When Power Outages Strike, Are Your Clients Left in the Dark?Stand By

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Some dwellings can make do with a 6kW or 7kW generator, but others typically require at least a 20kW unit to provide enough energy to run everything from the refrigerator to the security system.

Generac Power Systems, which makes 7kW to 150kW units, finds that its most popular package is a 16kW, says senior marketing manager Dan Gianpetroni. (Generac and Building Products' parent company are both owned by affiliates of JP Morgan Partners.)

Several technological improvements are making standby generators more efficient and compact, quieter, easier to use, and able to supply "clean" power. In addition to automatically transferring loads from utility to generator and back again, automatic transfer switches also exercise the generator periodically to keep it running properly. Some switches incorporate alarms to notify the homeowner when the generator needs service.

Clean power has become an important feature because sensitive electronic equipment like computers or plasma TVs require a relatively pure electrical sine wave with little harmonic distortion—or spikes—that can damage them, according to Dan Meikle, director of Cummins Power Generation's residential and portable business. Most manufacturers have reduced the amount of harmonic distortion in the electricity produced by their generators to provide power that matches or is closer to utility quality.

A few manufacturers are developing wireless handheld monitors that provide home­owners with a familiar interface. Future innovations may include Web interfaces so homeowners can access their generators from anywhere and to enable the equipment to send e-mail notifications when maintenance is required.