2007 Mailbag – Generators for the Masses

Eric,

Great blog, I have spent many useful hours checking out all the articles and information on it. I appreciate your take on the world around us and where it may be headed. Its nice to see someone trying to help us all help ourselves. Please keep up the good work.

One thing I think your readers may be interested in, is portable generators for short-term household needs. Lately here in the Northwest U.S. frequent storms have caused several widespread power outages. Seattle and the greater Puget Sound region experienced power outages to over one million people just before Christmas this year. Several hundred thousand did not have their power back on for five to ten days. My guess is that power outages will increase in frequency and duration due to increasingly violent weather and grid capacity that is stretched to the max.

In response I purchased a 2000 watt Honda generator for about $1000. It has enough power to run my lights and electric heaters for a couple of rooms in the house. It also runs the microwave and the tv/radio so I can follow the news. If your home has propane or natural gas heat it can also power the heating unit and blowers. It uses about a quart of fuel per hour, so the ten gallons of fuel I keep on hand will provide about 40 hours of run time.

There are a number of reasons I went with Honda and the 2000 watt size, given that there are a number of larger and less expensive generators on the market. However, each persons needs are different so blanket recommendations are not helpful. For example, if you have a private well and need to operate a 3 hp well pump a 5500 watt generator is minimal. While for many people in more urban settings, city water and sewer still work (they are probably being powered with generators as well) and need only the capacity to heat a room or two and use the microwave.

Prices for 2000 watt generators range from $400 to $1000, while 5500 watts will cost anywhere from $600 to $2500. Lower end units are available at the Home Depots of the world, while high-end units such as Honda are carried by dealers and online sources. Note that around storm time, these items quickly sell out from local sources. My guess is that after any major widespread event (hurricane, earthquake etc.) your chances of finding one for sale are nill.

I have found a profound sense of comfort and security from this simple purchase and am using it right now to run my computer and write this e-mail. It does not solve any of the longer-term problems we may face in this deteriorating economy but it really does smooth some of the bumps in the road. My advice is to invest carefully in a small portable generator, keep some fuel on hand for emergencies, and feel better that you have just reduced your dependence on the power company or government officials to provide for your basic needs.

Deacon

P.S. I suppose it should be stated once again that you cannot run generators inside the home (a couple of people died in the last power outage from doing just that). Also I run everything off appropriately sized extension cords from the outside generator into my home so there is no possibility of feeding power back through the electrical panel and onto the grid. It is possible to connect the generator safely to the electrical panel but unless you are really an electrician and absolutely know what you are doing you will likely end up feeding power back onto the grid and injuring or killing repair personnel. So just play it safe, put the generator outside and use appropriate extension cords.