Protect Your North Carolina Home with a Propane Backup Generator

Cherry Energy Can Help You Stay Safe this Hurricane Season

Believe it or not, the Atlantic hurricane season is only about six weeks away. And while last year was fairly quiet in our area, our eastern shoreline is frequently within the “cone of probability” for tropical storms and hurricanes. Of course, it doesn’t take a Cat 5 storm to down lines and knock out electricity, leaving you without power for days. With more frequent extreme and unpredictable weather, getting hit by a storm like Ian is not an “if” scenario, but a “when” scenario and it’s more important than ever to be prepared. One of the best ways to protect your home and property is with a backup generator . A backup or standby propane generator comes on within seconds of a power failure to keep your lights on and your refrigerator, furnace and a/c running until the utilities get the lines back up.

A standby propane generator will keep security systems on as well—giving you peace of mind, especially if the power fails while you’re away.

All About Propane Generators

Propane generators are quiet, extremely efficient and clean-burning, with low emissions. They are also less expensive (and less stinky) to run than gas-powered portable options—which won’t run your whole home, either. (Just keeping a portable generator full of gas during an extended outage will get expensive quickly, not to mention potentially having to wait on long lines for more fuel.)

There are a wide variety of size options, from “essential power” models that will run key equipment such as your refrigerator, heat and lights, to true whole-house generators that can manage the demands of most extra-large homes, even during extended outages. Talk to one of the pros on our team to determine the best size generator for your home and needs. Here are some key points to consider:

• What size is your propane storage tank? An average 22KW whole-house generator will burn approximately two gallons per hour (gph) at a 50% electrical load and 3.6 gph at full load. A 500-gallon tank would keep the same generator running for 4-5 days on a full load. Most homes have storage tanks that are between 320 and 500 gallons.

Of course, there are other factors to consider as you make your choice:

• How much power do you need to keep your home safe and comfortable? (You may not feel the need to power your whole house in emergencies.)
• Does anyone in your home require power for medical equipment?
• How big is your home?
• Do you want to be able to heat or cool your whole home, or just specific areas?

Remember, one of the key benefits of a propane backup generator is that you have the fuel to run it already. Plus, there’s no need to wrestle a portable generator out of the garage and get it set up and started, while messing with fuel, possibly in the dark or in treacherous conditions.

Have questions about how a whole-house generator can provide peace of mind through hurricane season and beyond? We sell and install generators from Generac: Stop by our showroom or contact us any time. We’re here to help!