoes, snow and ice storms, wildfires and related natural disasters to residential neighborhoods all over North America is unavoidable.
One way to regain a small sense of control is to invest in backup electric power generation capacity for your home. From portable to permanently installed, home backup generators run on propane, diesel or natural gas fuel and can cost anywhere from $500 up to around $12,000 (not including installation). That might seem like a lot, but it can quickly pay for itself when you consider the financial and other implications of going without power for days or weeks.
Imagine, for example, the costs and/or risks of spoiled food. Add up the value of food you have currently stored in your fridge and freezer. Just a few hours without power can force you to toss hundreds of dollars’ worth of perfectly good food (or put your family at risk of food poisoning). Now add in the cost of purchasing takeout or premade food because you are unable to cook for a week due to lack of electricity.
Having a generator on hand means you can always boil water should sources in your area become undrinkable. It’s even more essential to have backup generation capacity if you rely on electricity to pump water from your own well.
Without power, you're unable to work or learn from home. Think no WIFI, big-screen desktop computers or printers. You won't have the ability to work after dark. Even phone service can be interrupted when there is no consistent means of charging mobile and handheld devices.
Even if you don’t live in a flood zone, there are dozens of reasons — poor drainage and frozen ground, frozen pipes and so forth — why floods occur. You need to be able to pump the water out quickly and to use electric-powered fans for drying to minimize structural damage and long-term costs associated with mold or mildew accumulation.
Imagine being asthmatic and going seven to 10 days without air conditioning in a severe heat and humidity wave, or imagine being diabetic and unable to properly refrigerate your insulin. For people with specific health conditions, having power at all time is a necessity.
Even if investing in a backup generator seems impossible at the moment, it is still a worthy long-term goal to start saving for. Climate change is here to stay. The peace of mind knowing you can comfortably survive an extended power outage? Priceless!
