[ad_1]
Joe Rizzo, president of Austin-based generator company Capital Power Systems, said things haven’t been the same since the week-long freeze in February.
The company that serves business and residential customers used to install one generator a day, now it is up to five or six. And some of these are for homeowners, which is also a change, he said.
“We have 200 installations behind,” said Rizzo. “And the factories have not been able to keep up with increasing demand in Texas and the US.
When families struggled to stay warm during the record-breaking February frost that left thousands across the state without electricity or water, many turned to using portable gas generators, gas grills, or their vehicles to generate heat, which was what led to carbon monoxide poisoning and other dangerous situations.
In the months that followed, residents across Austin prepared for similar situations in the future with full house generators.
Austin Energy has received hundreds of requests for information or help installing whole-home generators in the months since the February freeze.
In a typical year, the municipal utility receives two to three inquiries about generators that serve as an emergency power source. This year it has received more than 350.
“The uptrend began shortly after the storm,” said Joan Wilhite, field operations manager, electrical systems, Austin Energy. “It has just built up steadily over the past few months.”
Austin Energy does not provide generators, but helps with their installation, explained Wilhite. Homeowners typically employ a contractor to help them purchase a generator before going through a permit process with the city.
Austin Energy’s job is to schedule a power cut so an electrician can install the generator without the electrical system that powers the house being live.
The company doesn’t charge customers for going out and turning off power, Wilhite said.
After the freeze, the company received about 25 requests for generator help in February, Wilhite said.
“Immediately after the storm, the people were in arms. It was a disastrous event, ”she said. “Right after that there was an upward trend, and then it kind of subsided. Now that we are approaching the winter months, we are seeing the upward trend again. “
When the Texas grid is shut down, a gas-powered generator can be turned on. The life of the generator depends on how big the house is and how long a failure lasts.
“Depending on the size of the generator, a whole house generator could feasibly supply energy for the whole house,” says Wilhite.
Generators can cost thousands of dollars.
Rizzo said the price ranges from $ 8,000 to $ 25,000 depending on the size of the generator and the size of the house. He said the average Austin home would likely need a generator, which costs between $ 11,000 and $ 14,000.
Rizzo said the auto generator system, the most popular choice for customers, starts up in 10 seconds and maintains power until normal power is restored. The system is connected to the natural gas pipeline, but customers can also choose a propane gas option.
A battery system is also available, but Rizzo said it won’t last that long.
Austin Energy has also received more requests for solar batteries this year than it did in the past five years combined, officials said.
“The cool thing about solar is, let’s say, it’s outage and I’ve got electricity stored in the battery; I can run my house on battery power and if it’s sunny I can charge my battery during the outage, ”said Elizabeth Letton, a former Austin Energy officer.
Austin Energy received 85 applications for solar modules with batteries between March and August. In 2020 and 2019, the company received twelve and eight applications, respectively, over the same period.
Incentives and a $ 2,500 discount are available for Austin Energy customers installing solar panels. Information is available online at austinenergy.com/ae/green-power.
Austin Energy does not offer discounts on generators or generator installations.
[ad_2]
https://www.statesman.com/story/news/2021/10/24/february-freeze-led-hundreds-requests-whole-home-generators/5814042001/
