Standby for Power

A generator can provide days of emergency power. Here's how to choose the right one.

It could be because of a natural disaster. It could be due to a grid malfuntion. Sooner or later, you will have to deal with a loss of power from your utility. That's when you'll want to be able to turn to a backup power source: a standby generator. In this article, contributing editor Sean Groom tells you how to choose the right generator for your situation. Generators fall into three basic categories: small portable units; large portable generators; and standby generators, which are large backyard power plants. Generators produce from 5000w of electricity to 50kw, and prices range from around $1000 to $15,000. The article includes sidebars on switch options (manual or automatic) and how you can determine if installing a generator is a do-it-yourself project.

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