Standby Generators: A Long-Term Investment
A natural disaster can turn from a looming threat to a devastating reality almost instantaneously. And without definitive power restoration plans, outages can last for days or weeks on end, as Long Island observed in the weeks following Hurricane Sandy. A standby home generator will afford you and your family the convenience and familiarity of everyday life by maintaining relatively normal conditions. While the cost may seem steep, purchasing a standby home generator will actually be an investment that pays itself off in droves for years to come.
1. Prevent Home Repairs
Without home appliances to regulate internal temperatures, the pipes within your home are more likely to burst. Burst pipes can flood your home with sewage, compounding the already devastating storm damage. A standby generator will both prevent your home from reaching these conditions, and enable you to operate a sump pump in the event that a pipe does burst.
Standby home generators are invaluable in preventing the need for home repairs like this, as well as many others. However, for maximum performance, make sure that you exercise your home backup generator.
2. Lower Home Insurance Rates
Home insurance rates are based on several factors (materials, age, area claim history, etc.). While one cannot necessarily change these factors, you can reduce your homeowner’s insurance rates by making your home a safer environment.
A home backup generator will keep your home’s essential devices running, and prevent the disrepair that results from power outages. From an insurer’s perspective, this guarantees that your home is not nearly as much of a risk as other homes. Additionally, an obviously inhabited home is far less likely to be the victim of a home invasion, lowering your liability in this area as well.
3. Increase Home Value
In a similar vein to reduced homeowner’s insurance, a standby home generator will increase your property value. According to a study by Remodeling Magazine, home backup generators increase the chance of resale, as well as the value of the home.
4. Avoid Hotel Expenses
When your home is without power for a few days, chances are you’ll be looking to make temporary lodging arrangements. In the absence of a friend or family member, a hotel is the only option available. On the off-chance that there are rooms available, long-term lodging will be quite expensive. A standby generator installation will eliminate the need for expenses beyond your already costly living budget.
5. Avoid Wasting Food
Weekly grocery shopping trips are part of most household budgets, but replacing all of your refrigerator and freezer contents is costly. Without a home backup generator to keep it cold in the interim, all of your food will spoil. This includes refrigerated produce, condiments, meat, as well as frozen meals. A standby home generator takes immediate action in providing power to the refrigerator once again. This turns the power lapse time from hours, days or weeks to seconds or minutes. Not to mention, all of your delicious food will be safe.
As a Long Island resident, you need to be conscious of the natural disaster related dangers that are always a possibility. The price of the home backup generator pales in comparison to the rewards of the investment down the line. Whether you choose to remain in your home for years to come, or have a need to relocate in the future, a home backup generator will provide your family with the comfort of a fully powered house as well as the economic peace of mind you need.
As a full-service generator installation and repair company, the New York Electric Company has a wide variety of portable and home backup generators. We also offer generator repair and tune-up services to ensure that your generators are best equipped to help you during emergencies. Contact us for more information.