Humanity always needs power for work, and this means generating electricity somehow. Most houses and commercial buildings get their power from power plants, and some can also derive power from solar panels or wind farms as the clean energy movement progresses. But sometimes, a building may find itself cut off from its power source for some reason, or a person may need power in a remote area where power grids or solar panels can’t help them. So, this is when emergency generator installation requirements may be considered, and emergency generator installation requirements may vary from one house or region to another. Generator installation for emergencies is a good idea for any household, and whole house generators can keep a house’s lights on if a storm or other calamity cuts out the regular power. Standby generators are common for buildings that can’t afford to lose power, such as hospitals, and emergency generator installation requirements may be well documented for them. What is there to know about emergency generator installation requirements and the general need for such power sources?

Americans and Power

The modern American power grid is vast, but it is not infallible. In the first six months of 2014, for a recent example, there were some 130 reported rid outages, and these have been more and more common since the 1980s. Federal data for electric grid outages dates back to 1984, and and the number show that the U.S. electric grid now loses power 285% more often than in 1984, something for modern homeowners to take seriously. If a house loses power, then not only is that greatly inconvenient and uncomfortable, this can result in losses. If a fridge or freezer is out of power during warm weather, then the food inside gets too warm and may spoil. If a power outage occurs, the homeowner is urged to use food thermometers to check the food inside their fridge and discard what they must. A power outage that lasts under four hours may not necessitate this step, however. So, when and how should generators be fitted in?

Install Those Generators

A homeowner who decides to have generators installed in their house will need to take some steps before those generators are put in place and connected to everything. To start with, the homeowner should calculate how much electricity they use during the day, and this is not as difficult as it sounds. The homeowner may examine all light bulbs, large and small appliances, and computers in the house and add up their wattage. Bear in mind that 1,000 watts constitute a kilowatt, and 1,000 kilowatts make up a megawatt. With all this information in mind, the homeowner can shop for a generator that is not too large or small. A too-small generator will fail to power everything, and a too-large generator for the job is simply a waste of money.

The homeowner may look up generators through online catalogs, and visit local hardware stores to see some models there, too. An advantage of going to a store is that the homeowner can ask the store associates for guidance and ask them questions, especially if the homeowner has never done something like this before. After that, the homeowner may also look up any and all emergency generator installation requirements, and make sure that their new generator is installed correctly and will run as needed. Some generators are rated for floods; that is, they can operate even if the house is impacted by serious flooding.

But generators are not strictly for use in houses. It is common for people to buy small, portable generators so that they can get electricity in places where they cannot access a power grid. Camping trips are a fine example of this, and a portable generator can power smaller devices or act as a recharging station for cell phones, computers, and anything else. Such generators may also be found in a private log cabin, since these cabins are rarely connected to power grids. This can power the lights, stove, and anything else in that cabin. And lastly, portable generators are a fine idea for powering a TV, sound system, and the like during a tailgate party in a parking lot or one’s own driveway.