Determining Your NeedsWhen you are looking at purchasing a generator one of the most important things to pay attention to is the power rating. You will need to make sure to get one with a high enough power output to operate all of the electrical equipment you plan on running with it. An alternative if needed is to stagger operation of equipment so you aren't using so much power all at once.To find out how much power you will need your generator to produce first you will need to decide what you will need to run. Lights indicate their power consumption by wattage. If you can use a lower wattage bulb it will save energy for other appliances. Each appliance should be labeled indicating the power requirements. You will need a generator that produces more power than all of the equipment combined plus the initial surge when it is turned on. This is crucial because if you draw more power than the generator is designed to produce you may blow a fuse on the generator or even damage your connected equipment, so if there is any question you may want to ask for assistance from an electrician to determine your power usage. Portable or Permanent?When deciding between a portable and a permanent stationary generator there may be many factors at play, but the deciding factor will commonly be how often you have the need for a generator. The portable may be more cost affective and make more sense for someone who will only use it in emergency situations. At the same time a permanent generator would be a smarter choice for those who deal with power outages on a regular basis. A permanent generator makes switching to the generator's power into a more seamless process. |