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Standby Generators vs. Portable Generators

You can rely on a standby generator and a portable generator to both do the same things… provide vital power for your home during times of crisis involving power outages. If you want to be prepared for emergencies, you should consider purchasing at least one of these types of generator to protect your home and family. 

Enduring a power outage can be uncomfortable at best and dangerous for the health and safety of your loved ones and yourself at worst. There are so many risks present in modern society that threaten to cause a massive power outage in your local area–aging and poorly maintained infrastructure, ever-changing weather patterns and storms that are becoming less and less predictable as our climate changes at a rapidly increasing rate, political tensions and threats of terrorism, and even nuclear war. Being prepared for an emergency is never a bad idea, because you never know what the future may hold. You want to keep your family and yourself safe no matter what. Sometimes, even when disaster conditions are merely temporary, you need to be able to provide power to sustain livable conditions and keep food safe, and it may be a couple of days or weeks until power can be restored. 

 

Standby generators vs. portable generators: What are the differences and similarities? Which will best fit your needs and living situation? 

 

How are standby generators and portable generators alike? 

Standby generators and portable generators both allow you to power your home during a power outage. They are items that you won’t need to use on a day to day basis unless you are facing some sort of emergency. This may be a small scale crisis, such as a failed power pole in your neighborhood, or a larger scale crisis, such as a disastrous weather event that may have devastated your entire community and regional area. Whether you choose to equip your home with a standby generator, which is built in and ready to kick on immediately when the power goes out, or a portable generator, which must be wheeled out of your storage area and connected directly to your home’s main circuit panel, you will want to be able to power your home if the power goes out. Having both types of generator on hand and ready to go can give you the most peace of mind that you will be covered in the event of a power outage and that you even have a backup option if the first option you use fails. 

 

How are standby generators and portable generators different? 

Standby generators tend to cost more than portable generators. They also tend to take different kinds of fuel. Standby generators can run off of natural gas, which may be connected directly to your home, allowing seamless operation and power supply. Portable generators tend to require gasoline, which can be less safe to store around your home. 

 

No matter which you choose, protect your home. Call Northside Power today.