Having your very own residential generator is very important if you want to secure your home from a power outage. During a blackout, a residential generator allows you to continue usage of important electric appliances and devices like your air-conditioner, heater, lights, refrigerator, and computer. It works by converting mechanical energy into electrical energy.

In choosing a residential generator, you can either go for a portable or a stationary (stand by) generator, depending on what suits your needs. There are different types of fuel that can be used, and includes natural gas, diesel, gasoline and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). The cheapest models are portable generators that run on gasoline. Despite its tempting cost, it only has a short running time, and you would need to refill the gas tank over and over again. It is also not reliable as a power backup for a long-term power outage since gas pumps may not work during blackouts.

In contrast, a stationary generator can provide continuous power. It is directly connected to an external fuel source (ex: external gas line) and because of this, there is no limit to the power it can supply. If you want your portable generator to lengthen its running time, you can also choose to hook it up to an external source.

Aside from this, portable generators have to be transported from the storage, connected into loads, filled with fuel or hooked to a fuel line, and manually operated for it to function. Meanwhile, a permanent standby residential generator can start with just a push of the button or automatically (without manual operation), if it comes with an automatic transfer switch. This is because it is already attached to the house wiring or fuel source. Usually, the transfer time of an automatic system is around 10-30 seconds. A standby generator is also very efficient in terms of the higher power levels it produces, when compared to portables. Although these generators are indeed costly, it would be worth every cent in protecting your home from a long-term power outage, as it can be used to supply electricity to the whole house.

When you select your own residential generator, bear in mind that there's more than just wattage and price. Take into account the duration of time you might need emergency power, safety, fuel availability and convenience of use. Also determine whether you want the whole house to powered, or just a few select circuits. If your budget permits you, go and buy a generator that can power the whole house. If not, you can just choose to power important devices like your computer, air-conditioner, heater, refrigerator, lights, and microwave.

Just be cautioned that having a residential generator might be risky to health and might cause accidents. It can ignite unwanted fires, cause electrocution, and a produce a high emission of the poisonous gas, carbon monoxide.

In general, a residential generator should be bought according to your needs. Determine if you plan to use it for short-term/long-term blackouts and if you want it to power the whole house or just select circuits. Of course, you shouldn't forget to calculate the wattage requirements of the electrical devices you need to power at the same time, so you can look for a generator that can provide the sufficient amount of power.

Keep in mind that there is more to buying a residential generator than its price tag. Your home's safety from a power outage depends on a residential generator, so consider it as a very important and wise investment.