What is an automatic standby generator?

An automatic standby generator is a back-up electrical system that operates whether you are at home or away. It automatically supplies power to  your home or business within 30 seconds of a utility failure. After utility power returns, the generator shuts itself off and awaits the next outage. It operates on natural gas or liquid propane and sits outside your house or business just like a central air conditioning unit. 

Watch this short video on how a standby generator works.

How much value does a standby generator add to my home?

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According to costvsvaule.com, in the New York region, you can expect to recouped approximately 51% of the total job cost if you were to sell your home.  Based on the increased number of prolonged power outages, we expect that homes with standby power will become increasingly more attractive to buyers - increasing that percentage over the next couple of years.  You can view a copy of the report by clicking on the picture to the right.

What is the difference between a portable and a standby generator?

Standby generators are permently in place and hard wired to your home.  You need to do nothing when you expeirence a power outage.  The system is automatic and will kick on within seconds of the power being disrupted.  The system is usually connected to a constant fuei source, such as a natural gas line, which eliminates the need to  fill a tank with gasoline every couple of hours.  After Huricane Sandy, many of us experienced long gas lines and the limited availability.   A standby generator eliminates that worry of continually getting more gasoline to keep your generator running.

Check out the video to get a better understanding of the differences.

I already have a portable generator.  Is there a better way to hook it up to my home for easier use?

If you have already invested in a portable generator that suits your needs,  Reliable Energy of NJ can instal a connection to your home electrical power that will make it easy to power critical circuits in your home without running extension cords to all your appliances.  It will also allow you to run your heating system and well pump.  Reliable Energy of NJ has multiple options to directly connect your generator to your primary circuits in your electrical panel... safely and easily.

For more Frequently Asked Questions about NJ Standby Generators, check out reliablenergynj.com.