Hurricane Fears Fuel Sales of Home Power Sources
Source: www.ebuild.com
During the post-hurricane dog days last year, John Natale Jr.'s house was Electricity Central for his fellow residents of River Bridge in Greenacres.
"I had two or three neighbors come over every morning with their whole coffeepot and plug it in," said Natale, speaking about his portable 10,000-watt generator, which the co-owner of lake management firm Palm Beach Aquatics fired up after Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne.
As the June 1 start of the hurricane season looms ever closer, homeowners who haven't forgotten what was like to sweat in their sleep and read by flashlight are buying generators to keep the power coming.
"In the last couple of weeks, we've had tons of calls from people asking about generators," said Felix Finnegan Sr., owner of Blast Off Equipment Inc. on South Military Trail in suburban West Palm Beach. "The people who plan ahead don't have such a rough time."
In just one 30-minute period Thursday, two people came in about balky generators they wanted Finnegan to fix. Another customer called, trying to decide whether to go with a gasoline-powered portable generator or a standby, the kind that is permanently installed and runs on propane or natural gas.
"We had a 5,000-watt generator we had for four or five years that quit in the middle of Frances," said Martha Glover, a West Palm Beach retiree. "We couldn't get anyone to fix it. We left and went to North Florida. When we got back, we started planning for this year."
Don Schilling, store manager of the Home Depot in Lake Park, said he could not provide sales figures, but that generators have been selling well in recent weeks, particularly the whole-house 15,000- watt standby model, which sells for just under $3,000.
"Because of the hurricanes last year, this year they are buying early," Schilling said. "We are consistently selling out, but getting more on a regular basis."
Consumers also are clamoring for high-end power plants. Personalized Power Systems of Boca Raton has seen a frenzy of orders for its natural gas-powered generators, priced at $13,500 to $25,000.
Before last year's storms, Personalized Power Systems sold two generators a month, company owner H.J. Frank said. In April, he sold 52.
The generator, essentially a 6-cylinder car engine in a metal box, can power an entire house. The price includes a propane tank buried in the homeowner's yard, but the machines also can be hooked to natural gas lines.
Boca Raton homeowner Robert Cooper paid Personalized Power Systems $40,000 for a generator five years ago. And though Cooper's neighborhood was one of the few that didn't lose power after Hurricane Jeanne, he has no regrets.
"I want the protection that I never have to worry about being without power," he said.
Consumers seem to be doing their homework before buying a big generator they might not need, dealers and electrical contractors say.
"People think a small generator can run a whole house," Finnegan said. "They have no idea how many watts it take to run things."
To figure it out, total the wattage of the maximum number of items you plan to run simultaneously. A light bulb may require 60 watts, while a blender takes 300. Some items, such as televisions, refrigerators and air conditioners, require more wattage at start- up.
Lowe's gives this example: Running a 100-watt light bulb, a 200-watt slow cooker, a 1,200-watt refrigerator with a start-up wattage of 2,900 watts and a 750-watt TV would require 3,950 watts. A 20,000- BTU air conditioner would take 3,330 watts.
Most people should make do with portables, experts say. A 3,550- watt portable sells for about $499; a 7,500-watt, about $1,795.
If you really want to go the standby route, it's probably too late for this year. The
process can take months.
Installing a standby is costly because it involves getting a permit, hiring a contractor to pour the typical 5-by-8-foot, 6-inch- thick concrete slab and possibly bury a propane tank on the property. A licensed electrician must be hired to install the unit and perform any necessary electrical work.
"Depending on how they want it connected to the house, you can end up reworking their entire FPL service," said Shawn Davis, operations manager of Current Connections Inc., a West Palm Beach electrical contractor.
Staff writer Jeff Ostrowski contributed to this story.
Safety tips
- Always empty fuel from a generator when it is not in use.
- Always use fresh gasoline.
- Use a generator outdoors only, away from open windows, vents or doors.
- Maintain your generator according to the maintenance schedule.
- When connecting a generator to your home electrical system, have an electrician install a power transfer switch. Never plug your generator directly into your home outlet.
- When using extension cords, be sure they are of the grounded type and are rated for the application. Always uncoil cords and lay them in flat, open locations.
Source: Briggs & Stratton Power Products