Generators for home use: the new must have item

Sales of portable generators are surging throughout Australia, the United States and the UK as families prepare for more bad weather. Learn more about Generators for home use.

Fearing long power outages, plus a refrigerator full of spoiled food, more and more storm-weary families are purchasing power generators that will produce enough electricity to run many of their essential appliances.

Generators have long been a back-up for homeowners in rural parts of Australia. But in recent years, they have also become popular with households in metropolitan areas, especially in those places on the east coast that have been have hard hit by recent storms, floods, cyclones and bushfires.

Families refuel their backup generator in preparation for inclement weather

With utility companies struggling to keep up with the power failures after storms, and some even suffering power outages without the storms, homeowners are increasingly taking matters into their own hands.

Indeed, each time a storm hits, people in droves purchase generators for home use. Soon before and immediately after the storm, people tend to purchase portable generators. For month after, sales remain high with people harbouring a fresh memory of the turmoil they faced without power.

And generator sales are expected to keep growing, in part because of the increasing number of severe storms expected in coming years, as well as the ageing population, which tends to be less tolerant of spending days without power.

Another contributing factor is the falling prices of power generators. For as little as $319, consumers can buy a 800-watt Inverter Generator that will keep a few small essential home appliances running for several hours. Plus the inverter technology makes this type of generator ideally suited for use with sensitive electronics like computers, tablets, mobile phones, stereos, and TVs, as the generator produces a clean sine wave of energy with no surging. Inverter Generators range from 800 watts through to 6300 watts and are most popular for running small to medium sized domestic appliances.

The Yamaha EF2800i inverter generator: impressive power to weight ratio and run time capacity. Great for running fridges/freezers during a blackout
Yamaha EF2800i Inverter Generator: Best All-Rounder?
Running your home from a small backup generator

The larger the house, the more appliances you'll want to power. So you may require a bigger, more powerful generator to keep your refrigerator and other essential equipment like pumps running. These days, there is such an extensive range of Backup Generators available to suit almost any power requirement during a blackout. There are larger AVR Generators from 6kVA upwards including this popular Yamaha EF7200E - these types of generators are great for running lots of appliances and larger pieces of outdoor equipment if required. Then there are auto-start generators which can be connected to your house mains to automatically start up when the grid shuts down and restore power to your whole house. There are petrol, diesel and gas powered auto-start generators.

Leading manufacturers such as Yamaha, Honda and Generac have reported said sales have been unusually strong in the last few years. In the US, they note that the trend has increased steadily immediately following storms such as Hurricane Sandy and Tropical Storm Irene. Similarly, the same can be said of generator sales in Australia, where the states of Queensland and New South Wales have taken a severe battering from the weather.

Message Left By American Resident In The Wake Of Hurricane Sandy...

While people in their droves are going out and buying generators, the distributors want to make sure they know how to use them safely. For example, there's been a number of people suffering carbon monoxide poisoning – a fatal accident that is easily avoided by ensuring a generator is always used outdoors in a well ventilated area and away from open windows.

Another reason for the purchase of generators is a rise in households wanting to live “off grid”. With the price of utilities rising and people looking to live more ‘green', a growing number of people are living with solar power. Generators provide the backup power they need – just in case the sun fails to do its job. In fact there are now specially designed Auto-start Generators which automatically kick-in to provide power when the solar set-up runs low.

Auto Start Backup Generator: designed for solar and mains backup

For anyone thinking of purchasing a portable generator, it pays to do your research and find the best generator for your individual needs.

For more information visit My Generator or give us a call on 1300 400 122


DISCLAIMER* Please note, this advice is general in nature and we strongly recommend consulting the product manual and where relevant, a professional installer.


3 thoughts on Generators for home use: the new must have item

says:
21 October 2017
Hi guys, We live in the Werribee area Melbourne. What will be the (1) cost of buying the Yamaha EF7200E (2) The cost of installing it to the Mains (3) Whom are the noted Electrical Company with Name/contact details that will install this service in my area and (4) at what costs? Cheers Albert

My Generator Response
Hi Albert, the Yamaha EF7200E 6kVA Petrol Generator is a very popular model for home backup power. The price of the generator fluctuates slightly depending on stock availability, but as at 23rd October 2017 it is priced at $1,999 (incl. GST). In terms of cost for installing a Manual Transfer Switch (also known as a Generator Transfer Switch) so you can power your home with the generator during a blackout, I would recommend you look at this short video HERE of a customer also based in Victoria who had a Manual Transfer switch installed at a cost of approx. $600 (you can see the itemized costs toward the end of the video). This seems to be a good ball park figure for an install of a manual transfer switch, however depending on the state and configuration of your home's switchboard, the cost can sometimes be more. It is best to get a quote from your local electrician. The process of installing a manual transfer switch is a simple undertaking for any electrician. Thanks.

says:
8 March 2017
Hi Barbara talking, we are thinking of getting a generator that will do our fridge and freezer and lights they are not big appliances, we would like to have one that we could run off our metre box so that in case of a power failure we only have to flick a switch, please could you advise and give price and who would be able to install same and where we can buy. Thank You

My Generator Response
Hi Barbara, thanks for your question. What you are referring to is a manual transfer switch being fitted to your home switch board. This is a very common approach by homeowners who experience mains power blackouts. Your local electrician can fit the switch to your home. The way it works is; once a blackout occurs, you switch the power source from mains over to generator, then plug your generator in, start it up to restore power to all or part of your home. In terms of generator sizing and recommendations, it sounds like you only intend to run some small appliances so you could opt for a model such as the Yamaha EF2800I which weighs less than 30 kilograms and has a long range fuel tank. The popular model for people intending to run more/larger appliances is the Yamaha EF7200E. Feel free to call our team on 1300 400 122 if you have any further questions, thanks.

says:
18 August 2015
Hello !!! and to whom this may concern. I would like to know more about your Generators in terms of what generator for what application and the associated Costs to purchase these generators. I would also like to know about the gas auto-start units that switch over from solar. Im in Australia and haven't come across these types of units before BTW we are 240V ! thank you

My Generator Response
Hi Stel - we'd be happy to help. Perhaps to talk you through the gas-auto start generator options and suitability for your application, give us a call on 1300 400 122 and ask for Sean or Steve; they are the generator experts in that area. The gas auto-start units have become increasingly popular in recent years, as brands like Generac and Briggs & Stratton have brought out the latest in backup technology in their gas powered gensets. Anyway, please give us a call to talk you through it! Cheers

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