From landscape lighting installation to plumbing repair and everything in between, property owners often invest in systems and solutions as they are needed. Of course, this ad-hoc approach helps them stay within budget. However, when it comes to standby power generators, playing the tape forward is a crucial element of that safety and property upkeep investment process. After all, if the power cuts out and you don’t have an emergency source in place, you’re more or less out of luck until the powers that be — Mother Earth herself included — remediate the issue.

Compare a standby generator to a security system. You hope to never need it — but if some externally-induced instance occurs where it actively keeps you, your property, and your family safe, you’re assured the investment is well worth it. Here, we’ll take a close look at a multitude of scenarios in which a backup home generator can come to the rescue big time — and why having one installed before you need it ensures you the power and peace of mind you and your family rely on.

Weathering the Storm

Colonial Generators’ service areas, including counties throughout northeastern Pennsylvania and South Jersey, are no strangers to inclement weather — especially in the last decade. Hurricane Sandy and an incessant smattering of tropical storms throughout the years have left countless without power for extended periods and entire cities gridlocked by flooded streets. Summers have clocked in record heat levels for the Keystone State, and area winters have brought their own hefty snow-and-ice dishes to the table. Suffice it to say, those of us on the East Coast all demonstrably understand — nail-bitingly so — the idea of seasons…and then some!

Given the track record of such harsh conditions and widespread outages on a regional level, it behooves homeowners in our community to be ready for the ups and downs of every calendar year. The best way to do that? Invest in a backup home generator! A dependable unit in place makes all the difference between having your power and critical appliances being shielded against the next news-breaking weather event and being subject to the entirety of its devastation when it comes time to collect.

Spotty Connections

Wind, heat, ice, snow, and flooding are all common culprits of outages. However, these sorts of storms and weather conditions — not to mention their domino-effect drawbacks such as downed trees, lightning strikes, or unusually high electrical load demand — aren’t the only context of a lack of power. Other reasons for power outages are caused by things you won’t necessarily be able to forecast, including:

• Trees or tree limbs coming into contact with power lines
• Vehicle collisions with utility poles
• Small animals interfering with electrical equipment
• Planned maintenance by utility companies
• Unstable power grids or insufficient infrastructure
• Excavation digging

If your power experiences “brownout” consistently due to factors that you’re unaware of, an installed standby power generator will be at the ready to help you live life uninterrupted. It doesn’t take a rolling blackout to be put in a dire situation. From perishables to refrigerated medicine, homes and businesses alike have provisions they need to preserve and an unreliable power supply only works against them. The best part about hooking your property up with emergency power? Automatic transfer switches! These take the manual attentiveness out of the equation. Backup generators of today automatically transfer power supply from its primary source to a backup source whenever you need it.

Don’t Wait for an Emergency — Be Proactive and Invest in a Backup Home Generator Today!

All in all, it’s best not to wait for things to go terribly wrong before you can work on making them right. Aside from certified generator installation, our expert team provides generator maintenance and monitoring services to ensure you and yours are never without power again. For more information about our generators and generator financing options, reach out to our specialists today!

When you purchase a backup home generator, you put stock in it to provide power when you, your family, and even your pets need it the most. After all, a backup home generator can do a lot more than keeping a few essential appliances up and running. From ensuring those with special medical needs have access to refrigerated medicine to upholding your home security system while your family is asleep or out of the house, it’s a resource to safeguard what you and yours need to survive and live life uninterrupted.

Picture this: you’re spending a stormy night inside the home with your family, confident you won’t lose power or the function of your most-used appliances because you have a backup generator. However, before long, the power cuts — and you’re left in the dark, wondering what could have gone wrong with your backup power source. A possible and common reason? Your backup generator wasn’t properly sized for your home.

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.

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.