It’s been a while since I told you about the quote we received for a whole-house generator. We wanted to go with the Generac brand, and the quote (including the cost of the generator, installation, and a couple of electrical issues that would need to be addressed in order for the installation to pass inspection) came to just over $21,000.
Of course, we weren’t too happy with that price, but if that was the best option, we were going to do it. So we were going to take the time to think about it and make sure it was really the right decision.
But then, just a couple of weeks after we got that quote, Hurricane Beryl hit Houston. I checked in regularly with my friend who lives in a Houston suburb to make sure she and her family were safe. They were okay, but they lost power for a few days. Before that, my friend had told her husband that she wanted a backup generator for the whole house. There was no question about it, and she was willing to pay any price for it. She didn’t care how much it cost, as long as she and her family of four, including two teenagers, didn’t lose power for days at a time.
Then Beryl came along and they lost power. But you know who else lost power? About half the people in her neighborhood had whole-house backup generators. She was shocked, and so was I, when she told me about it. They live in a very nice neighborhood in a Houston suburb. These are people who paid thousands of dollars to have a whole-house backup generator installed and who have an annual maintenance plan to make sure the generator is ready in case of an emergency. And then when they really needed them after a hurricane, half of them were left with malfunctioning generators and no power.
Since then, she and I (and her husband) have been brainstorming new plans, exchanging ideas, and sharing various products that might come in handy if the need arose again in the future. This is the plan that Matt and I have chosen instead of a whole-house backup generator.
First, we purchased a Jackery. A Jackery is a solar-powered generator, and the company has different sizes for different purposes. They have everything from large generators for your entire home to small portable generators that you can take camping. After a lot of shopping around, we ended up choosing the Jackery Solar Generator 2000 Plus. We purchased it during Amazon Prime days and it was 50% off, although we didn’t buy it on Amazon. We purchased it through the Jackery website. Here’s what it looks like…
We chose this one because it is the second largest they have and it is expandable, meaning if we find that we need more power that lasts longer, we can add more stackable battery packs to it. This one comes with two of these solar chargers. You can see how big it is compared to the couch in the music room.
I also really like that a Jackery can charge while it’s being used, as long as the power going in is greater than what’s going out. And the display on the front of the generator keeps track of that so you can see exactly what’s coming in and what’s going out.
I wanted this because I like the idea of having a generator that can be safely used inside the house. It doesn’t produce any kind of exhaust, so it doesn’t have to stay outside. So it’s a good alternative.
I searched and researched generators for days before settling on this one. The factors that led me to choose this one were (1) the customer ratings (a 4.8 star rating out of 2,779 customer reviews) and (2) that it is a tri-fuel generator. For now, we will have gas on hand in case we need it. But in the very near future (i.e. hopefully this month, but definitely before this winter), we are going to call a plumber to come out and install a natural gas hookup line so we can use that to power the generator if and when we need it.
I’m relieved that we made this decision. I think we’ll have what we need, and it didn’t cost us anywhere near $21,000. Most importantly, in an emergency, we need to be able to heat or cool (depending on the time of year) a room in our house so Matt can be comfortable. As long as we can close the bedroom door and have a portable air conditioner or space heater that will keep that room comfortable for him, as well as some power for a lamp or two, and maybe a laptop and our refrigerator, we can last for several days.
I’m still considering purchasing this little Honda generator just to have a small backup generator on hand.
My friend from Houston said that her sister (who also had no power due to the hurricane) used this Honda generator to power a portable air conditioner and it worked great. She was especially impressed with it because it is so quiet compared to the big, noisy gas-powered generators. So it’s still on my shopping list. But for now, at least I have the peace of mind of knowing that we can go a few days without power with what we have. There will be no more frantic rushes to get Matt to my mom’s house or somewhere else before the extreme heat (or cold) starts to get to him.
Addicted 2 Decorating is a place where I share my DIY and decorating experience while remodeling and decorating the 1948 home my husband Matt and I purchased in 2013. Matt has multiple sclerosis and is unable to do physical labor, so I do most of the work around the house alone. You can learn more about me here.
