24 Hour Hotline (844) 376-9374

Days after Hurricane Harvey carved its destructive path along the Texas coast, CNN reported that one “Battered Texas town may be without power for weeks.”

Within hours of Hurricane Irma passing to the north of Puerto Rico, NBC reported that more than 1 million people are left without power on the island and some could be without it for months. As thousands of residents begin to make emergency evacuations or preparation plans in anticipation of Hurricane Irma potentially hitting Florida, we can’t help but think about the shortage in supplies and high demand this week.

While these hurricanes have brought wind and rain of historic proportions, our region faces power-severing storms regardless of the season. In the winter of 2017, Stella left more than 200,000 homes without power amid one of the largest snowfalls of the season, according to The New York Times.

“Every season brings its own weather and its own power risks. The winds during hurricane season can leave entire neighborhoods or entire towns without power for a significant period of time. Winter storms can down power lines and the seasonal cold can compound power restoration efforts,” says Michael Petrakis, president of Colonial Generators. “We believe all homeowners should have the ability to protect their homes, their properties and their families. This is why Colonial Generators has simplified storm readiness for homeowners.”

With a wide range of Cummins, Generac, Kohler and Briggs & Stratton products, Colonial Generators’ expert team can guide you through selection, purchase and installation – including installs in one day or less.

“Home generators are about assurance. Assurance that your family is safe, protected and comfortable,” says Petrakis. “It’s important to think about preparedness now to ensure the safety of your homes before any inclement weather.” Access to a dedicated power system provides power to sump pumps during heavy rains and heat to keep pipes from freezing during cold stretches.

Additionally, installed home generators also increase property value by several thousands of dollars.

Colonial Generators also offers whole house financing for less than $99 per month for qualified buyers. Call 1-844-376-9374 before the power goes out.

24 Hour Hotline (844) 376-9374

According to Google Trends, online searches for home generators increased by 4X from the time Hurricane Harvey made landfall until the arrival of Hurricane Irma.

“The historic storms during the 2017 hurricane season have reminded homeowners why they need to plan. Waiting until the power is out isn’t a sound plan,” says Michael Petrakis, president of Colonial Generators. “We believe every homeowner should have the ability to protect his or her home, property and family. This is why Colonial Generators has simplified storm readiness for homeowners.”

How does a standby generator work?

Installed standby generators are typically connected through your homes automatic transfer switch. When the power goes out, the switch senses the loss of power and automatically disconnects from the main utility supply leading to your home. Within 10 seconds your generator will activate and supply power to your home. When utility power is restored, your generator will shut off and your home will again be powered by the utility supply.

What does it take to install a generator?

Colonial Generators trained experts will conduct a site survey and provide recommendations for a generator for your home. After applicable permits are issued – which can be the same day or next day in some communities – the unit is delivered and installed. Colonial Generators tests each install and conducts full post-installment inspections.

What comes with a generator purchase?

Colonial Generators offers a complete package that includes 24×7 monitoring and a 10-year warranty. You should keep the generator free and clear of snow and debris – just as you would your AC unit.

Do I need an installed generator?

Colonial Generators recommends installed standby generators because of their ease-of-use and on-demand access to power. Our team members will guide you through selecting the right generator for your home and your family’s needs – including a full range of Cummins, Generac, Kohler and Briggs & Stratton products.

Colonial Generators also offers whole house financing for less than $99 per month for qualified buyers. Call 1-844-376-9374 before the power goes out.

Here is a great article on a utility company in Vermont that was hacked by Russian hackers.  The moral of this story is that our nation’s utilities are not exactly safe.  There are many threats to our utility grid system especially in the northeast and midatlantic states which have high energy demands and older infrastructure.  You can lessen your dependence on the the electric utility by installing a standby back up generator which run off of natural gas or liquid propance (LP).  Colonial Generators services the entire mid atlantic and northeast states.

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/nation_world/Russian-hack-of-Vermont-utility-shows-risk-to-power-grid-officials-say.html

A code associated with the Russian hacking operation dubbed Grizzly Steppe by President Barack Obama’s administration has been detected within the system of a Vermont utility, according to U.S. officials.

While the Russians did not actively use the code to disrupt operations, according to officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a security matter, the discovery underscores the vulnerabilities of the nation’s electrical grid. And it raises fears in the U.S. government that Russian government hackers are actively trying to penetrate the grid to carry out potential attacks.

Burlington Electric said in a statement that the company detected a malware code used in the Grizzly Steppe operation in a laptop that was not connected to the organization’s grid systems. The firm said it took immediate action to isolate the laptop and alert federal authorities.

Friday night, Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin (D) called on federal officials “to conduct a full and complete investigation of this incident and undertake remedies to ensure that this never happens again.”

“Vermonters and all Americans should be both alarmed and outraged that one of the world’s leading thugs, Vladimir Putin, has been attempting to hack our electric grid, which we rely upon to support our quality-of-life, economy, health, and safety,” Shumlin said in a statement. “This episode should highlight the urgent need for our federal government to vigorously pursue and put an end to this sort of Russian meddling.”

American officials, including one senior administration official, said they are not yet sure what the intentions of the Russians might have been. The incursion may have been designed to disrupt the utility’s operations or as a test to see whether they could penetrate a portion of the grid.

Officials said that it is unclear when the code entered the Vermont utility’s computer, and that an investigation will attempt to determine the timing and nature of the intrusion, as well as whether other utilities were similarly targeted.

“The question remains: Are they in other systems and what was the intent?” a U.S. official said.

This week, officials from the Department of Homeland Security, FBI and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence shared the Grizzly Steppe malware code with executives from 16 sectors nationwide, including the financial, utility and transportation industries, a senior administration official said. Vermont utility officials identified the code within their operations and reported it to federal officials Friday, the official said.

The DHS and FBI also publicly posted information about the malware Thursday as part of a joint analysis report, saying that the Russian military and civilian services’ activity “is part of an ongoing campaign of cyber-enabled operations directed at the U.S. government and its citizens.”

Another senior administration official, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss security matters, said in an email that “by exposing Russian malware” in the joint analysis report, “the administration sought to alert all network defenders in the United States and abroad to this malicious activity to better secure their networks and defend against Russian malicious cyber activity.”

According to the report by the FBI and DHS, the hackers involved in the Russian operation used fraudulent emails that tricked their recipients into revealing passwords.

Russian hackers, U.S. intelligence agencies say, earlier obtained a raft of internal emails from the Democratic National Committee, which were later released by WikiLeaks during this year’s presidential campaign.

President-elect Donald Trump has repeatedly questioned the veracity of U.S. intelligence pointing to Russia’s responsibility for hacks in the run-up to the Nov. 8 election. He also has spoken highly of Russian President Vladimir Putin, despite President Obama’s suggestion that the approval for hacking came from the highest levels of the Kremlin.

Trump spokesman Sean Spicer said it would be “highly inappropriate to comment” on the incident given the fact that Spicer has not been briefed by federal authorities at this point.

Obama has been criticized by lawmakers from both parties for not retaliating against Russia before the election. But officials said the president was concerned that U.S. countermeasures could prompt a wider effort by Moscow to disrupt the counting of votes on Election Day, potentially leading to a wider conflict.

Officials said Obama also was concerned that taking retaliatory action before the election would be perceived as an effort to help the campaign of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

On Thursday, when Obama announced new economic measures against Russia and the expulsion of 35 Russian officials from the United States in retaliation for what he said was a deliberate attempt to interfere with the election, Trump told reporters, “It’s time for our country to move on to bigger and better things.”

Trump has agreed to meet with U.S. intelligence officials next week to discuss allegations surrounding Russia’s online activity.

Russia has been accused in the past of launching a cyberattack on Ukraine’s electrical grid, something it has denied. Cybersecurity experts say a hack in December 2015 destabilized Kiev’s power grid, causing a blackout in part of the Ukrainian capital. On Thursday, Ukranian President Petro Poroshenko accused Russia of waging a hacking war on his cou1ntry that has entailed 6,500 attacks against Ukranian state institutions over the past two months.

Since at least 2009, U.S. authorities have tracked efforts by China, Russia and other countries to implant malicious software inside computers used by U.S. utilities. It is unclear if the code used in those earlier attacks was similar to what was found in the Vermont case. In November 2014, for example, federal authorities reported that a Russian malware known as BlackEnergy had been detected in the software controlling electric turbines in the United States.

The Russian Embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Representatives for the Energy Department and DHS declined to comment Friday.

– – –

The Washington Post’s Alice Crites and Carol Morello contributed to this report.

A code associated with the Russian hacking operation dubbed Grizzly Steppe by President Barack Obama’s administration has been detected within the system of a Vermont utility, according to U.S. officials.

While the Russians did not actively use the code to disrupt operations, according to officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a security matter, the discovery underscores the vulnerabilities of the nation’s electrical grid. And it raises fears in the U.S. government that Russian government hackers are actively trying to penetrate the grid to carry out potential attacks.

Officials in government and the utility industry regularly monitor the grid because it is highly computerized and any disruptions can have disastrous implications for the country’s medical and emergency services.

Burlington Electric said in a statement that the company detected a malware code used in the Grizzly Steppe operation in a laptop that was not connected to the organization’s grid systems. The firm said it took immediate action to isolate the laptop and alert federal authorities.

Friday night, Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin (D) called on federal officials “to conduct a full and complete investigation of this incident and undertake remedies to ensure that this never happens again.”

“Vermonters and all Americans should be both alarmed and outraged that one of the world’s leading thugs, Vladimir Putin, has been attempting to hack our electric grid, which we rely upon to support our quality-of-life, economy, health, and safety,” Shumlin said in a statement. “This episode should highlight the urgent need for our federal government to vigorously pursue and put an end to this sort of Russian meddling.”

American officials, including one senior administration official, said they are not yet sure what the intentions of the Russians might have been. The incursion may have been designed to disrupt the utility’s operations or as a test to see whether they could penetrate a portion of the grid.

Officials said that it is unclear when the code entered the Vermont utility’s computer, and that an investigation will attempt to determine the timing and nature of the intrusion, as well as whether other utilities were similarly targeted.

“The question remains: Are they in other systems and what was the intent?” a U.S. official said.

This week, officials from the Department of Homeland Security, FBI and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence shared the Grizzly Steppe malware code with executives from 16 sectors nationwide, including the financial, utility and transportation industries, a senior administration official said. Vermont utility officials identified the code within their operations and reported it to federal officials Friday, the official said.

The DHS and FBI also publicly posted information about the malware Thursday as part of a joint analysis report, saying that the Russian military and civilian services’ activity “is part of an ongoing campaign of cyber-enabled operations directed at the U.S. government and its citizens.”

Another senior administration official, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss security matters, said in an email that “by exposing Russian malware” in the joint analysis report, “the administration sought to alert all network defenders in the United States and abroad to this malicious activity to better secure their networks and defend against Russian malicious cyber activity.”

According to the report by the FBI and DHS, the hackers involved in the Russian operation used fraudulent emails that tricked their recipients into revealing passwords.

Russian hackers, U.S. intelligence agencies say, earlier obtained a raft of internal emails from the Democratic National Committee, which were later released by WikiLeaks during this year’s presidential campaign.

President-elect Donald Trump has repeatedly questioned the veracity of U.S. intelligence pointing to Russia’s responsibility for hacks in the run-up to the Nov. 8 election. He also has spoken highly of Russian President Vladimir Putin, despite President Obama’s suggestion that the approval for hacking came from the highest levels of the Kremlin.

Trump spokesman Sean Spicer said it would be “highly inappropriate to comment” on the incident given the fact that Spicer has not been briefed by federal authorities at this point.

Obama has been criticized by lawmakers from both parties for not retaliating against Russia before the election. But officials said the president was concerned that U.S. countermeasures could prompt a wider effort by Moscow to disrupt the counting of votes on Election Day, potentially leading to a wider conflict.

Officials said Obama also was concerned that taking retaliatory action before the election would be perceived as an effort to help the campaign of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

On Thursday, when Obama announced new economic measures against Russia and the expulsion of 35 Russian officials from the United States in retaliation for what he said was a deliberate attempt to interfere with the election, Trump told reporters, “It’s time for our country to move on to bigger and better things.”

Trump has agreed to meet with U.S. intelligence officials next week to discuss allegations surrounding Russia’s online activity.

Russia has been accused in the past of launching a cyberattack on Ukraine’s electrical grid, something it has denied. Cybersecurity experts say a hack in December 2015 destabilized Kiev’s power grid, causing a blackout in part of the Ukrainian capital. On Thursday, Ukranian President Petro Poroshenko accused Russia of waging a hacking war on his country that has entailed 6,500 attacks against Ukranian state institutions over the past two months.

Since at least 2009, U.S. authorities have tracked efforts by China, Russia and other countries to implant malicious software inside computers used by U.S. utilities. It is unclear if the code used in those earlier attacks was similar to what was found in the Vermont case. In November 2014, for example, federal authorities reported that a Russian malware known as BlackEnergy had been detected in the software controlling electric turbines in the United States.

The Russian Embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Representatives for the Energy Department and DHS declined to comment Friday.

– – –

The Washington Post’s Alice Crites and Carol Morello contributed to this report.

Emergency Back Power for Restaurant 

ColonialGenerators.com just installed a 100 kW Cummins generator on the rooftop of Caffe Aldo Lamberti located in Cherry Hill, NJ.  This landmark restaurant has a seating capacity for approximately 500 people and the have a large catering and private party business with approximately 10 private dining and outdoor seating rooms.  On December 25th, 2015, the restaurant suffered a power outage.  As a result it lost significant revenue while suffering losses due to refunds, cancellations, food losses and operations.  In May 2016, Colonial Generators installed a 100 kW Cummins generator on the roof of the restaurant.  We  helped provide the analysis in choosing the best generator for the project and handled permitting, delivery and installation.  Our engineers provided a smooth installation process which took one day for unit.

Gas Station Generator Program – Free Generators

NYSERDA will soon be launching a program to fund up to 100% of the cost of installing a permanent generator at a gas station. Colonial Generators can help you get a free Generator for your gas station. The state of NY is helping gas station owners with generators to help keep your business operating during an outage. We can provide details on the goals of the Initiative and details about participating in the program such as eligibility requirements, NYSERDA project selection process, how NYSERDA contracts with gas stations, reimbursement criteria and NYSERDA payment options to potential contractors.  This is a really great program which helps motorist and the state during power outages.  It’s a great way to provide your gas station with continuous power – best of all, it’s free and you can get a standby emergency generator for free.

The program would be open to gas stations that meet the following criteria:

Location – downstate New York counties
o Nassau
o Suffolk
o Rockland
o Westchester
o Bronx
o Kings
o Queens
o Richmond
o New York

Your gas station must be located outside of the 500-year floodplain
Have a minimum of 4 dispensers
A dispenser can fuel 2 vehicles simultaneously

Contact Colonial Generator to learn more about our gas station generator program.   Toll Free – (844) 376-9374

Colonial Generators carries a full line of RV generators and generators emergency and commercial vehicles and utility trucks.  Our number one line is Cummins Onan.  Cummins is the leader in commercial and industrial generators.  Their generators power some the world’s biggest industries.  Cummins is the technological leader in generation power they build some of the best mobile generators on the market today.  Cummins owns the market share for recreational vehicles RV’s and they also provide mobile power for Ambulances, Emergency Medical Service Trucks, Fire Trucks, Power Utility Trucks, Food Service Trucks and more.

Any mobile vehicle that requires ancillary power is perfect for a mobile generator.   Here is a list of all of our mobile and RV generators.

https://www.colonialgenerators.com/product-category/rv-generators/

Colonial Generators sells, services and installs mobile and RV generators.  Please contact us for a free quote on your truck or ambulance fleet.  Ask for Rob or Eric at (610) 425-0782.

Recent tests show that Cummins is the quietest generator for residential homes.  Here is a homeowners video showing how quiet a 20kW whole house generator is.   This was installed in April of 2016 in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania by Colonial Generators.  Cummins is a pretty quiet company.  They are, by far, the biggest generator company in the world and while most of the generators for commercial applications they have a robust and growing residential business.   Great technology – they build all of their own parts, and a focus on longevity and sound.   They offer home generators from 7 kW up to 60kW.

We aren’t ready for the lights to go out

This is a great article published in USAToday by Glenn Reynolds

Could it be lights out for America? That’s something that people are starting to worry about, and these worries aren’t coming solely from the usual crowd of survivalists and preppers. Shut down the computers that run the power plants and distribution systems and you shut down America. That’s looking more possible, lately.

One of those worrying is former ABC News anchor Ted Koppel, whose new book, Lights Out: A Cyberattack, A Nation Unprepared, Surviving the Aftermath, looks at the danger of losing electrical power due to a cyberattack. The picture Koppel paints isn’t a pretty one: Cities, unpowered for weeks and months, could become largely uninhabitable.

But, says Koppel, nobody is thinking about this very clearly: “It would be comforting to report that those agencies charged with responding to disaster are adequately prepared to deal with the consequences of a cyberattack on the grid. They are not.”

In fact, he writes, they can’t even agree on what’s involved: “The deputy administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) believes that a major urban center would have to be evacuated. His boss, the administrator, does not. The administrator believes that a successful cyberattack on a power grid is possible, even likely. His deputy does not. The current secretary of homeland security is sure that a plan to deal with the aftermath of a cyberattack on the grid exists, but he doesn’t know any details of the plan. As of this writing, there is no specific plan.”

Well, that’s comforting, though not especially surprising: If the government flubs its response to natural disasters like Katrina or Sandy, when storms are a regular occurrence, how likely is it to deal well with something that hasn’t happened to the United States before?

Nor is a cyber-attack on the power grid just a fantasy. In fact, in Ukraine (which I fear is a laboratory for new warfare techniques the way Spain was in the 1930s), it’s already happened.

But will we take it as one? We should. Though the American power grid is reliable and well-designed, it wasn’t constructed with cyberattacks in mind.

We could protect against cyberattacks completely, of course, by simply taking computers out of the grid and controlling things manually. This is undoubtedly possible since we ran electrical networks before computers existed, but it would be costly and inefficient. And while that approach would protect against cyber attacks, it wouldn’t do much to insulate the grid from other threats, like electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attacks and solar flares that are also causes of concern.

Apparently, the White House is finally beginning to address the problem, but we’re years behind the curve. At the very least, we should have backup plans for restoring power if things go wrong. And beyond that, we should be designing networks that are more resistant to cyber sabotage. Because the world is unlikely to become a safer place anytime soon.

Glenn Harlan Reynolds, a University of Tennessee law professor, is the author of The New School: How the Information Age Will Save American Education from Itself, and a member of USA TODAY’s Board of Contributors.

Colonial Generators – Customized Installation Trucks

This is a sneak peak at our customized mercedes installation trucks. The special trucks include a heavy duty hydraulic lift to allow us to quickly transport your generator from our warehouse to your home or office.  These trucks are capable of carrying up to 30kW sized generators so we can easily transport, deliver and install in one day.

Colonial Generators is the number 1 standby generator dealer of Cummins, Generac, Briggs & Stratton, and Kohler Generators.  We make the decision to purchase a generator easy – 0% financing, $0 down, and monthly payments starting at $125 or Buy it Now for $8999 installed.  No hidden fees or extras.  (844) 376-9374 for a free quote.

This is a simple tool to help figure out what size generator you should purchase. The image below is a standard PECO energy bill. The kW (kilowatt) section shows the general consumption. This bill shows a peak of approx. 1700 kWh. To power your entire home would require a 17-20 kW generator.

Of course you could get a smaller unit to power some but not all of your appliances. We can discuss that during a free evaluation at your home.

Schedule an appointment today at Colonial Generators – #colonialgenerators