{"id":714,"date":"2021-09-27T11:00:52","date_gmt":"2021-09-27T15:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.schererelectric.com\/blog\/?p=714"},"modified":"2021-09-27T11:03:04","modified_gmt":"2021-09-27T15:03:04","slug":"whole-house-generator-vs-portable-generator","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.schererelectric.com\/blog\/electrical\/whole-house-generator-vs-portable-generator\/","title":{"rendered":"Whole-House Generator vs. Portable Generator"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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New York State got a bit \u2026 wet \u2026 this month. And whenever a major storm strikes the East Coast, it\u2019s an important reminder of how easily whole neighborhoods can lose electrical power for long stretches of time. Western New York is at high risk for extended power losses, and this is something we at Scherer Electric want to protect our customers from. We install whole-house generators to help homeowners make it through a power outage of any kind in safety and comfort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But when it comes to generators, we often hear people say something like this: \u201cWhat about just using a portable generator in Buffalo, NY<\/a>? Do I really need to go with a full whole-house generator installation?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Portable generators have their uses\u2014such as on camping trips, or to keep in the car in case of emergencies. But if you want peace of mind about getting through an extended blackout in your house, a portable unit can\u2019t hold up to a permanent standby generator. We\u2019ll explain why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Power<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The most obvious difference between a portable generator and a whole-house generator is the amount of electrical power it can supply. Portable generators are limited to enough power to run several appliances and some of the lights; they can\u2019t handle the needs of an entire house, nor can they supply power for several days. A whole-house generator can, if necessary, deliver power to all parts of a house. You do have the option for a less powerful standby generator if you only want to power necessities, such as the HVAC system, refrigerators, and some lights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Convenience<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To use a portable generator, you have to wheel it out of storage, connect it to the electrical system through the electrical panel, and start it. A standby generator is ready to go whenever you need it. Many whole-house generator models are automatic: they switch on to supply the house with electricity as soon as an outage occurs, disconnecting the house from the grid and changing it over to the generator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fuel<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You have more options for fuel types when you purchase a whole-house generator. Portable generators usually run on liquid propane, diesel, or gasoline. With a whole-house generator, you can use natural gas, which is piped directly to the generator with no need for you to worry about running out of heating oil. Natural gas also burns cleaner and is a less costly option. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Safety<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A portable generator can be a safety hazard, since it creates combustion fumes inside a home. A whole-house generator is installed outside the house so it won\u2019t create any danger from toxic byproducts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leave the Hard Work to Us<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Getting a whole-house generator doesn\u2019t have to be a huge burden for you: our electricians make it straightforward. You only have to talk to our licensed electricians and they\u2019ll find out the right type and power of generator to install for your home. They\u2019ll handle the installation, and before you know it you\u2019ll have the backup power you need for peace of mind around the year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scherer Electric is Western New York\u2019s Favorite Electrician! Call us today to learn more about installing a whole-house generator.<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you want peace of mind about getting through an extended blackout in your house, a portable unit can\u2019t hold up to a permanent standby generator. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[87],"tags":[91,105],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.schererelectric.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/714"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.schererelectric.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.schererelectric.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.schererelectric.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.schererelectric.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=714"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.schererelectric.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/714\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":716,"href":"https:\/\/www.schererelectric.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/714\/revisions\/716"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.schererelectric.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=714"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.schererelectric.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=714"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.schererelectric.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=714"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}