A lot the benefits of standby generators are pretty obvious – they allow you to have power during an outage. While it’s definitely great to keep the lights on and appliances running, many don’t realize the serious savings that generators provide.
If you’re one of the thousands of Mainers who depend on their sump pump to avoid water flooding in your basement or home, it’s important to keep that sump pump running all the time. The power most often goes out during storms – the exact time you may need your sump pump the most!
When you lose power during the winter, your pipes can freeze. Frozen pipes can cause extensive damage to your home and mean very costly repairs. Repairing and replacing pipes and plumbing after a freeze can cost up to $20,000. The damage to other building materials, not to mention your valuables, drives that cost upwards by the thousands.
If you go without power for many days, you will likely lose all the food in your refrigerator and freezer. Replenishing all that food will cost hundreds of dollars.
If it’s too cold to stay in your house with no power, you will have to stay in a hotel. You may also have to stay in a hotel if you have no water because the pipes froze and burst. Or you may have to stay somewhere while your plumbing is being repaired from the damages. Some families with small children choose to stay in hotels during outages, which can cost at least $150 per night.
When you lose power for an extended period of time you will lose wages. If your house floods or needs major repairs after a prolonged power outage, you will lose time at work while you handle all these issues.
Many people work from home, and likely need power to do so. If a power outage prevents you from working, those billable hours are lost.
A study done by Remodeling Magazine found that at least half of the cost of a standby generator is recovered by an increase in property value. Harsh Maine weather has many home buyers appreciating the value that dependable power offers.
A standby generator will lower your homeowners insurance rate. Generators keep plumbing from freezing and security systems running, so many insurance companies have a premium discount for standby generators.
There are definitely many ways generators can save you money, time, and energy. When you consider ALL the direct and incidental costs of power outages, they can really add up! Generators should definitely be considered less of a luxury and more of a necessity.
