3 Considerations When Choosing a Standby Generator For Your Business

As a Little Rock business owner, you can’t afford to lose power. When you don’t have power you don’t have business, and that means lost customers, revenue, and even a hit to your reputation.

Storms in Little Rock are unpredictable, but a standby generator is perfectly predictable. As soon as there’s a power interruption from the main grid, the generator comes on and supplies all the power you need.

Still, you want to make sure you pick the right generator for your business. Here are some things to consider.

How Much Power Do You Need?

All of it! Wait, sorry…

Joking aside, think about what your power requirements are as a business location. What does it take to keep business running in your store despite an outage? It’s probably best to choose a standby generator that can run the full building, instead of just emergency lighting and systems.

Depending on the type of business you have, you might have minimum requirements for power during an emergency. Even if you don’t, consider what you need to run point of sale systems, air conditioning or heating, and other essential systems.

Be sure to base your estimates with an eye on what your peak loads are, especially as we move into summer.

What Fuel Will You Use?

A standby generator will usually use fuel that’s sourced from a local utility or they use diesel fuel or propane. Check local code requirements for your area and look into whether your type of business requires specific fuel types for safety reasons.

With diesel and propane, you’ll need to keep fuel on-site for your generator, while natural gas allows you to connect to a local utility so that power is ready whenever you need it.

Consider the price, maintenance, and safety requirements of various fuel types before you make your decision.

Choose a Local Provider for Your Standby Generator

Who should you buy your standby generator from? You can choose from a variety of providers, but there are many reasons why you should look for a local business to take care of your needs.

Someone who is a local small business will be there for you to help with service or repair. A national provider might provide an 800 number, but how can you hold them accountable? What can you do if they provide subpar service?

Choosing a local provider also helps your local economy. Instead of sending money to an unknown large corporation in some other area, you get to keep money in your local area where it can help the schools and parks and other amenities that matter most to you.

Finally, a local provider can help you keep up with preventative maintenance. From oil changes to tune ups and system inspections, regular maintenance will help your generator work more effectively and efficiently when you really need it.

Choose a Generator From Northside Power

If you’re a Little Rock business, you deserve the best products and customer service available. When you choose a standby generator from Northside Power, you’ll get both.

If you’re ready to get your commercial generator installed and protect yourself from outages, contact us to see how we can help today!