What Is a Standby Generator and Why Do Homes in GTA Need Them?

Your home’s electrical system is vital to ensuring your comfort and safety. Whether it’s summer or winter, there are many threats to the power supply in Ontario. But you can protect your entire home during a natural disaster or power outage in the Greater Toronto Area.  Continue reading to learn why homeowners are investing in backup power sources such as a home standby generator.

What Are Standby Generators and How Do They Work?

A traditional generator uses a natural gas, gasoline or liquid propane fuel source to provide enough power to run the essential appliances in your home. For example, during winter, you want to make sure you have heat and water access in your home, making your HVAC system one of your most essential appliances. Traditional generators need to be powered up manually, which means they provide no benefit unless you’re present during the power outage.

Home standby backup generators can keep all the appliances in your house in normal operation, including your lights, security system, computers, refrigerators and garage door. The generator has a transfer switch that activates the moment it senses you’ve lost power and turns itself on to provide power to the whole house. Your family is protected during adverse weather events and other emergencies, and you have the convenience of being able to live your life without interruptions.

The Importance of Standby Generators in GTA

If you live in Toronto, having a home backup generator has become a priority. The area has experienced an increase in power outages recently, and weather events may knock power out at any point throughout the year. Many homeowners are investing in backup power because having generators with a natural gas or liquid propane fuel source is much more reliable than depending on the local utility to keep the lights on.

Changing Weather Conditions Across Ontario

Ontario is home to frigid winters, but you can experience extreme weather during spring and summer as well. Windstorms, tornadoes, lightning strikes, freezing rain and massive snow accumulations are all examples of emergency weather events that can threaten your access to power. The increasing number of storms due to climate change is making home backup power a necessity for millions of Canadians. This is why your home value may increase significantly the moment you install a home backup power system such as a home standby generator.

Power Outages in Ontario

Home standby generators protect your home from power loss that’s not always due to destructive weather events. Utility companies are currently struggling to maintain the public’s access to power for several reasons.

• The power infrastructure is old, and vital components are failing at an accelerated rate.
• Demand for power is greater than ever, putting extra strain on a power grid that already has problems.
• Repair crews aren’t always able to restore power after a storm in a timely fashion due to underlying issues with the grid.

Purchasing a home standby generator in Toronto gives you more control over your home’s power supply, so you’re not affected by rolling power outages, downed power lines or severe storms.

The Consequences of Power Loss

Most people don’t realize the full impact a power outage may have on their home or business. Power interruption can turn off the air-conditioning in the summer or the heat in the winter. The food in your refrigerator may spoil. You could experience water supply issues due to loss of heat and power.

Many people who experience burst pipes during the winter also experience a power outage. In some cases, they aren’t home at the time of the outage to take the steps needed to keep their pipes from freezing.

A whole-home generator is the perfect fit for your home if any of the above concerns matter to you.

Benefits of Installing a Standby Generator in GTA Homes

A home backup generator doesn’t simply protect your home in the worst-case scenarios. It also offers convenience, allows you to continue doing what you love and replaces your whole home’s power supply. With many home standby generators to choose from in Toronto, you can select an option that provides exactly the amount of power you need. If you want to protect only what’s essential, you can choose a generator that provides a little less power but ensures your entire family or staff can continue life as usual when the power is out.

Peace of Mind

Generac backup generators have a remote monitoring system that allows you to see if the generator is active, if your home has power from the utility company and if you’re running low on backup fuel. Generac generators will even perform self-diagnostics and let you know if you need to perform maintenance. The result is peace of mind from knowing your home will always have power under any circumstances and you’ll be completely aware of what’s happening.

Convenience

A home standby generator offers incredible convenience, whether you’re installing it in your home or business. It looks like an air-conditioning unit on your property and activates without any input or interaction. Generac offers the most comprehensive warranty on the market, so all you need to do is call your licensed dealer whenever it’s time for routine maintenance or repairs. This is one of the many advantages Generac has over its competitors.

Immediate Detection of Power Outage

Some people like knowing exactly when an outage occurs, and Generac home standby generators make this possible. You can receive an alert on your mobile device the moment there’s power loss, and you can verify your generator is active and powering your home or business. You can also see what your fuel level is to ensure you have enough backup fuel to last the duration of the outage. The amount of reserve fuel people choose to have on hand varies, but you shouldn’t require more than is needed to run your generator for several days.

Power Output

For those who want to have a smaller footprint, generators are available that provide less power. Others want to make sure everything in their home that plugs in can continue to operate. It’s important to work with your Generac dealer to learn how much power you actually use so you’re not overpaying for a generator. Getting a good price on a generator that provides much more power than you need provides no benefit.

Choosing a Standby Home Generator in Ontario

Tips for finding the right home backup generator for your home or business include:

• Use a power calculator to determine your peak power usage so you know what power output you need.
• Consider your budget and whether you plan to finance your whole house generator or buy it outright.
• Keeping in mind that you need to perform regular maintenance on your generator to ensure it works when you need it.

As an authorized Generac dealer, we can help you with all your generator needs, from selecting the right generator for your home to installing and servicing it for you. We can even help you find financing.

Choosing the Right Standby Generator Installation Company in Toronto

Platinum Electrical Contractors is the prominent authorized Generac dealer in Toronto. Whether you’re looking to purchase a new generator or maintain one you already own, we can help. Call us at 1-844-443-6776 or get a free quote by filling out our online form.