I live down south, in an area that regularly gets hit with hurricanes.
There is a time of year when storms are a frequent occurrence.
Even if we don’t experience disaster level hurricanes, we expect torrential downpours, high winds and flooding. Power outages are common and can last anywhere from a couple minutes to a few weeks. During the storm season, the temperature is typically in the upper eighties or low nineties. The humidity is always a problem. Going without power is more than just an inconvenience. We lost access to refrigeration, which means that food spoils. We no longer have running water, which leaves us without showers, laundry facilities and flushing toilets. There’s no lights, television or internet. There’s no way to operate the sump pump, dehumidifier or central air conditioner. The house quickly becomes horribly overheated and sticky. If it’s raining hard enough, we can’t even open the windows for some relief. There are big concerns with mold, mildew and bacterial growth. After several years of facing disruption, discomfort and damage to my property, I’d had enough. I hired a local HVAC contractor to install a standby generator. The generator is a permanent fixture in the backyard. In the event of a power outage, the generator automatically starts up and takes over. It’s powerful enough to operate all of our household systems and appliances. We can run the air conditioner, coffee maker, microwave and vacuum cleaner. We have lights, dehumidification and access to all modern conveniences. We don’t need to be on the premises to start up the generator and because it runs on natural gas, it will continue to operate for as long as necessary.