Here’s How a Generator Can Make Your Life Easier
Back in the day – OK, WAY, way back – being able to flip a switch and have electricity coursing through your home was a novelty. No more candles or dangerous gas flames – not only was it convenient, but it was also much safer. But of course, it didn’t take long for people to take their electricity for granted. Today, more than a century has passed since the first entire street in the U.S. was bathed in the artificial glow of electric lights (in Cleveland, if you’re wondering), and Americans have long considered electricity a necessary staple of their daily lives.
Power Outages in New Jersey
With so much of our daily routines depending on electricity, it’s not surprising that a power outage causes such disruption and outright panic, especially when an outage extends for more than a day: Food spoils, computers don’t work, heating and air conditioning become wistful memories, and most of our forms of entertainment are unusable. Much more seriously, power outages can prevent necessary medical equipment from working, and it can even interfere with our ability to get clean water.
Being a coastal state and the country’s most densely populated as well, New Jersey certainly has its fair share of power outages, many of them lasting well over a day and affecting millions of customers. In fact, New Jersey has the dubious honor of being a part of the country’s two biggest power outages to date – the Northeast blackouts of 1965 and 2003, which affected 30 million and 45 million people, respectively. Those outages were due to human error, but there are plenty of outages that occur as a result of the storms that move up the coast or come sweeping in from the West. Hurricane season is especially problematic, but winter is no slouch. The Garden State averages from two to five ice storms annually, and that doesn’t take into account the dozens of localized storms that can take out power in specific neighborhoods.
The Benefits of Owning a Generator
Of course, while no one eagerly anticipates a power outage, if you own a generator, the prospect of your electricity going out isn’t nearly so daunting. With the right generator, you can still power your lights, your heating and cooling system, your refrigerator and freezer – even your beloved TVs and computers. More importantly, you don’t have to worry about power being cut off from medical equipment like nebulizers and ventilators, or loss of power for your water pump if your home uses one.
More pragmatically, having a home generator is almost a necessity if you work from home; after all, few customers are going to want to wait around for days while you’re electricity is out, plus your generator might qualify for a tax deduction is it’s used for business purposes.
Those are just a handful of the benefits of owning a generator, but there are plenty of others. If you’re considering a generator, Corbin Electric can help. Give us a call today at (732) 410-7695 or visit our website to learn more or to schedule an in-home consultation.
How to Prepare for a Hurricane in Under 24 Hours
If it’s fall, that means it’s hurricane season, at least for residents of New Jersey and up and down the East Coast. And that means many of your friends and neighbors are preparing for hurricane season by shoring up their property, buying supplies and tuning up their generators so they’re as ready as they can be if a storm heads their way. But what if you’re not the “preparing” type and you’re more prone to wait until the last minute before taking action? Does that mean you’re in for the worst? Not at all. Even if a hurricane is expected to hit within the next day or so, there are still things you can – and should – do to ensure you and your loved ones are prepared:
- First, know your evacuation routes, and if you’re near the shore or another area where flooding is expected, consider leaving now, before flooding and washed-out roads make leaving an impossibility. If you plan on staying put for now, make sure your car has gas just in case.
- Board up windows and glass doors to protect yourself from shattering glass if an object like a tree limb or wind-borne lawn furniture comes crashing in. Make sure your own lawn furniture, grills or other outdoor objects are put away or firmly secured to the ground or another secure object.
- Fill containers with clean water in case flooding causes issues with your own water supply. Having containers filled with water is especially important if you depend on a well and pump for your water supply.
- Dig out your flashlights, check the batteries and lay in a supply of fresh batteries and canned goods. Don’t forget pet food and water as well. Also make sure you have plenty of blankets on hand in case you wind up without any heat.
- If you have a generator, now is a good time to make sure you have plenty of fuel. If your generator is portable, make sure the cord used to power it is in good shape, and if you haven’t run it in some time, give it a trial run to make sure it’s in working order. Always keep a few supplies on hand to make minor repairs to your generator if needed.
Of course, the best time to prepare for a hurricane is long before a hurricane is expected, before your neighbors hit the stores and deplete them of flashlights, bottled water and canned goods. But by using common sense and taking a few important precautions, you can help ensure that you and your loved ones are well prepared to take the important steps you need to take to weather the storm.
And of course, if you have a generator and you want to be extra safe and sound this hurricane season, you can give us a call right now for all your generator needs, including parts and service so you can feel confident it will be ready when you need it.
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