Every once in a while, society gets a wake up call when the power goes out. Furnaces quit and leave people cold and afraid. Food cooling appliances start warming up and food goes bad or thaws out. All the lights are out of commission. You could end up cold, without water and in the dark.

It is easy to see how a really bad storm can cause problems with electrical infrastructure. This can leave residences without power for hours or longer.

Another problem that could occur is that construction equipment could accidentally come in contact with an overhead or buried line. As well, the utility company could have problems and malfunctions with equipment. Any one of these situations could result in a residence being without power for an extended period of time.

In times like these, you would be very glad if you had purchased a standby emergency generator. While your neighbours looked on with envy from their darkened and chilly homes, you could microwave some popcorn and see if the power outage is mentioned on television.

There are two types of standby emergency generators. One is the portable generator, which usually runs on gasoline. These small standby generators can be placed outside a window or door and then extension cords can be run over to the appliances you wish to run. With these fairly compact units, you can usually power one or two devices. However, these portable generators aren't suitable to run large items like the furnace.

Larger electrical requirements will need a bigger, more permanent standby emergency generator. After an electrician installs one of these generators on your home, it will be able to supply all your electrical needs indefinitely as long as the fuel supply lasts.

The kind of money necessary for some of these standby emergency generators makes them a pretty large investment. It is a matter of priorities. You might come to the conclusion that security and peace of mind are more important.