Category: Generators

Generators 101: Everything You Need To Know Before You Buy

May 26, 2021

Generators 101: Everything You Need To Know Before You Buy

  • Generators
generators

Keeping your home going during an extended power outage can be a real pain, but what about if you have a business? Your customers and your family rely on your ability to serve their needs: for heat, cooking and for computing power. If you’re in an area that is either rural or prone to regular power outages, having a standalone power generator on hand can help you keep things moving — and can even be lifesaving in certain parts of the country during cold winters or hot summers. Power outages are a nuisance at best, and having a reliable source of backup power is even more critical with today’s reliance on the grid. 

Types of Power Generators

While there are technically more than four types of power generators, the most commonly used and available ones are natural gas, diesel, propane and gasoline. Some generators are portable while others require a set location due to their energy needs. Some uncommon forms of generators include those powered by biofuels, combination biofuels and diesel and even some hydrogen generators. While many hope that hydrogen generators, running on the hydrogen found abundantly in water, will be the wave of the future, this technology is still in its infancy. 

  • Natural gas is readily available and in ample supply throughout the country, making it a premiere choice for power generation. Generators run directly on fuel that comes through available gas lines so they are lower maintenance and don’t require constant refueling as other types of generators do. However, these generators are not portable and can have a higher installation cost due to the need to run hard lines directly to the unit. Natural gas is a relatively clean form of energy that starts and runs well in all kinds of weather. Power generators that run on natural gas may not last as long as the sturdy diesel units, and damage to a gas line will cause immediate disruption of service. Additionally, there is always the concern of a natural gas leak — which can be very dangerous. 
  • Diesel generators are the workhorse of the generator world. Diesel is a near-ideal option for short-term, alternative power generation as it is not very flammable, has wide availability and the engines that drive these generators are sturdy and efficient. While they do tend to cost slightly more than gas alternatives, diesel generators are relatively cost-effective to purchase and they start quite easily when you need them on cold winter mornings. Some cons to a diesel generator are the inability to store diesel fuel for longer than 24 months, and an inability to pump the fuel where needed without power. There are also significant emissions with a diesel-powered generator, which leads to additional environmental concerns.
  • Propane gas generators burn cleanly, can be stored in high quantities and have high availability even during a power outage. The overall emissions from a propane gas generator is low, they are affordable and long-lasting. They also tend to be quieter than diesel engines, with many of the benefits of natural gas generators. However, propane is quite explosive and must be stored under pressure — while the complex delivery systems required for propane have a propensity to break. Propane gas generators tend to run through up to three times the amount of fuel needed for other generators and the systems are unlikely to have the durability and lasting power of a diesel option. 
  • Gasoline generators are the most common option, due to their all-around positive attributes. Gasoline is easily available, though it does require power for pumping, and since they are so common these generators are amongst the cheapest. Gasoline generators are often used for homes or other small applications where generators bridge a short-term gap between power outages. Gasoline is priced higher than diesel or propane options and the generators are not as reliable in colder temperatures.

Power Generator Dangers

While power generators are an acceptable way to get you through a power outage, it’s important to note that they’re not without their hazards. Everything from carbon monoxide poisoning to electric shock are possible with these large power-generating devices. Using a power generator in enclosed spaces is rarely a good idea, and they are often located outdoors and slightly away from buildings for just that reason. Unfortunately, carbon monoxide is invisible and impossible to smell so you may not realize there’s a problem until it is too late. Since generators are creating electricity, all the standard electrical hazards also apply: water, wiring concerns and even fire hazards. 

Life Expectancy and Maintenance

Since generators are meant to be run only sporadically, their lifespan is significant. Some generators have a life expectancy of up to 30 years, based on around 3,000 hours of lifetime use. However, that figure varies widely by the type of generator and whether or not they are receiving the appropriate maintenance and are placed in an optimal location. Keeping your generator humming along when you need it may be as simple as keeping oil and filters on hand for an extended outage. Diesel and gas generators may need to have an oil change every 50-60 hours, and if you’re out of power for a week or longer this time can add up quickly. Allow engines to cool before you add additional fuel, and be sure you always keep the tanks filled up for generators that are not attached to a hardline fuel source. Allowing an engine to run completely dry can damage the overall system in a very expensive way. 

Selecting the right generator for your needs should be a balance based on several factors including geographic location, expected load, usage levels and budgetary requirements — both ongoing and upfront. Safety should always be a priority as well. Depending on your needs, you may select a portable generator that generally requires active intervention or a standby generator that starts automatically upon power outages. Standby generators are generally natural gas or propane powered and may be ideal for businesses or families with strict health care needs, small children or the elderly.

For More Information on Generators of All Shapes and Sizes, Call NSHEC Today!

Contact North Shore Home Energy Today!

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By nshec

Be Ready For an Emergency – Why a Generator Can Be One of Your Best Investments

Apr 28, 2021

Be Ready For an Emergency – Why a Generator Can Be One of Your Best Investments

  • Generators
generator

There may be nothing more annoying and inconvenient than a power outage. Lost work time, spoiled food, loss of heat. These things are all consequences that home and business owners face when the electricity unexpectedly goes out.  There is a solution to these problems, and investing in a backup generator is that solution. Although these generator systems aren’t cheap, even if you just purchase a portable generator, they are a great investment. 

8 Benefits of Investing in a Generator 

Whether you’re a business owner or you’re just looking for a generator for your home, there are big benefits to getting a backup power system. You’ll save money, irritation and mental energy in the long run. Consider the following points as you weigh the pros and cons of a new generator.   

  1. Prevent food loss from spoiling. Individuals and families can spend hundreds of dollars a month on foods that stay in the refrigerator or freezer until they’re ready to use those ingredients. When the power goes out and stays out, it can mean that you have to throw out food before you’ve had a chance to use it. 
  2. Standby generators kick within seconds of a power outage. Your neighbors might be without power when the utility company suffers an issue, but with your standby generator, you’ll just have to wait a few seconds. The generator will start and warm up for a few seconds before it starts to power your home, but that shouldn’t take too long, often between 10 and 20 seconds  
  3. When power comes back on, the transition will be smooth. Standby generators help to smooth the transition from generator power back to utility-generated power.  These units typically run for a few minutes after the utility company gets the electricity back up and running, to ensure that the power is indeed stable enough to power your home. Once the motor has cooled a bit and the demand for power has transitioned to the utility lines, the generator shuts off.
  4. Even during an extended power disruption, you’ll be able to entertain yourselves and your family.  You’ll be able to watch TV, listen to music, have electricity to read by, and have hot water for bathing and other usage.  Assuming you have a standby generator, you won’t be dragging out a portable generator and looking for extension cords. With a standby generator, you shouldn’t even have to get up from where you are or interrupt your activities. 
  5. Commercial property and business owners will not see a disruption in their security system coverage. With a backup generator that kicks on within seconds, you’ll hear a warning beep, but the power should be up and running quickly enough that there’s no real disruption in protection for your business.
  6. Generators keep sump pumps working properly. If you have a sump pump  near your basement to keep the water out during particularly rainy and wet times, you won’t have to worry about potential flooding issues from a power loss. A generator keeps the sump pump running with minimal interruption, which could mean minimal damage from wet weather that knocks out the power grid.
  7. You can keep connections with others alive. So many people have digital devices that they use to communicate with others as well as entertain themselves. And we’re talking about more than just a phone. Computers are such a big part of everyday life now. Losing power can be very disruptive.
  8. You never know when you need backup power.  There are many reasons that the power might go out. Severe weather, trees falling onto power lines, even rodents gnawing on connections – these are all reasons that the power might unexpectedly fail, and no one can predict exactly when something like that might happen, or how long it might last, particularly in the winter months when the weather is unpleasant and cold. 

Whether you’re building a new home or looking to add a generator to your emergency kit, there are tradeoffs, like the cost of the system. For a business owner who has power tools to run at work sites or at their main site, a generator is an investment that can help employees get more done. For homeowners, the investment into a backup power system (whether a permanent standby generator or a portable unit) could pay for itself with a bad winter or unpredictable electrical grids. 

For More Information on Automatic Backup and Portable Generators, Call NSHEC Today!

Contact North Shore Home Energy Today!

Check Out Our Current Specials!

Read The Great Things That Your Neighbors Are Saying About NSHEC.

By nshec

Automatic Backup Generators vs. Portable Generators: What to Choose and Why

Mar 25, 2021

Automatic Backup Generators vs. Portable Generators: What to Choose and Why

  • Generators
portable generators

Odds are if you’re reading this, you’ve had to deal with a portable generator before. Simply put: it’s a pain. For those reading this who have not yet decided on what generator to buy and would like me to elaborate, allow me to paint this wonderful picture for you: amid a massive blizzard or hurricane, your power goes out. In the chance that you are home when it happens, you do not have an abundance of time to react. You must head to the garage, shed, or wherever you keep your generator, wheel it out to your transfer switch or inlet box (or worse, run extension cords throughout your home), go through the process of turning your breakers off while the generator warms up and activates, then turn the breakers on one by one hoping that you do not overload the system.

Then, when the power eventually is restored to your home, you must perform all of these steps again in reverse order. In times of crisis or emergency, this whole process is the last thing any homeowner/ family member wants to worry about. What if you’re not home when the outage occurs, you may be wondering? Simply put, nothing happens. Your food in your refrigerator will spoil and any other maintenance appliances within your home will shut off. Certainly not a very enjoyable situation to find oneself in during a natural disaster or emergency.

Luckily, companies like Generac have begun to offer automatic backup generators. These generators aim to be the solution to any woes that the average homeowner has with portable generators. We’ve decided to lay out exactly what solutions choosing an automatic backup generator brings to the table.

CO2 Risk

Running portable generators inside is very similar to running an automotive vehicle indoors. Burned fuel is converted to carbon monoxide gasses which can be dangerous, and even fatal to any occupants of the home its running in. As simple as it may seem to just run it outside, that’s when you encounter problems. Will the generator be able to reach your inlet box from an outside location? Will the generator be damaged during the course of any natural disasters passing through?

Having an automatic backup generator properly installed outside of your home eliminates this risk completely. The automatic backup generator will be preinstalled outside, eliminating the hassle of dragging your generator back and forth. You’ll be certain that it is connected to your inlet box already. Generac automatic generators are also contained within a reinforced aluminum enclosure, severely decreasing the risk of damage to the backup unit.

Manual Activation

As was painted in the situation above, if you are using a portable generator you’ll need to go through the laborious process of turning it on when the power goes out and then turning it off when it is finally restored. This can be even more of a problem if you are not currently at your home to manually activate it. If you do not act quickly or return home immediately, you run the risk of losing any personals that depend on constant electric maintenance.

This entire issue is completely resolved with the use of an automatic backup generator. Whether you are in or out of the house, the generator will kick on within seconds of an outage and automatically supply power to your inlet box. When power is restored, the generator turns itself off automatically too, so no energy is wasted. The necessity to monitor the unit is completely eliminated, and the protection it provides for your house is active 24/7. 

Worrying About a Refill

If you own a portable generator, odds are it is running on gasoline. This means that eventually the generator is going to run out of gas and will require a refill in order to function properly again. During an emergency outage, this just adds to an already-extensive list of problems/worries that are present. You may be safe for the time being, but what if that gas supply runs out while you are asleep or working on another task? You are then left in the same position you were in when the power went out preliminarily, and must react and refill quickly.

Automatic Backup Generators run on the home’s natural gas or LP fuel supply, eliminating the need to worry about refilling out of the blue. It is also much less expensive than running on gas! You are then able to dedicate your time accordingly and rest assured knowing the power will stay on indefinitely.

Overloading Dangers


Using a generator, portable or automatic, means you run the risk of an electrical overload. With portable generators, this can mean serious damage to your home or inlet box if the generator is not equipped with overload protection.

Generac automatic generators come pre-equipped with overload protection, meaning in the event of an electrical overload the generator will automatically turn itself off. Then its just a matter of adjustment and resetting the breaker within the generator. This can save your home and fuse box from serious damage that portable generators may cause.

Even the experts at the American Red Cross recommend an automatic backup generator, stating it’s a much safer and more efficient alternative for your home than a portable generator.

For More Information on Automatic Backup and Portable Generators, Call NSHEC Today!

Contact North Shore Home Energy Today!

Check Out Our Current Specials!

Read The Great Things That Your Neighbors Are Saying About NSHEC.

By nshec

5 Reasons to Choose a Home Backup Generator Over a Home Battery Backup 

Jan 20, 2021

5 Reasons to Choose a Home Backup Generator Over a Home Battery Backup 

  • Generators
backup power

5 Reasons to Choose a Home Backup Generator Over a Home Battery Backup 

Finding the right backup power source for you home can be a tough investigation. With so many different options in a very abundant market, the everyday consumer can become easily overwhelmed. Any time your home loses power, you’re going to want a power source that can keep the appliances in your house operational, from the refrigerator to the microwave to the washing machine. In this case, we can confidently state that investing in a home backup generator is ultimately the right decision to make over a home battery backup. When nature rears its ugly head and takes you off the grid, you want to make sure you’re able to keep you food preserved, your heat, ac, and water running, and your family safe.

Here are 5 reasons why a home backup generator is the right choice to make over a home battery backup: 

1. More Support

Both home backup generators and home battery backups supply electricity to your home when you are taken off the grid, but home backup generators can support many more appliances in your home than a battery backup. Whereas generators steadily output a continuous max amount of power, home batteries can only supply a fraction of the total amount of energy they are currently holding. Batteries do this to protect how long the battery can last. This means only supporting a fraction of the appliances that a home backup generator can support when the power goes out.

To elaborate, each of your appliances requires a certain amount of wattage to operate. A backup generator with 15 kWh of energy will be able to consistently output those 15 kWh’s to your home as long as its hooked up. On the contrary, a battery with the same amount of energy that generator will only be able to output about 20% of that energy, so around 3 kWh. Therefore, on a backup battery, you will have to be a lot pickier on what you decide to power and leave off. Assuming you want to keep your refrigerator running, your options become very limited.

2. Cost Effective

Comparing the costs of generators vs. batteries requires the consumer to consider long term investment. At the preliminary purchasing period, both options seem very similar in pricing. It’s only after you factor installation, consultation, and power inversion that a backup generator becomes the obvious choice.

Whereas you will only need to pay for the installation and the generator itself, getting a backup battery entails buying the battery, the installation, another installation of a power inverter (normally tacking on an extra $2,000), and then any replacements you will have to make in a few years or sooner depending on use. Not to mention, going back to the first point, if you’re trying to get the same amount of output out of your batteries as a generator, you’ll end up paying much more due to the limited kWh output of your regular battery.  

3. Accessibility

Buying a backup battery is a much easier and readily available option to attain for your home than a home battery backup system. The home battery backup market is not yet developed enough to contain any full-scale distributors that have the products ready to go. Finding one is almost equally as difficult as getting it installed in your house. Especially in an emergency, buying a backup battery system is impractical at best.

Meanwhile, home backup generators can be found across the US at local appliance and hardware stores. For instance, a Generac home backup generator is supported by more than 5,200 certified dealers and there is no scarcity of trained installers ready to get one set up in your house at a moment’s notice. They even offer a support network line and a way on their website to find your local dealer. 

4. Longevity

To compare the length of time a backup battery will function next to a backup generator is a true “David and Goliath” situation. Simply put, with proper preparation a generator can last if you need it to with proper fueling. It’s not even a matter of how long, but how many resources you have. On the contrary, a backup battery, assuming a full charge, is estimated to run for 3-5 hours. This sort of duration in the event of an emergency power outage is unacceptable, and will not ensure your safety. Most power outages resulting from hurricanes and other natural occurrences take much longer than 3-5 hours to be fixed, which leaves you in the dark once that time is up. Not to mention the fact that with your home backup battery, you’re only limited to two or three appliances to power, tops. As far as longevity is concerned, there is no real competitive comparison between the two options.

5. Creation vs. Storage

When all’s said and done, the difference boils down to how energy can be continuously created with a backup home generator, whereas a home battery backup system can only tap into stored energy. When that pool of stored energy is depleted, you will be left with not very many options besides some blankets and candles. Meanwhile, if you have a fuel source for your generator, you will have power indefinitely. Generators produce power while batteries distribute it. 

Get A Free Generator Installation Estimate Today

North Shore Home Energy LLC is a local and dedicated HVAC, Refrigeration, & Generator company in the North Shore providing excellent service to homes, businesses, and restaurants. We are a proud participating contractor with the Mass Save program. Our professionals are trained, certified and use only top-notch equipment and industry leading technology to ensure that our customers are satisfied.  With over 25 years in the industry, North Shore Home Energy is here to educate our customers on maintenance and strive for 100% customer satisfaction. Our attention to detail, on-demand service, and fair pricing will keep your heating and cooling running smoothly year after year.

Contact North Shore Home Energy Today!

Check Out Our Current Specials!

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By nshec