As Winter Approaches, Generating Answers

John E. Kelly Jr.'s products include a 35-kilowatt residential generator, a 16-kilowatt residential unit and a 1.5-megawatt unit the size of a truck. The latter, behind him here, would power a small hospital. (By Linda Davidson -- The Washington Post)

When winter weather strikes, having a robust backup electrical power supply can mean the difference between shivering in a cold, dark house and making it through in relative comfort.

Local utilities encourage customers to be prepared, as a major outage can knock communities offline for 24 to 48 hours. In extreme cases, homes can go dark for up to a week.

Today's emphasis on disaster preparedness has made generators a hot-ticket item, but confusion continues over models, features and capabilities, said John E. Kelly Jr., owner of Kelly Generator & Equipment Inc. in Upper Marlboro. Making the right purchase means understanding each option's pros, cons and limitations.

All but the largest generators require people to separate basic needs from extravagant wants. Pushing a generator beyond its capacity can cause power loss or electrical damage.

To determine your emergency power requirements, start by establishing priorities and adding up each item's electrical load, as measured in watts. (See chart, page 7)

For most people, managing a four-hour power outage is straightforward. Power is typically needed for only a refrigerator, a computer, a lamp or two, and medical equipment, said Mike Rubala of the Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative. In some areas, people also may be concerned about keeping pumps working on well, sewerage and sump systems. Without pumps, drinking water is unavailable, rising groundwater seeps into basements and toilets are good for only one flush.

Frigid temperatures or extended outages increase a household's power needs, as people seek to run a furnace, additional indoor lighting, outdoor security lighting, a home office, a garage door opener, a microwave, a water heater, televisions and electric blankets.

Consumers can choose from three types of backup power systems: small portable generators, stationary outdoor generators and battery units.

Portable Generators

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These gasoline-powered workhorses are versatile, affordable, easy to set up and mounted on wheels to make their 100- to 275-pound heft less formidable.

Depending on model, portable units deliver 2,000 to 6,500 watts (or 2 to 6.5 kilowatts) -- enough for the basics. Expect to pay $475 to $1,800.

Portable generators aren't always a workable solution. In many homes, the absence of an electrical plug on the sump pump or well pump prevents them from being readily connected to a generator.

Portable generators also must be turned on manually -- bad news if you're away from home when a storm knocks your refrigerator out of commission.