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There are two main types of emergency generators available to you -- a permanent standby generator and a portable generator.
With a permanent standby emergency generator, the generator is installed by a licensed electrician and is wired as part of your electrical system. This type of system can cost thousands of dollars depending on the size of the generator and the complexity of the installation.
With a portable generator, you can power a few circuits at a time including lights, television, heat, etc. This type of emergency generator is more cost effective. The size of the generator and the options you need all affect the cost of the unit.
While an emergency generator may be quite a large investment to many, it is well worth it in the case of an extended power outage.
More than two-thirds of all power outages in the U.S. are caused by weather-related events including thunderstorms, ice storms, heavy winds, and lightning strikes, as well as other natural disasters like floods, hurricanes, or tornadoes. Animals contacting wires, auto accidents damaging poles or other equipment, and other unknown factors can also cause power outages.
Power outages may vary by season, and can last from minutes to hours, even days depending on the severity of the storm or event. Hundreds of Dominion Power workers, often braving dangerous weather conditions, work to make sure outages last no more that the briefest possible time and restore power to your home or business as quickly as possible. However, if a storm causes severe widespread damage to our system, it can take several days to physically assess the damage and restore power to all customers.
