ENVIRONMENTAL CENTS: Backup Power Options

No one likes to lose power, but before buying a generator, it pays to weigh personal needs.

By Bruce Saller
COLUMNIST

Photo by Dima Solomin on Unsplash

Losing power for an extended period is not only inconvenient, but it can be costly if food must be discarded, and potentially deadly if you have a health condition. Many people are purchasing generators to reduce the impacts of power loss.

There are three types of generators that range in size from 1.5 Kilo-Watts (KW) to 20+ KW:

• Small portable units: 2-3 KW, 40-50 lbs, $400-$600, two 120V outlets, only use gasoline

• Larger portable units: 3.5-20 KW, > 150 lbs, have wheels and lift bar, $500-$5000, 120 V and 240 V outlets, can be single-fuel (gasoline), dual-fuel (gas/propane), tri-fuel (gasoline, propane, natural gas).

• Permanent units: 14+ KW, $5000+, use propane or natural gas, typically no outlets

(The prices above are estimates for the generators only and do not include installation, labor, etc.)

The size you need depends upon the items you want to power. Here are some average power consumptions:

• Low (5-20 Watts): LED Light, Phone charger, Wi-fi router

• Medium (200-300W): Gaming devices, TV, Refrigerator, Washing Machine

• High (1000-1500W): Microwave, Coffee Maker, Electric Griddle, Electric Stovetop, Dishwasher, Portable Heater

• Very High (3000+ W): Oven, Water Heater, Dryer, AC, Heat Pump

So, if you want to power lights, chargers, wi-fi, one TV, one refrigerator, and are willing to only use one high power item at a time, you could get by with a 2-3 KW generator. If you want to power multiple high/very high items, you will need one in the 5–20 KW range.

If you only power a few 120 V items, you can get by using extension cords plugged into the generator. If you are powering your entire residence, you will need to install a transfer switch that connects either utility power or generator power to your circuit breaker panel. If you are not powering everything, you will need to install an additional circuit breaker panel for the generator powered items, as well as a transfer switch.

Generators are not very efficient and should only be run as required for maintenance and during power outages. A typical generator will use a gallon of gasoline to provide 5-6 KW hours of electricity. Assuming gas is $3 per gallon, this equates to 50-60 cents per KW Hour as compared to 10-11 cents per KW Hour from Dominion.

An alternative to using generators is to use an Electric Vehicle to power your house during an outage. Many EVs can connect to a transfer switch and power your home for several days. Using an EV saves the cost of purchasing and maintaining the generator and also saves 40-50 cents per KW hour by not using gasoline.

So, the cost to have backup power ranges from a few hundred dollars for a small generator and some extension cords to tens of thousands of dollars to power everything. Things to consider in making the choice include:

• How often you lose power

• Which items you need to power

• The cost of spoiled items

• How much you are willing to spend

Local Obituaries

To view local obituaries or to send a note to family and loved ones, please visit the link that follows.

Support Award-winning, Locally Focused Journalism

The FXBG Advance cuts through the talking points to deliver both incisive and informative news about the issues, people, and organizations that daily affect your life. And we do it in a multi-partisan format that has no equal in this region. Over the past year, our reporting was:

• First to break the story of Stafford Board of Supervisors dismissing a citizen library board member for “misconduct,” without informing the citizen or explaining what the person allegedly did wrong.

• First to explain falling water levels in the Rappahannock Canal.

• First to detail controversial traffic numbers submitted by Stafford staff on the Buc-ee’s project

Our media group also offers the most-extensive election coverage in the region and regular columnists like:

• Drew Gallagher — Humorist

• Dennis Wemm — Theatre Critic

• Hank Silverberg — Transportation

• Bruce Saller — Environment

• Loraine Paige — Food and Business

And our newsroom is led by the most-experienced and most-awarded journalists in the region — Adele Uphaus (Managing Editor and multiple VPA award-winner) and Martin Davis (Editor-in-Chief, 2022 Opinion Writer of the Year in Virginia and more than 25 years reporting from around the country and the world).

• For just $8 a month, you can help support top-flight journalism that puts people over policies.

Your contributions 100% support our journalists.

Help us as we continue to grow!

This article is published under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND. It can be distributed for noncommercial purposes and must include the following: “Published with permission by FXBG Advance.”