Over the last decade, Ontario has been experiencing more power outages than ever before. There are many reasons for this, including adverse weather events, an aging power grid and more power demand in recent years. If you’re worried about what could happen to your home or business during a power outage, one way to protect yourself is with a backup generator. Continue reading to learn about the benefits of standby generators and how you can protect your home and business. 

What Is a Backup Generator?

Traditional backup generators allowed homeowners to keep essential appliances operating during the middle of a power outage by generating enough power to run the heat or air conditioning, refrigerators and other key appliances. These generators typically run on gasoline or diesel fuel and need to be started manually before they can provide backup power. 

But what if you’re not at your home or business when the lights go out? Standby generators are backup generators that can detect power loss and activate automatically so you don’t need to rush home or to your place of business to get the power back on. Generac is a leading manufacturer of standby generators and offers configurations for a wide variety of needs. This makes it possible to find a generator that provides the right amount of power and uses the backup fuel source of your choice.  

Home Backup Generators in Whitby, Ontario

If you’re considering installing a whole home generator, here are some of the benefits you can expect:

  • You can protect your home from structural damage due to freezing pipes in the winter by keeping your heat active.
  • You won’t need to worry about replacing entire freezers’ worth of food due to spoilage.
  • Installing a generator will immediately increase the value of your home.
  • You can access your generator controls from anywhere with an internet connection, allowing you to monitor your generator’s status and be alerted when there’s a power outage in your area.
  • You can protect older family members, children and pets during summer power outages by keeping the air conditioning running.
  • Your security system won’t turn off, and you won’t be locked out of your garage during a power outage.

These are only some of the benefits of installing a home backup generator for your Whitby home. The generator looks just like an AC unit on the side of your home for added discretion. 

Reliable Backup Generators for Whitby Businesses

Do you know the true cost of losing power when running a business? Due to lost productivity, opportunity loss and potential damages from crime during power outages, businesses often report losses of up to $5,000 per hour while the power is out. If you lose power for 48 hours, your losses could be massive. This is just one of the reasons you should protect your Whitby business with a commercial backup generator

If you have any temperature-controlled inventory, a backup generator can protect your products. Some thieves target businesses during power outages because they know security and computer systems are down at these times. If your business is operating as usual, it deters these bad actors because they can see your security systems are active. This protects your business assets and employees who need to work during the outage. 

Employees working during a power outage also need to be paid regardless of whether they’re making sales or getting anything done. Keeping the lights on keeps them active and allows customers to continue doing business with you as if nothing happened. 

How to Maintain an Automatic Standby Generator

After installing your backup generator, it’s important to make sure it’s there for you whenever you need it. This means you should perform regular maintenance and inspections on your generator. Generac generators make this easy for you because they can perform self-diagnostics and remind you when you’re approaching your next scheduled maintenance. 

The benefits of regular service and repairs include:

  • Extending the life of your generator
  • Improving generator efficiency so you use less fuel during power outages
  • Preventing costly repairs due to poor upkeep
  • Ensuring you don’t need emergency repairs at a time when you need your generator to work for you

There may be times when you do need someone to fix an issue with your generator right away. We offer maintenance and repairs and can even work with Generac if the repairs are covered under your warranty. This reduces your hassle and gets your generator up and running faster. 

Learn More and Get Started Today

Whether you’re looking to protect your Whitby home or your business, Platinum Electrical Contractors can find a solution that works for you. We’re a premier Generac dealer, giving us access to the latest and best Generac products. This allows us to help you review your energy usage and discuss options that replace the exact amount of power you need. 

Contact us today to get a free quote. Don’t know if you can afford the full cost of a generator? We have financing options too, so get started with your quote now.