Information to Consider Before Choosing a Generator

Living in Florida or Houston, Texas, you should prepare for hurricane season by purchasing a generator. Before doing so, you must research the different generators available for your home. NBC 6 news provided information about both gas-powered portable generators and emergency stand-by propane gas generators.

Personalized Power Systems showed these two generators and discussed the price of these units, their benefits, and maintenance needs to keep your home powered up after the storm. 

Gas Stations Without Emergency Generators

 The year 2006, brought with it Hurricane Wilma to the state of Florida, leaving many gas stations without electricity. This resulted in chaos, as many people made lines stretching for blocks, even miles to get gasoline from the few gas stations which were powered by emergency stand-by propane gas generators. CBS 4 covered the story, explaining how there is a law that requires gas stations to have generators that would keep those pumps running even if the power goes out.

This law is not being enforced at any gas stations in South Florida which allows many of them to be unprepared. Charlie Crist, Florida governor at the time, was interviewed about the issue and stated how he had “great concerns” about this issue, he went on to say “I’ve directed our staff, to write letters to each of those [gas] stations that are on the evacuation routes.”

The owner of a South Florida Citgo gas station, Max Alvarez, installed a $65,000 emergency power system. He stated, “As members of the Florida petroleum marketers, we have definitely been preaching and we’ve been trying to train all of the members of the association in being ready.”

Preparing for the storms by installing generators at gas stations is not only a matter of convenience, as Governor Charlie Crist explained “this is a life saving measure, this is for the life, health, safety and welfare of our people.”

If you would like to find out more about standby generators for your home or business, contact your local Personalized Power Systems, who offers a wide selection of quality generators.

Personalized Power Systems' Donation of Automatic Standby Generators

The Disaster Survival House in Deerfield Beach, FL, received a $25,000 automatic standby generator system from Personalized Power Systems (PPS). PPS has been serving the community for over 14 years. The company helps provide quality Automatic Standby Generators both in Florida and Houston, Texas. After Florida was hit by several hurricanes in 2004 and 2005, Personalized Power Systems helped numerous companies by donating Automatic Standby Generators.

One of PPS’ beneficiaries is The Disaster Survival House, a center dedicated to educating about hurricane and disaster mitigation. The automatic standby generator system allowed for the power to be restored after an outage, which occurred during the grand opening press conference of the center.

Max Mayfield, the director of National Hurricane Center stated, "The donation and installation of such a system by PPS at the Disaster Survival House is an excellent example of private-public partnership.” He went on to say "We commend PPS for its role in helping to educate the public about these systems and the importance of generator safety during power outages."

For more information on the different quality generators available, contact your local Personalized Power Systems.

Difference Between Automatic and Manual Generators

Owning a quality generator has become a necessity if you live in Florida or Texas. The risk of being hit by a hurricane, drives people to prepare for storm season and prevent loss of power by purchasing a generator. There are many options out there, from standby generators to gas-powered portable units, and this article will help you decide which one is right for you.

Before you purchase a generator, you must first understand the difference between a standby generator and a gas-powered generator. A standby generator activates automatically once you lose power, according to Personalized Power Systems. It is a “fixed, permanent system that connects directly to a home’s existing circuits to provide automatic, trouble-free, continuous power to the entire property.”  A gas-powered generator must be manually turned on once the power goes out.

The benefits of a standby generators include being able to power a home completely from 5 to 8 days nonstop. Portable generators on the other hand, can only power a few appliances, lights and fans. PPS explains that standby generators run on propane or natural gas; a single tank lasting for up to a week. Portable generators run on gasoline and must be refueled constantly.

One other factor that differentiates these two types of equipment is the noise they produce. Automatic generators have the benefit of operating quietly, whereas portable generators are very noisy.

These are some of the differences between an automatic standby-generator and a manual portable generator. If you would like to find out more about preventing power loss for your home, do not hesitate to contact your local Personalized Power Systems.

PPS Donates Generator to Citgo Gas Station in Boca Raton

After hurricane Wilma hit the state of Florida back in 2005, residents and businesses began the preparation process for hurricane season, gas stations being one of them. As the New Year rolled by, businesses and individuals began to prepare for hurricane season by purchasing emergency stand-by propane gas generators.

In 2006, Personalized Power Systems, which provides these quality generators in both Florida and Texas, donated an 80,000 watt generator to a Citgo gas station in Boca Raton, FL. This great power source, allows the entire station to run when there is no power available. South Florida’s Channel 12, covered the story as shown in the video above.

FEMA Allows You to Purchase Generators

People living in states such as Texas and Florida, where the risk of being hit by a hurricane is high, take different steps to protect their property after the storm. There are many agencies that help the victims of a hurricane by providing them with hot meals as well as a shelter, others such as The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) helps you obtain an affordable generator for your home.

FEMA’s Individuals and Households Program (IHP),  has a provision called the “Under the Other Needs Assistance” (ONA) which explains that victims may be eligible to receive reimbursement for the purchase of a home generator.

What do you need to do to quality? FEMA explains:

·      The generator must be purchased or rented because of an event that results in a presidentially declared emergency or major disaster;

·      The applicant’s dwelling must be located in a declared area designated for Individual Assistance;

·      An applicant must provide proof-of-purchase or rental receipts for the generator;

·      The generator must be needed for a medically required appliance or piece of equipment; and

·      There must be proof that the appliance or equipment was required for medical purposes.

If you would like to find out more about the different quality generators available for your home, contact your local Personalized Power Systems.

The Need for Home Generators

The coastal location of the state of Florida makes it susceptible to be hit by hurricanes. In 2004, the state suffered from the power outages that Hurricane Frances left behind. Homes in Boca Raton, Palm Beach, West Palm Beach and Jupiter were left without electricity for days or even weeks.

Years later, people have begun preparing for hurricane season by purchasing a whole-house standby generator. The Wall Street Journal wrote an article, after Hurricane Frances, in which the increase in generator sales was discussed. According to the article, Personalized Power Systems, sold “70 large home generators in May, up from 10 to 12 a month before Hurricane Frances hit the state.”

The article states, Personalized Power Systems offers affordable backup generators, selling generator units from 15-kw to 250-kw units, that can power your home for almost a week. These gas generators help save you money while protecting your home.