2. Heather is a Houston
resident who recently
purchased a new home in
far north Houston.
Heather commutes daily
to downtown Houston so
coming home to her
beautiful new home is a
welcome and relaxing
retreat, especially after a
long stressful day.
3. Heather and her husband
Andrew anticipate this home
to be their last move, so
careful planning was taken
during the building phase to
select additional features and
upgrades that would provide
a comfortable lifestyle for
both of them.
They also were careful to consider
options that would increase the value
of their home.
4. When reviewing options and
upgrades for their new
home, Heather and her husband
considered any long term
potential circumstances that
could affect their everyday lives. At the top of Heather’s list was a natural gas
generator, the type that would power on automatically in
the event of a power interruption.
5. During the building phase, Heather researched various generator
vendors using the internet. She and her husband reviewed several
proposals before making their final decision. Installation was so fast
and easy and their vendor took care of everything working
simultaneously with other contractors during construction.
6. Once the decision was made on the vendor, the
couple then had to determine what appliances
and rooms were most important during a
power interruption - this would help determine
the size of their generator.
7. Anyone familiar with Houston knows how storms and hurricanes can quickly
affect lives, homes, business or possessions.
For Heather and her husband, home security was a high priority and
maintaining power to the alarm system is important.
8. In the end, they decided to
backup their homes’ entire
first floor in order to utilize
air-conditioning, heating
and various appliances.
Heather and her husband enjoy
cooking as well as collecting
wines; a luxury they both
worked hard to achieve and
wanted to protect.
9. Their generator is equipped with an automatic transfer switch so that
within seconds of a power outage, the generator automatically kicks in –
keeping power to everything on the first floor. Once utility power is
restored, the transfer switch automatically shuts down the generator
until it is needed again.
10. Heather’s new home community features
natural gas - another important resource that
Heather and Andrew insisted be available in
their new home. They realize that natural gas
not only provides comfort and savings, it’s the
right choice for energy efficiency and a cleaner
environment
And as outdoor living
enthusiasts, Heather and Andrew enjoy
the convenience of natural gas for their
gas grill, outdoor fire pit, gas lamps
and spa.
11. Heather has already
benefited from her
generator’s standby power on
two separate occasions due
to storms.
She is very pleased with their
purchase decision,
appreciates the value it
brings to their home, and
believes it was a wise
investment.
Heather and Andrew feel
better prepared for the
uncertainty of severe weather.
It was nice meeting you Heather! Thanks for letting us visit your new home!
To learn more about generators….keep reading
12. A comparison of generators
Type Description
Uses environmentally friendly natural gas as the fuel
Natural Gas Stand by Generator
source for safe, convenient and reliable operation.
Features an automatic transfer switch that detects a loss
of utility power and starts generator within seconds of
sensing an outage. Once utility power resumes, the
transfer switch automatically ceases operation of the
generator and restores the home or business to utility
power.
Uses propane as the fuel source, which is typically more
Propane Standby Generator
expensive than natural gas. Issues could arise regarding
the continued supply and delivery of propane during
periods of extended electric outages. Can also be
equipped with an automatic transfer switch.
Uses gasoline as fuel source, which is typically more
Gasoline Portable Generator
expensive than natural gas or propane. These generators
generally have lower kilowatt outputs and require
constant refueling, which can be a challenge after a
severe storm when gasoline is in short supply. Portable
generators start and stop manually.
13. Thinking of a generator? Ask yourself these questions
Do you telecommute? How important is maintaining power to your home office equipment?
Do you rely on your security alarm system to protect your home or business? Would it give you additional peace of
mind to know that if you are gone and lose power, this feature would function automatically?
Do you have small children who get anxious in the dark or are hard to entertain without their television or video
movies?
Do you collect art or wine or have other possessions that are susceptible to heat and humidity and therefore
require regulated room temperatures?
Did you have to drain your pool entirely because your pump was not working to adequately clean the water?
Are you concerned about safety in using a portable generator?
Do you have additional freezers with your stocked food supply?
Can you live comfortably without air conditioning for several days?
Have you ever had trouble getting gasoline or propane fuel in the past (during a storm)?