We got a Generac whole house generator about 2 years ago. We’re outside of Buffalo. We don’t get flooding or hurricanes thankfully. But ice storms have left some areas here without power for up to a week. We lost it for 24 hours about 15 years ago. The power lines in our development are buried, but I guess the whole infrastructure for our provider isn’t the best. We’re on the grid with a neighboring town. Our power goes out with severe windstorms or occasional random storms for a few hours at a time. We’ve been getting ourselves & our home ready for our retirement, so we decided to get a generator so we wouldn’t be sitting around in the dark or worrying about it as we got older. Ours was about $10K & we are happy we did it. There was a less expensive model, but we decided to get one that would power our whole 1600 sq ft home with power to spare, in case we ever need it. So far this year, it has kicked on maybe 6 times. Most were for just a few minutes but a couple were for several hours. Very reassuring to know we can charge our phones & our heat, AC, sump pump, fridge & freezer will keep working if the power is out. My elderly mom lives in a nearby town & uses oxygen at night. Again, reassuring to know we could bring her here too if her power ever goes out. The pipe coming out of the house isn’t pretty, but it’s definitely been worth it so far. Good luck with your decisions!
