Did you know that 70% of all power outages in the U.S. are caused by weather? People in almost every single state in America are inconvenienced when there is a power outage, according to Eaton Research. If you own a business in a plaza, and the power goes out, imagine how much money would be lost if you were unable to operate your point of sale machines. If you owned a cafe, imagine the disaster of a lunch rush without any electricity. If you are a homeowner in a rural area, during a blizzard, imagine coping with a power outage.
Because power outages can be so common, and so inconvenient, many homes and businesses choose to invest in an engine generator set, more commonly and simply known as a generator. They are made up of an engine, the engine-generator, a fuel supply, a regulator for both speed and voltage, cooling, exhaust, and lubrication systems. On average, it may take a generator only 10 seconds to kick in once there has been a power outage, ensuring that you do not sit in the dark very long. There are two basic types of generator.
- Residential Generator
- Business Generator
Homeowners looking to supply power to their entire home in the event of an outage will want a whole home generator, which typically puts out between 22 and 48 kilowatts, depending on the size. These generators are typically considered “single phase,” and are used both for homes and small businesses. A whole home generator will ensure that you can easily carry on life as usual, even when the power is out.
Commercial generators and industrial generators are considered “three phase,” as compared to the single phase generators used in residential applications. The difference between the commercial and industrial generators mainly comes down to size, and how many kilowatts of output are available. Commercial generators work well for small businesses, and give an output of between 15 and 150 kilowatts.
Industrial generators are designed to power very large facilities, and have an output of between 200 kilowatts and 15,000! That makes these kinds of generators perfect for applications where a power outage would have either significant economic cost, or put lives at risk. Hospitals, for example, need to be able to continue to power life-preserving technology whether the building has power or not.
Generators, whether whole home generators for residences, commercial, or industrial, are vital to maintaining comfort, convenience, business, and in some cases safety when the power goes out. If your home or your business is prone to power outages, then consider how a generator might save you business, or inconvenience. More like this.