Standby Generators

An Emerging Power Solution for Home Owners

The average American consumer experiences more than five power outages annually, but all too often homeowners wait until they suffer through a truly debilitating power outage before investing in adequate protection. The new generation of automatic standby generators on the market today may prove to be an affordable and effective means of insuring one’s home before the lights go out.

While portable generators run on gasoline, provide 8–12 hours of electricity to select home appliances via an extension cord, and, in general, require more maintenance, automatic standby generators are directly wired to the home’s electrical panel, are permanently installed outside the home and feature a continuous fuel connection to natural gas or liquid propane for uninterrupted backup power. When the electricity goes out, standby generators turn on automatically and supply clean, reliable power until the regular utility power is restored.

Michael Betker, marketing manager for Briggs & Stratton Corporation, the exclusive licensee for GE-branded Standby Generator Systems, likens the differences between portable and standby generators to the differences between window-unit air conditioners and central air systems. “The standby system will power your entire house, not just a single area, just as central air will keep your whole home cool—not just one room,” he explains.

The standby generator category appears to be maturing much like the central air category has done—through healthy competition and innovation that has served to improve quality and drive down prices.

“As the central air conditioning category matured, more and more people were able to afford the luxury of a central air conditioning system. Following the same model, the 10,000-watt home standby system by GE is finally making standby power more affordable for people, offering inexpensive whole-house standby power that fits the needs of about 73 percent of U.S. households,” comments Betker.

This new line of residential generators, launched earlier this year, is a timely answer to last year’s seeming surge in wild weather and erratic fuel prices. Those who live in regions more prone to weather disasters, from hurricanes to ice storms, may be especially apt to consider a standby generator, as the risk of suffering from a blackout is higher, and portable units are not supposed to be run in inclement weather.

“That’s another nice thing about standbys. They are professionally installed and fully-enclosed, so they will turn on anytime—rain or shine,” Betker adds.

Consumers can choose to back up select circuits or cover their entire home with whole-house solutions. Betker recommends visiting www.ge.com/generatorsystems for more information about the category.

“Our partner, GE, has quite a pedigree in terms of power management, and they selected Briggs & Stratton because of our expertise on the engine side. Together, our extensive research enabled us to understand what consumers are looking for, and the Web site reflects that. We want to demystify this fairly unknown category. We want to help people select the model that fits their needs and educate them on the facts.”

Betker also notes the increase in “stay-cations” in light of the current economy, commenting, “People want to make their home a fortress, a cocoon against the elements. A Standby Generator is an affordable insurance policy. Your home is operational, regardless of what happens outside.”