Keep your home or business going while power is out.

Electrical power outages are more than simply annoying. Losing power in your home or business can be costly and unsafe, and the impact can be critical.

Critical: Perhaps there's someone in your household who depends on a medical device reliant on electricity, or animals that need a controlled temperature, without which they could perish.

Costly: Lost productivity from an extended power outage means lost revenue that can affect the sustainability of your business. Replacing perishable food can be expensive, not to mention inconvenient.

Unsafe: Although burning candles for a minimal light source may be OK in the short term, it's no match to the visibility electric lighting provides. Unwatched candles can also lead to fire hazards.

Annoying: Think about the fall-out from your teenager upon realizing there's no TV or computer access. If you live in a home with a well, you not only lose your power source for heat, appliances, lights and electronics, you also cannot access water.

Power Outage Preparedness

When an extended power outage due to damaged utility lines leaves you without water, heat, lighting and refrigeration, you can be prepared—with a permanent standby generator.

A permanent standby generator can help ensure your family's safety, security and comfort while others are left in the dark. Purchasing and installing a generator system in your home or business will prepare you for the next power outage.

• If you lose your heat source when the power is out look for signs of freezing pipes. Reduced water pressure is one clue. As a preventive measure, allow your faucets to drip, enough to move water through your pipes to keep from freezing. If you suspect your pipes may be freezing, turn off your main water valve.
• Since power outages can last for hours or days, keep the following list of supplies on hand: and easily-accessible: bottled drinking water, flashlights, fresh batteries, candles and matches, a radio. To stay warm, have dry kindling and firewood available to use in your fireplace or woodstove. Otherwise, bundle up and take the opportunity to play some games by candlelight!

Consider Your Options

• Once you've decided on the idea of a standby generator, you'll want to decide which option and budget are right for you. Ask yourself the following questions:
  • How frequently does the power go out? And, how long do your power outages usually last?
  • How much of your house do you want to power when the electricity goes out?
  • Will you just want minimal lighting and appliances or do you want to run your entire system?
  • The more kilowatts you want to run, the more powerful the generator you'll need. Consumer Reports wattage calculation site. Add up the wattage of the components you'll want to run (including start-up watts of major appliances) to get an idea of the size of the generator required.
  • Do you have a location available for a permanent standby generator?
  • Are there permit requirements to install a permanent standby generator?
  • What is your budget?
• Portable generators may be less expensive, but they pose a higher risk of carbon monoxide poisoning because they're gasoline-powered, and they require a high level of user interaction and maintenance to ensure they operate properly when needed.
• Permanent standby generators usually run on propane or natural gas, reducing the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, and they connect directly to your home's electrical system making them easy and more convenient to use. They require minimal user interaction.
• Automatic standby generator systems sense when there's a power outage and automatically start the system within seconds of power failure even if you're home. Once power is restored, the system powers down the generator and connects back to your utility power source.
• Battery powered standby generator systems offer similar automatic options and can usually be installed in any room of a house, are extremely quiet, and can provide back-up power for shorter intervals.
• Consider purchasing a generator system that can handle more power than you currently need. This will allow you to add or upgrade appliances and electronics or expand your living and working space.
• A permanent standby generator system can provide peace of mind knowing you have convenient back up power the next time the electricity goes out. Plus, a professionally installed generator can increase the value of your home.

As a licensed dealer for Onan, Generac, and Kohler, Bausum & Duckett has a wide variety of generator options that will fit your needs and meet your budget.

In addition to the sales and installation, the following services are included in our price:

• Calculating load capacity for the appliances, devices, and fixtures you'd like to connect to a stand-by generator
• Determining the best location for installation
• Evaluating logistics and specs such as distance from main line, pressure
• Drafting site drawings
• Helping with permit applications, if necessary

And, like all our services, you can trust that your generator installation will be handled professionally by a licensed electrician, on time, on budget, and backed by the Bausum & Duckett name. Contact us for a free estimate.

Bausum & Duckett Electric, LLC

Main Office: 3481 Pike Ridge Road, PO Box 60, Edgewater, MD 21037

800-624-8887 • contactus@bdelec.net

Delmar Office: 38190 Old Stage Road, Delmar, DE 19940

800-621-8887 • contactus@bdelec.net

Visit our website at www.bdelec.net