WAUKESHA, Wis., Sept. 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Making the
home a sanctuary from natural disasters and weather is what
GeneracⓇ Power Systems (NYSE: GNRC) is reminding
everyone to do this National Preparedness Month, which lasts until
September 30.
"This year has made it clearer than ever that our homes need to
be offices, schools, and shelters," said Russ Minick, chief marketing officer at Generac.
"In today's environment, losing power could mean losing work,
missing school exams, or even being unsafe; and that means backup
power is a critical element of being prepared."
September is not only National Preparedness Month, it's also the
height of hurricane and wildfire season: Two major causes of power
outages in the United States and
major incentives to invest in backup power. There are three
categories of backup power for homeowners to consider. Portable
generators are the least expensive but have limited utility to
power homes. Home Standby Generators (HSB) are permanently
installed, automatic, run on natural gas or propane, and are
capable of powering any size home. Solar + Storage systems use
batteries and for the first time, are now capable of backing up
entire homes.
Portable Generators
A portable generator is the point
of entry for home energy preparedness and resiliency. Generac's
GP-, iQ-, and XC- series of generators are available in sizes from
2000 watts to 17,500 watts; large enough to power the circuits for
most large appliances. These generators run on gasoline and must be
manually operated during an outage event. Safety must always be
considered when using a portable generator, says Michael Moriarty, director of portable generator
product management for Generac. "We've developed great technologies
like CO-Sense to help owners stay safe. But all portable generators
are instructed to be operated far away from buildings and never
near any open windows, doors, or air intakes."
Generac's CO-sense equipped generators detect rising levels of
harmful carbon monoxide and shut the generator off automatically if
approaching unsafe levels. This safety technology is available on
GP6500 and GP8000 models through retailers nationwide. With the
Portable Generator Manufacturers Association, Generac supports the
"Take it Outside" safety campaign through its dedication to
educating consumers on the safe use of portable generators.
CO-Sense has been a big step forward in providing homeowners
greater peace of mind.
For added functionality and safety, portable generator owners
may have a Generac manual transfer switch professionally installed.
This technology is installed easily by a certified electrician and
allows users to connect their portable generator to their home
electrical system safely, then manually switch over to generator
power when needed.
Home Standby Generators
The ideal option for complete
home backup power is a home standby generator. A permanently
installed Generac home backup generator protects the home
automatically when grid power is interrupted. It runs on natural
gas or liquid propane (LP) fuel, and sits outside like a central
air conditioning unit. A home backup generator delivers power
directly to your home's electrical system, backing up your entire
home or just the most essential items.
"Customers are telling us that with working from home, schooling
from home, shopping from home, and entertaining from home, their
level of anxiety about a power outage was very high," said
Aaron Jagdfeld, president and CEO of
Generac. "Having a home standby generator to ensure that they can
safely shelter in place with their families should a power outage
occur made this a must have item for many homeowners."
Generac Guardian-series home standby generators feature reliable
Generac engines, designed and engineered in the U.S. And each is
equipped with the remote monitoring capability of Mobile Link™,
allowing owners to monitor the status of their generator on a
phone, tablet or computer from anywhere in the world.
Solar + Storage
Solar + storage systems designed to
harness the power of the sun and store that energy for use later
are increasing in popularity. The favorable economics of solar and
batteries coupled with the increasing need for protection against
power grid disruptions is giving homeowners a new option for backup
power.
It is critical that all homeowners have a plan for extended
power outages. With the new, PWRcell automatic transfer switch
(ATS), whole-home solar power can now be a reality. During a power
outage, the PWRcell ATS disconnects from the grid, allowing the
whole home to be isolated as electricity can be routed from the
battery supply and/or solar array to the home's electrical panel.
Because this integrated Generac system protects the entire home,
the need to move or transfer circuits to a separate sub-panel can
be eliminated, reducing electrical complexities.
The Generac PWRcell system integrates solar power generation
with smart battery storage using a single, powerful inverter. When
the grid goes down, this system picks up the load and restores
power in seconds.
Power outages are on the rise
The United States' aging power grid is tested
every season, from hurricanes to power shut-off events to winter
storms, putting homeowners in a defensive position. Knowing
preparedness is key to resilience, Generac has also developed an
online tool that tracks power outages from across the U.S. and
Canada that allows visitors to
drill down to the utility-provider level and see how many people
are being impacted. Power Outage Central also acts as a resource
that aims to help homeowners take action in a power outage.
MEDIA CONTACT: Ashley
Kast: akast@punch-pr.com | 608-633-2404
About Generac
Generac Power Systems, Inc. (NYSE: GNRC)
is a leading global supplier of backup power and prime power
products, systems, engine-powered tools, and solar energy storage
systems. In 1959, our founder was committed to designing,
engineering and manufacturing the first affordable backup
generator. More than 60 years later, that dedication to innovation,
durability and excellence has resulted in the company's ability to
expand its industry-leading product portfolio into homes and small
businesses, on job sites, and in industrial and mobile applications
across the globe. Generac offers single engine backup and prime
power systems up to 2 MW and paralleled solutions up to 100 MW, and
uses a variety of fuel sources to support power needs for our
customers. Generac hosts Power Outage Central, the definitive
source of U.S. power outage data, at
Generac.com/poweroutagecentral. For more information about Generac
and its products and services, visit Generac.com.
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SOURCE Generac Power Systems, Inc.