Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Almost everything we own today requires power. Not being able to utilize power could range from a minor inconvenience to a life-threatening situation. Are standby generators worth the money or could smaller diesel-powered generators suffice?
Safety agencies and officials in the United States have warned people ahead of Hurricane Ian to be mindful of gas-powered generators as the emissions could lead to carbon monoxide poisoning. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission advises you to operate your generator outside of your home at least 20 feet away if you are able.
Some are making the costly transition from gas-powered portable generators to a more permanent standby generator for home use, "Getting a generator seems to equate to bringing the umbrella to an event in case of rain," says Dominic Cortese of Cortese Construction Services, 'You almost hope you don't have to use it, but it's good to have it for the security of knowing it's in place, because it doesn't require you to do anything, because it automatically will turn on."
For Cortese, owning a generator makes sense for his home because he lives in an area prone to power outages, "Having that security is really the essence of why you'd want to have a permanent standby generator, coupled with that, if you live in an area that's prone to power outage, which is why I end up getting one. For whatever reason, our power is underground in Clarence, outages were occurring on a regular basis."
Cortese explains that the permanent standby generators turn on as your power goes out and connects directly to your electric panel. What's the cost of these generators?
"The price will depend on its size, the size will depend on the need you'd like to place upon the generator to power as much of your house that you would like, for example, you could buy a generator, probably in the seven $8,000 range that does not do your whole house. And then you could go up from there to maybe $10,000 range, and every circuit in the house will be operated by the generator.
Lawerence Probst, a resident of Clarence says his Cummins generator, which runs power throughout his entire house costed him $11,000. He believes National Grid could be prone to hacking given the current political climate and the rapid push of the green movement, which is why he foresees increased outages.
Cortese says these home generators require routine annual maintenance, "When you have a permanent standby generator, be aware of the fact that it does not need regular maintenance but it does need annual maintenance, annual maintenance in the form of an oil change. The permanent standby generator will power on a regular recycle usually once a week and will run for about 20 minutes to a half an hour in a test phase. So that's essential so that it's on the ready for if and when you need it. The oil that runs through it has to be changed just like the oil in your car has to be changed on a regular schedule."
Cortese advises that you study up and don't purchase the cheap brands if you're looking for reliability, "You want to do your research on the brand, because you will find that you will get what you pay for. There are cheaper brands and they're less reliable. I had it happen to me with an unnamed brand that ended up seizing up on me because the oil cap came loose and all the oil spewed out while it was running."