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During Hurricane Ike, 2.4 million people lost power along the entire Texas Gulf Coast and especially in the Houston area.  Consequently, emergency power generators were a highly sought after commodity in almost every community across the region. Emergency generators were being sold throughout Houston in almost every appliance store, home improvement center, and local hardware store.  The news media did a good job warning people of the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning and how to safely install a generator outside their home or garage.  Due to the severity and size of this storm, little time was devoted to explaining how to select a home generator or what or what size would meet their electrical needs.  People were confused and uninformed as to what fuel source and capacity to look for in an emergency power source. 

It is critical that you make certain that your emergency generator’s capacity is not being exceeded by its current usage.  As a service to all of Houston, ILD is offering service calls to check your portable generator setup and make sure its operability is safe and reliable.

If you are currently using a retail-grade, small gasoline-powered home emergency generator, please call us to evaluate your current emergency power action plan.  Portable consumer generators can only handle selected loads such as fridge, freezer and several lighting circuits.  Running extension cords through open windows and doors and plugging too many appliances into multiple power outlets can create an unstable situation which a professional can quickly spot and remedy.  Ideally, a future investment in a permanently installed generator which will connect to your home’s circuit should be planned now.  Many ILD customers who made this investment in our specialized electrical services have found it a Godsend during this current crisis.  We can help you start planning now, and we can help you get the most of your current portable generator’s usage. 

Making plans for emergency power takes time, planning and careful consideration.  Accidents happen when plans are rushed, not to mention added expenses and emotional hardships.  Looking ahead to the next power outage, we can help determine the very best commercial grade unit that will safely power your home in the event of an emergency.  This size of the generator we recommend will be determined by number of appliances and home systems you will intend to power with the unit.  Emergency generators rated at the commercial grade level, which are professionally wired to the home’s circuit panel, are a much safer and more reliable source of emergency power for Houston homeowner’s.  However, installing such a generator yourself is not recommended.  It will take a professional, licensed electrical service technician to correctly install a permanent generator for emergency power and home lighting.

ILD professionals begin this process with a careful examination of the home circuit panel itself.  Just like a sprinkler system begins with the water meter, electricity in the home begins with the panel.  Before installing a generator, ILD electricians isolate critical circuits to major home systems and appliances and determine any potential hazards in the home wiring design.  This is for good reason.  If the wiring was not initially designed to handle a specific electrical load, hooking up a generator could blow a fuse or destroy an appliance.  If we find such a problem area, we implement a provisional wiring scheme that will safely route power to vital home systems such as the air conditioner, home automation devices, and security systems.  When necessary, we will install dedicated circuits to essential home appliances such as computers, televisions, and refrigerator/freezers.  A commercial-grade generator will be able to then deliver specific loads of power to each of these areas that have been calculated in advance to ensure both safe operability and continued emergency power performance throughout the remainder of this crisis.    With advanced electrical home wiring and whole house surge protection from Illuminations, you and your family can be prepared for the next hurricane, tropical storm, or local blackout.

In all likelihood, we will recommend something larger than the standard 5600 Watt gasoline-powered generators that many people have installed on their back porches, and we probably recommend an alternative source of fuel besides gasoline power (which is still in short supply throughout much of Houston.)   Generators that run on diesel and natural gas will soon become available through our installation team, so both the service and the products you need can be quickly obtained by a phone call to Illuminations Lighting and Design.  Our phone lines are working and operators are standing by to get your home’s emergency power management plan implemented and underway as soon as possible.  Even

Having the assurance that your home has power and air conditioning in the time of a national emergency is equivalent in value to a home insurance policy.  It is an indemnity of your family’s safety, peace of mind, and personal lifestyle.

We invite you to call us toll free 800-863-1184 to learn more about our Houston electrical contracting services or our lighting blog which is full of helpful Houston Texas lighting information.