Three ways to keep the lights on
There is no single right answer. The correct choice depends on how long your outages typically last, what has to keep running, and whether anyone will be home to do anything about it.
Standby generator
Permanently installed, starts automatically, runs indefinitely on natural gas or as long as the propane lasts. The right answer where outages run for days, where nobody may be home, or where a well or sump pump makes power non-optional.
Battery storage
Silent, instant, no fuel, no maintenance. Limited by capacity: it covers hours rather than days unless paired with solar. Excellent for short outages and for sensitive equipment, and it can also reduce demand charges.
Portable with a transfer switch
The lowest cost option done safely. You still start and fuel the generator yourself, but a proper inlet and interlock means you are not running extension cords or, far worse, back-feeding through a dryer outlet.
Never back-feed through an outlet
Connecting a portable generator to the house through a double-ended cord into a dryer or range outlet energises your wiring with no isolation from the utility. It can kill a line worker and it can kill you. A correctly installed inlet and interlock costs very little by comparison.
Which one fits your situation
Rather than comparing specifications, it is usually faster to work backwards from what actually goes wrong when your power fails.
- Outages lasting days: standby generator
- Outages lasting minutes to hours: battery storage
- Nobody reliably home during outages: standby, for the auto-start
- Sump or well pump critical: standby, sized to include it
- Medical equipment in the house: standby, with battery for the gap
- Home office continuity: battery, for the instant transfer
- Tight budget, someone always home: portable with inlet and interlock
- Existing solar: battery, which makes far more of the array
Battery storage in more detail
Battery systems have improved considerably and now make sense for many homes that would previously have defaulted to a generator. They transfer instantly rather than after a delay, which matters for computers and networking equipment.
The limit is energy, not power. A battery can usually run whatever you ask of it, just not for as long. Sizing is about how many hours you need, and which circuits are on the backed-up panel.
- Instant transfer, with no interruption at all
- Silent, with no exhaust and no fuel supply to arrange
- No servicing, unlike an engine that must be exercised
- Pairs with solar to recharge during a multi-day outage
- Can reduce peak demand charges on some tariffs
- Capacity, not output, is what limits runtime
Backup power for businesses
For commercial sites the calculation is different, because the cost of being down is measurable. A restaurant losing refrigeration, a facility whose access control fails, or an office that cannot process orders each have a number attached to the outage.
We assess which circuits genuinely have to stay live rather than backing up the whole building by default, which is usually what makes the project affordable.
- Refrigeration in food service and retail
- Access control, security, and emergency lighting
- Servers, networking, and point-of-sale systems
- Life-safety systems where code requires backup
- Critical process equipment that cannot restart cleanly
- Sump and lift pumps in below-grade areas
How we work through the decision
- 1
What fails when the power goes
We start with what actually goes wrong for you during an outage, not with a product. That usually narrows the options to one before any pricing is discussed.
- 2
Load and duration assessment
What has to run, at what draw, for how long. Those three numbers decide generator size or battery capacity.
- 3
Options with real trade-offs
We present what each approach costs and what each one does not do. Anything we are not confident about, we say so rather than presenting it as certainty.
- 4
Install, commission, and hand over
Permits pulled, work installed, transfer tested under load, and operation explained. A backup system nobody understands is a backup system that fails when needed.
The safety rules that are not negotiable
Every backup power approach shares the same two hazards: back-feeding the utility, and carbon monoxide. Both have killed people, and both are entirely preventable.
- Any generator connection to the house needs a transfer switch or interlock
- Never run a portable generator in a garage, even with the door open
- Keep portable exhaust well away from windows, doors, and vents
- Working CO alarms are essential in any home with a fuel-burning generator
- Never refuel a portable generator while it is running or hot
Related generators services
Jobs we're often asked about alongside this one.
Frequently asked questions
- Generator or battery, which should I get? +
- It comes down to outage length. Batteries cover hours and transfer instantly with no noise or fuel. Generators cover days and restart automatically. If your outages run long or a sump or well pump is critical, that points to a generator.
- Can I just plug a portable generator into an outlet? +
- No. Back-feeding through a dryer or range outlet energises your wiring with no isolation from the utility and can kill a line worker. A correctly installed inlet and interlock is inexpensive and is the only safe way to connect a portable.
- How long will a battery run my house? +
- Hours rather than days for most systems, depending on capacity and what is on the backed-up circuits. Paired with solar it can recharge daily, which changes the picture considerably during a long outage.
- Do batteries qualify for incentives? +
- Some storage programs and federal credits apply, and eligibility depends on the equipment, the installation, and the program year. We check what applies to your project rather than quoting figures that go out of date.
- Can I add battery storage to existing solar? +
- Usually yes, though it depends on your inverter. Some setups need an additional inverter to support battery backup. We assess the existing system before recommending anything.
- What size portable generator do I need? +
- For essentials such as refrigeration, a furnace blower, a sump pump, and some lighting, mid-size units are typically enough. What matters more is how it connects. We install the inlet and interlock so it can be used safely.