Don’t let a hurricane shut down your business — here’s why you need to pick up a commercial generator ASAP.
Key Takeaways:
- A commercial generator is essential for businesses that want to avoid outages during hurricane season.
- With a generator, a business can keep its operations running, even in the middle of a hurricane.
- A generator can help businesses avoid financial losses and gain a competitive advantage.
- Not all commercial generators are created equal, and factors like fuel type and noise level must be considered to ensure a company can find one that meets its requirements.
- By working with a commercial electrical services contractor like Universal Electrical, your company can get the help it needs to install a generator that delivers long-lasting protection against power outages.
Hurricane season begins June 1 — is your business ready for it? If you still haven’t purchased a commercial generator, now’s the perfect time to do so. That way, you can protect your company against hurricanes and other electrical grid disruptions before the next power outage that would cripple it.
3 reasons a commercial generator is a must-have for hurricane season?
The biggest reason your company should pick up a generator is to keep your business running, even if you lose power during a hurricane or other natural disaster. Of course, there are lots of other reasons to purchase a generator for your business. These include:
1. Avoid significant financial losses
Without electricity, your business cannot function. Each minute your company cannot meet the demands of its employees and customers, it loses money.
The cost of an electricity outage can range anywhere from thousands to millions of dollars. During a hurricane, there is no telling how long your business will be without power. The longer your company lacks electricity, the more money it loses.
A commercial generator supplies consistent power to your business, even during a hurricane. This guards against many of the financial losses you could sustain due to power outages.
2. Gain a competitive advantage when your customers need your most
Believe it or not, a commercial generator can give you an edge over your rivals.
Consider what happens when a hurricane shuts down a company. The business, its employees, and its customers all suffer. The business may struggle to provide its employees with the tools they need to assist customers. Customers who cannot get the services and support they need will look elsewhere for help.
If you invest in a commercial generator while your rivals do not, you’ll be well-equipped to support your employees and customers during a hurricane. Since a generator helps your business stay operational 24/7, your company will have no trouble fulfilling requests from employees and customers throughout a storm. The result: Your operations can run as close to normal as possible during a power outage and gain an advantage over the competition.
3. Avoid business disruptions year-round.
In addition to serving you well during hurricane season, a commercial generator will work consistently throughout the year. This minimizes the risk of disruptions for an extended period of time.
Once a commercial generator is installed, the system protects your company against downtime. Any time a power surge or similar issues arise, your generator will ensure your business stays operational.
What to look for in a commercial generator
Now that you know why companies invest in commercial generators, you may be ready to purchase one for your company. Here are four important factors to consider.
1. Power usage
Find out how many watts you’ll need to keep your business running in a hurricane. Wattage requirements vary based on the company. For example, manufacturing plants tend to require much more power than small offices. To determine how much power you use, look at your energy bills from the past year. Add approximately 25% to your wattage estimate, too. This ensures you can pick up a commercial generator that offers sufficient reserve power.
2. Fuel type
Diesel, propane, and natural gas are among the most common fuels used to power the engines of commercial generators. If you want a generator that’s inexpensive to run and easy to maintain, you may want to go with a diesel option. If you want a generator that uses clean-burning fuel, a propane option may be the right choice for you. If your company has a natural gas line in place, a generator that runs on natural gas is likely the way to go. Ultimately, each fuel type has its pros and cons, so you need to assess each one closely before you finalize your commercial generator purchase.
3. Single- or three-phase
A single-phase generator delivers one wave of power, a three-phase option splits its power into three waves. Typically, a three-phase generator is a superior option for large businesses because they tend to provide higher voltage than their single-phase counterparts. On the other hand, single-phase generators may be more affordable than three-phase options.
4. Noise level
A commercial generator can be noisy. If you are running your generator near a residential area, you need to account for any noise ordinances. You can invest in a muffler to minimize the noise. You can also purchase an enclosure to limit the amount of noise that impacts your neighbors.
There is a lot to consider when you are choosing a commercial generator for your business. Fortunately, the UES team can help you choose and install the generator that matches your company’s needs.
Our commercial electrical services experts are masters of their craft. They are happy to install a commercial generator and we can provide tips and recommendations to help you get the most value out of your generator. To learn more, please contact us today.
