A source of backup power for your home is becoming more necessary in many parts of the country. From public safety power shutoffs in states with brushfire risk to electrical infrastructure that fails in cold weather to outages caused by massive storms or heat waves, more people are encountering situations where they have no grid-provided electricity for hours if not days. That wastes food as what you have in your refrigerator and freezer spoil, and it can put people dependent on electricity for medical equipment in danger.

Your backup-power options generally fall into two camps. One is solar power with a home battery, and the other is a generator. While you could have a portable generator that you hooked up to your home as needed, a standby generator that is installed and attached to your home's gas or propane supply is more convenient if you want to power everything in the home. The two systems work for different people for different reasons. Are you one of those who would be better off with a generator?

You Don't Think Going Solar Is Right for You at This Point

If you want to use a home battery, you have to have solar panels installed. If you don't want solar or don't want the panels installed yet, then a home battery does nothing for you. You'll want to have a standby generator installed now, and you can always switch (or even have both systems in place) later on.

You Prefer to Put the Power Source Far From Your Home

Home batteries and solar panels are typically installed on your home itself. Even if solar panels are installed as a yard/ground array instead of a roof array, they're usually placed close to the structure. But you might want the power source to be farther away from your home so that you don't have to deal with noise or disruption to the yard near your home. A generator would be perfect as it has to be placed far away from the home anyway.

You Need to Stay Within a Smaller Budget

A gas-run standby generator costs significantly less than a home battery alone. Add together the cost of installing solar and the home battery, and even a top-of-the-line gas-run standby generator looks wonderfully inexpensive. If you're not able to spend much or don't want to spend a lot of money no matter your financial situation, a generator is a great choice. The more you get regarding features and power capacity, the more you'll pay. But even the more expensive generators are typically cheaper than a home battery. 

For more info about standby power generators, contact a local company.