Why don't people have back up power for their homes?

[ralphc1]

People spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a house but most don't have a backup power supply. When the home builders have their parade of homes, I always ask why they don't have a backup generator or at least wire the house for one. They always say cost. They build a $300,000 house and won't spend less than $10,000 on a generator?

Most larger homes these days have 2 main panels to provide enough circuits. Proper planning can set up one of those panels with all of the essential circuits in the house using 100 amps or less. A transfer switch can be put on that panel to disconnect it from the power company service when the power goes out. A generator capable of a 2200 kilowatt output with a transfer switch costs about $5000 delivered. Installation as a home is built should add less that $1000. Installing it later could cost $2000 to $3000. A generator like this will test itself every week by running for 10 minutes. It automatically comes on when the power goes out and shuts down again when power is restored. They usually run on natural gas or propane.

It's still cheap compared to the damage that could happen if the power goes out in the middle of the winter because of an ice storm. It could take several days to get power back in some bad storms. Most furnaces require electrical power. If the house freezes up, water lines can burst which could cost much more than the generator.

I live in the country near the end of the power line that comes from a substation 7 miles away. In 1980 the power was out for 2 weeks when a wind storm went through. That means no water from the well if you don't have a generator to run the pump. It was in July when it was hot and humid and no power for a fan or air conditioning.

Just last week the power went out from 5:30 until 8:15. My battery backups beeped and within 10 seconds the power was on.

I know Generac offers free in-home assessments to find out what it would cost to protect your home. It's worth finding out what it would cost.

Where I worked, I tried to get them to put a backup power unit in for the main office because everything ran off the computer system including the phone system.

 

[TSO]

My house is entirely off grid. For power I have solar, wind, and a multi fuel generator. Water, I have a well with a 10,000 gallon tank. Just recently there was a wind storm that knocked out the power here for 8 days. Most of my neighbors were SOL, but the closest two were able to run hoses from my tank and power from my solar.

 

[Plissken]

It can be expensive and some homes aren't wired for it. I know someone who looked into it for their house due to having power outages every year, but the electricians said their house was not wired for it.

 

[kenetics]

Don't care TS. Atleast I'm honest.

 

[Big Tuppy Hole]

I have a generator that plugs directly into our meter box, it powers fridges, pumps and basic shit like and the loungeroom lights.

 

[ralphc1]

It can be expensive and some homes aren't wired for it. I know someone who looked into it for their house due to having power outages every year, but the electricians said their house was not wired for it.

It doesn't take much to wire it. You can add a second breaker box and wire some essential circuits into it fairly easily. I wired a 200 amp disconnect between my meter and the main breaker box. Any decent electrician can wire one in.

 

[EJAXXX]

U sound rich

 

[mb23100]

A lot of Hawaiians ask me about how to do it here I guess it's more common there because power outages are more common

 

[DragRacer]

I’ve got a couple of little 2000 watt generators that will run for 8 hours on a gallon of gas and are super quiet. I haven’t had to use them for a home emergency yet but they’re great for powering stuff in the trailer at the racetrack.

 

[Lethal_Striker]

Why spend nearly 10 thousand dollars to ensure that your few hundred dollars of food in your fridge doesn't spoil the 1 or 2 times a year that maybe your power goes out?

 

[usmctanker242]

We've been hit by a few hurricanes over the last 10 years since I've lived in my current house and we usually end up losing power for 1-3 days after each one. It sucks not having power for a couple of days, but it's not the end of the world. My neighbor has a generator for his house and it clicks on immediately after the power goes out, but he has TONS of problems with it every time. It eats gas, is loud, and often stops working for no apparent reason. So like anything else you not only have to buy it, but you have to feed it and maintain it. At the end of the day is that cost and time worth it? For some people maybe but for most I suspect not.

 

[scorpipede]

Why spend nearly 10 thousand dollars to ensure that your few hundred dollars of food in your fridge doesn't spoil the 1 or 2 times a year that maybe your power goes out?

I'm pretty sure the TS is the king of The Philippines. They lose power a lot more.

 

[DesignedFailure]

Why spend nearly 10 thousand dollars to ensure that your few hundred dollars of food in your fridge doesn't spoil the 1 or 2 times a year that maybe your power goes out?

If your in the North power out means your pipes can freeze oh yea and your furnace will not run. So you freeze as well lol.

 

[HIMBOB]

Get solar panels and a battery like a tesla powerwall.

Its maybe double the costs quoted but saves you money year round. Environmental benefits too if you plan on breeding or living a while.

 

[MaureenCretis]

I don't live in the third world, where power cuts are common.

 

[mushishi]

@ralphc1 would be one of my 5 sherdoggers to have in a zombie apocalypse party.

We inquired about getting battery backup when my parents installed solar. We wouldn’t qualify for government tax credit if we did. Seems like govt doesn’t want us to have power off the grid.

 

[phipps66]

The power is almost never out and when it is, it's usually for short durations. Most people don't have $1000 in their checking accounts let alone $10,000 for a generator. I have a backup 5.5kW to run my heat and fridges in case of outage longer then a few hours in the cold. Like the storm currently descending upon me right now. :/

 

[Beechwood]

Having a back up generator is often talked about here. I'm in S. Florida. Tropical storms can at times knock the power out for days.

There is one neighbor up the street that has talked about his expensive, fancy back up generator for years. he was prepared for the worst if a hurricane struck. Well, last year hurricane Irma passed a few miles from our homes. And the neighbors back up generator would not work. Apparently he didn't keep it well maintained.

 

[mushishi]

The power is almost never out and when it is, it's usually for short durations. Most people don't have $1000 in their checking accounts let alone $10,000 for a generator. I have a backup 5.5kW to run my heat and fridges in case of outage longer then a few hours in the cold. Like the storm currently descending upon me right now. :/

Stay safe and warm, brother. May you have eternal power to run your pc and get your sherdog on.

 

[choke you]

The only time I lose my power for more than a day is in the winter. I put the food outside and light the woodstove. I don't really need a generator but I may invest in one down the road to make life easier.