The Economics of Generators: Why Now is a Great Time to Buy an Emergency Generator
Thinking about getting an emergency generator before the next power outage hits? You might be surprised that now is the best time to buy an emergency generator in more than a year. According to Jon Hoch, founder of Electric Generators Direct.com (http://www.electricgeneratorsdirect.com), an online generator superstore, emergency generator prices are influenced by the simple economics of supply and demand. "The best time to buy a generator is between power outages, when supplies are plentiful and promotions are prevalent," says Hoch. Last year, two wide-spread power outages severely altered the generator marketplace. The Northeast power outage in August exhausted the surplus inventory traditionally reserved for hurricane season.
By the time Hurricane Isabel hit the East Coast in mid-September, every available generator in the country evaporated. Local hardware stores sold out in a matter of hours. Many desperate homeowners had no choice but to buy overpriced professional grade generators with features they'd never use. And some customers waited up to four months to receive their backordered generator. The Calm Before the Storm Despite plenty of severe thunderstorms, issuing havoc locally, this year's weather has been relatively tame.
There weren't any wide-spread ice storms this winter, and tropical storms have been non-existent? so far. According to Hoch, generator inventories have been replenished, and manufacturers are now offering some sweet deals. For example, a Briggs & Stratton 5250 watt generator (http://electricgeneratorsdirect.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=308) is retailing for $699.99, including free shipping and no sales tax, at Electric Generators Direct.com. The emergency generator features a free start-up kit, including a 30-amp generator cord with four outlets, two bottles of oil and three packets of fuel stabilizer. In addition, Electric Generators Direct.com recently reduced their prices on all Coleman Powermate portable generators.
The company slashed prices by up to $50 per machine. Don't expect these deals to last forever, warns Hoch. Many generator manufacturers are starting to raise prices due to increases in building materials, especially steel and copper. Plus, it takes just one big storm to alter the economics of the industry. About Electric Generators Direct Electric Generators Direct (http://www.electricgeneratorsdirect.com) is an online generator superstore owned and operated by Power Equipment Direct, Inc.
The company also maintains Pressure Washers Direct (http://www.pressurewashersdirect.com) and Air Compressors Direct (http://www.aircompressorsdirect.com).For more tips on how to pick the perfect emergency generator, visit http://www.electricgeneratorsdirect.com/catalog/pickperfect.phpFor more tips on how to safely use a portable generator, visit http://www.electricgeneratorsdirect.com/catalog/transferofpower.php.
Transfer of Power How to Safely Restore Power to Your Home
Hurricane Charley is quickly teaching homeowners a valuable lesson about taking electricity for granted.
The Category Four hurricane knocked out power to nearly a million homes in Florida, and many residents are still living without power.
Homeowners are now using portable generators in record numbers to safely restore power to their homes.
"Getting a generator is one thing," says Jon Hoch, founder of Electric Generators Direct.com (http://www.electricgeneratorsdirect.com). "Getting the electricity into the house is another."According to Hoch, extension cords are fine for small generators because you can only plug in one or two appliances.
The most common way to use a portable electric generator is to place it outdoors, then run extension cords through an open window or door to the chosen appliances.
Extension cords have several drawbacks. First, most extension cords can...
Power generator > Transfer of Power How to Safely Restore Power to Your Home
Electric Generators: Understanding Your Power Needs
In order to choose the right emergency power source and to size it properly, you need to understand something about the power requirements of the devices you plan to operate.
The basic unit of power measurement is the watt, and with an emergency power source there are two wattage ratings that are important: steady-state wattage and surge wattage. A normal 60-watt incandescent light bulb requires, as you would expect, 60 watts, and it requires that wattage both when you turn it on and while it is running. A ceiling fan motor, on the other hand, might require 150 watts to get it started and 75 watts while it is running. That extra wattage to start the motor is called the surge wattage and is typical of anything that contains an electric motor.
Here are the usual wattages of some of the devices found in a typical household:
Device Typical wattage Surge Wattage
Light bulb 60 watts 60 watts surge
Fan 75 watts 150 watts surge
Small black...
Power generator > Electric Generators: Understanding Your Power Needs
S&C?s PureWave UPS? System Protects Computers at U.S. Government Facility
Franklin, WI (ContentDesk) February 11, 2004 -- Power quality is imperative for a government installation at the Redstone Arsenal in Alabama. The existing standby generator set needs 15 seconds to start up . . . much too long for the facility's computers to endure.
Facility managers recognized this vulnerability and sought an uninterruptible power supply system that could serve the computers for the crucial 15 seconds. They selected an S&C PureWave UPS System.
It's designed to protect an entire facility against voltage sags and power outages for a minimum of 30 seconds at 100% load.
The 480-volt, 1250-kVA/1000-kW PureWave UPS System was installed in December 2003. It is the first installation of the PureWave UPS System with a large, natural-gas-fueled generator set.
The unique design of the PureWave UPS System provides maximum reliability at minimum cost.A broad range of power protection solutions are available from S&C Electric Company's Power Quality...
S&C?s PureWave UPS? System Protects Computers at U.S. Government Facility
Power generator > S&C?s PureWave UPS? System Protects Computers at U.S. Government Facility
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