With the ice storms that hit the area at the beginning and end of 2007, Broken Arrow stores had a hard time keeping generators in stock. But sales have been slower for more powerful and costly automatic standby generators.
"We've sold hundreds (of portable units)," said David Larson, manager of Atwood Distribution Inc., 2351 E. Kenosha St. They ranged from 1,000-watt generators costing $129 that Larson said would run one or two light bulbs to 7,000-watt units that would operate a little more and cost $1,500. The generators Atwoods and most other Broken Arrow retailers sell are small portable units and not the more powerful automatic standby generators. Lowe's Home Improvement at 1900 E. Madison St. is an exception. Angela Sheppard said while the store stocks portable generators and does not carry the bigger automatic standby machines, the store can order them. "We can order seven- to 40-kilowatt (that's 7,000 to 40,000 watts) generators powered by propane or six- to 37- kilowatt generators powered by natural gas. We sold one recently -- a 20-kilowatt generator," Sheppard said. According to The Home Depot's Web site, www.tulsaworld.com/homedepot, customers can order standby generators that range from air-cooled, seven-kilowatt units for a small home at $1,989 up to a 30-kilowatt liquid-cooled machine for a large home for $8,369. Even larger liquid- cooled units for small businesses are available. A 60-kilowatt unit for a small business or retail store cost $12,489. A 150-kilowatt generator suitable for a small office building or restaurant cost $23,989. Those prices do not include an electrician determining the size needed, nor charges for required work by licensed electricians and plumbers. Home Depot at 9808 E. 71st Street sells standby units. "We had five in the store and sold them all, and we are in the process of special ordering several more," said Operations Manager Dee Beasley. She said Home Depot employees are doing several assessments to determine what size units the customers need to handle their home or individual circuits in the house they want to have continual electrical service during a power outage. Most or all of the 71st Street Home Depot standby generator sales have been for homes, but larger units for small businesses can be ordered, Beasley said. Much larger standby generators are sold by a Houston-based firm that started in Tulsa and has a Broken Arrow office where Royal Equipment Inc. purchasing and logistic manager Jason King works. "Our main market is off-highway mining equipment, but we sell standby generators in other markets such as a 1,750-kilowatt generator to a glass plant in New York," King said. Emergency Power System, 2959 W. 21st St. in Tulsa, sells turnkey automatic standby generator systems for even larger facilities around the country. "During the 2005 hurricane we rented a unit to the Blue Bell facility in Alabama," said Operations Manager Ron Haynes. Blue Bell officials in Broken Arrow facilitated that transaction. EPS furnished two, two-megawatt (four million watts) system for a Coffeyville, Kan., power company.(c) 2008 Tulsa World. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.